Scunthorpe United 3 - 1 Coventry City

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Sky Blues ended their 2016/17 campaign with defeat at Glanford Park



Coventry City fans bid good riddance to a thoroughly miserable league campaign with their 25th defeat of the season, losing at promotion chasing Scunthorpe United.

The Sky Blues suffered their 17th loss away from home on Mark Robins’s first return to Glanford Park, beaten by an Iron side comprising many of the players the 47-year-old manager signed when he was in charge for 15 months between late 2014 and early 2016. City’s only win on the road this term was at Port Vale back in October, and the Valiants today joined already relegated Coventry in being condemned to League Two next season.

Vlad Gadzhev gave City the first half lead against the run of play before Kevin van Veen pulled the home side level early in the second but, just as the visitors were enjoying their brightest spell and pushing for a winner they conceded two late goals to spoil what had been an encouraging performance until the last ten minutes. Neal Bishop struck first with a seemingly unstoppable 25 yarder in the 84th minute before substitute Hakeeb Adelakun hit a another long-distance effort a minute from time.

Robins made three changes to his side with the notable inclusion of 18-year-old Chris Camwell making his professional debut at left-back in place of the injured Ryan Haynes and Chris Stokes. The teenager looked fit and confident and got forward from the start, supporting Jones on the overlap, as did opposite full-back Dion Kelly-Evans on the right in a bright but short-lived opening from the visitors who forced an third minute corner.

Lee Burge was restored to the starting line-up ahead of Reice Charles-Cook – who had been handed an opportunity to impress against Walsall in the previous match – and the keeper was called into action to block a 50-50 with van Veen and then pounce on the loose ball as United threatened ahead of three corners in quick succession as the Iron looked to assert their authority in the game.

Gael Bigirimana continued his excellent form, using the ball well in the middle of the park and final third while also undertaking important defensive duties at set-pieces as the pressure mounted from the home side. United’s leading scorer Josh Morris, deployed on the left of a 4-4-2, cut inside in the 15th minute and forced Burge to save at his near post for another flag-kick before Sam Mantom kept the pressure up with a fierce effort that flew over the bar as Graham Alexander’s men began to build a head of steam and look every bit the promotion-chasing side.

Van Veen – one of a number of Robins’s signings in the United side from his time at the club – robbed Jordan Turnbull in possession and raced through on goal where he drilled his shot straight at Burge at his near post. The No.1 did well again to deny Paddy Madden who got on the end of a low cross to the near post and was certainly more than playing his part in keeping his side in the game. George Thomas sparked a terrific attacking move just short of the half hour when he played a neat one/two with Lamerias before feeding Jones out wide on the left, but the young forward’s delivery was over hit, summing up City’s lack of an end product from promising approach play – an affliction they’ve suffered with all season.

But fortune favoured the brave in the 35th minute when a Jones centre fell loose to Gadzhev just outside the box and the Bulgarian took a delightful first touch to move the ball forward and then thumped it hard and low, his effort taking a deflection to wrong-foot goalkeeper Joe Anyon and fly into the back of the net to give City the unlikely lead. The goal – the Bulgarian’s second for the club – sparked City’s best spell of the half when they might have doubled their lead had it not been for poor refereeing from Richard Clark who failed to award a blatant penalty when Marcus Tudgay rose to get on the end of a cross from Jodi Jones, only to be thrown off balance by a clear shove in the back by David Mirfin.

Coincidence or not, the ref evened things up early in the second half when Morris went down under a Turnbull challenge, claiming for a penalty as he looked up, but play was again waved on. But the Iron got themselves on level terms minutes later in the 52nd when van Veen turned just outside the box to the left of goal, looked up and, with time and space, curled a brilliant shot over Burge and into the far top corner. The goal sparked a determined spell of pressure as Duane Holmes cut in from the right and almost burst the side netting before Madden curled narrowly wide with Burge at full stretch as Coventry found themselves defending in numbers once more.

There was a bit of respite when the impressive Bigirimana won the ball in midfield and teed George Thomas up for a 25-yard effort that lifted over the bar as City managed to take the sting out of United’s fight-back. Robins then threw on Kwame Thomas just after the hour, replacing Jones, and adding more height and physicality up top against two big and strong central defenders as Lameiras pulled into the wide left slot. And the Portuguese forward had a hand in a super four man move that saw Camwell play the ball to Tudgay who chested it on to Lameiras who, in turn, slipped it to George Thomas.

The striker took a terrific first touch and turned to shoot, only to be denied by a brilliant save from Anyon who clawed it away from the top corner. Lamerias fired over minutes later as City enjoyed their best spell of the game, playing some nice football on the decent surface and prompting United to make a double substitution, sending Craig Davies and Hakeeb Adelakun on for van Veen and Morris.

But an injury to former City player Jordan Clarke delayed played for a few minutes, the Cov Kid forced to go off and Levi Sutton go on in his place, and that seemed to put an end to their momentum, a fact that was confirmed in the 84th minute when midfielder Neal Bishop picked up a loose ball, looked up and smashed home hard and low from 25 yards. Substitute Adelakun then added a third a minute from time with another long-range effort to beat Burge and secure the full three points for play-off bound United.

Scunthorpe United (4-4-2): Joe Anyon; Jordan Clarke (81 mins, Levi Sutton), Murray Wallace, David Mirfin, Conor Townasend; Duane Holmes, Neal Bishop, Sam Mantom, Josh Morris (75 mins, Hakeeb Adelakun); Paddy Madden, Kevin van Veen (75 mins, Craig Davies).