Rochdale 2 - 0 Coventry City

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Match report as Ian Henderson double sinks Sky Blues



Coventry City’s miserable away record continued as they chalked up their 16th defeat in their penultimate road trip of their dismal League One campaign.

The Sky Blues – whose relegation was confirmed on Good Friday – are yet to log a league victory outside the Ricoh Arena under Mark Robins, having won just one all season, at Port Vale, in Mark Venus’s first match in charge last October.

That miserable record has largely been responsible for City’s downfall and ultimate drop out of the third tier, and a dreadful display at Spotland merely reinforced the fact that they are more than worthy of their bottom spot in the division.

In a disappointing return to type, City were awful against their upbeat hosts as their recent upturn in form under Robins escaped them, conceding two really poor goals early in each half against a physical, no-nonsense opposition – the like they will face week in- week out next season in League Two.

They set the tone for a dreadful showing with a dodgy opening minute when they gave the ball away three times. Once they’d recovered their composure they enjoyed some enterprising play in Dale’s final third either side of defending two home corners, but never really looked like scoring in the entire 90 minutes when they didn’t have a single shot on target.

Gael Bigirimana and Callum Reilly were bombing forward to help support attacks and press the opposition high up the pitch while Ben Stevenson sat in front of the back four that was given a physical test from bustling front man Kelvin Andrew, who headed narrowly wide across the face of goal on 15 minutes, shortly after the lively Nathaniel Mendez-Laing had tested Lee Burge with a low shot to his near post.

And the visitors were opened up far too easily in the 18th minute when Mendez-Laing raced down the right and sent in a deep cross for Ian Henderson - hardly a giant centre-forward - who was allowed to nod home at the far post. Very poor defending from Coventry who suddenly found themselves on the back foot.

A Bigirimana free-kick within shooting distance was then turned against the Sky Blues in a blistering counter attack that had Jamie Allen stretching in an attempt to wrong foot Burge but, fortunately for Coventry, unable to connect.

City’s play was far too scrappy as Dale built on their momentum, stretching the defence with marauding full-back Joe Bunney on the left and Mendez-Laing on the right, Robins’s men unable to find any rhythm to their play against a determined side with the play-offs still within their sights.

Bigirimana was doing his level best to influence the game, working hard to help cover at the back as well as move the ball forward in a sloppy and disjointed opening half that had promised more in the first ten minutes. And aside from a couple of free-kicks, the second of which saw Callum Reilly fire straight into the wall, they never really threatened a confident looking home side.

George Thomas was working hard to find a way through but when he took on strapping centre-back Harrison McGahey, hoping to use his speed, he was easily out-muscled as the defender leaned in to throw him off course.

Manager Mark Robins had made four changes to his side that certainly lacked someone to hold the ball up in the final third and bring others into play.

Winger Kyel Reid had a fruitless first 45 but managed one decent cross before he was hauled off after Coventry conceded again with the second half barely nine minutes old.

It really was schoolboy stuff as City were carved open with a defence-splitting through ball from Mendez-Laing down the middle to spring Henderson free to complete his brace, which he did with nonchalant ease past the exposed Burge.

Henderson’s 19th goal of the season double the lead for the home side who looked in complete control of their relegated rivals, who were shockingly bad on the day.

Robins responded immediately with a double substitution, sending on Marcus Tudgay and Ruben Lamerias for Kwame Thomas and Reid but Dale were on a mission and continued to stretch City at the back, working the ball out to the flanks with ease and looking extremely comfortable on their lead and likely increasingly likely to add to more goals, as they did eight minutes from time when substitute Andrew Cannon headed narrowly over at the far post.

It was so bad that the travelling fans resorted to ironic chants to get their through the remainder of the game, singing, “We’ve had a shot, we’ve had a shot,” after only their fifth attempt of the game failed hit the target and, “We never score from a corner,” when their side had a late and rare flag kick.

City then ended the game with ten men after Stevenson went down injured after an aerial clash with team-mate Dion Kelly-Evans with minutes to go, requiring lengthy treatment and being placed in a neck brace before being stretchered off ahead of five minutes of stoppage time to add injury to an insult of a performance from the Sky Blues.