Coventry City 0 - 0 Colchester United (Ten men!)

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Coventry City 0 - 0 Colchester United (Ten men!)

Postby dutchman » Sat Oct 21, 2017 2:43 pm

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Re: Coventry City 0 - 0 Colchester United

Postby dutchman » Sat Oct 21, 2017 5:38 pm

The Sky Blues draw a blank at the Ricoh Arena

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Coventry City extended their miserable goalless run to four games without a goal – more than seven hours of league football – as the side’s downturn in form continued with a draw against Colchester United at the Ricoh Arena.

The Sky Blues recorded their first League Two stalemate on home soil to extend a frustrating run that’s seen them collect just two points from their last four outings.

Mark Robins’s men dominated much of the possession and even had a man advantage when U’s skipper Tom Lapslie was sent off 15 minutes from time but they simply couldn’t break down a resolute visiting defence who kept Coventry’s mis-firing front men at bay.

City managed a measly eight attempts on goal with just one Marc McNulty header on target in the entire 90 minutes in which the only positive was a ninth clean sheet of the campaign.

Robins made two changes to his side with marauding full-back Ryan Haynes making a return from three months out with injury to replace Chris Stokes at left-back. Stokes was dropped from the matchday squad altogether as the manager went for the attacking threat of the 22-year-old who make an immediate impact with a decent delivery in the first minute that fell to Jodi Jones who clipped it back into the six-yard box where Marc McNulty tested the keeper for the first time with a flicked header that just enough power to really test Sam Walker.

Both full-backs were offering an effective outlet with Jack Grimmer linking up well with Jones on the right to get in a terrific cross from the right minutes later as City started on the front foot, dictating the play against the visitors, before quickly running out of steam and ideas.

Stuart Beavon also made a return to the starting line-up in a straight swap with Max Biamou who dropped to the bench after a run of five league games without a goal, and the 33-year-old started in the hole behind McNulty while Duckens Nazon and Jones operated out wide, regularly swapping sides.

However, Jones went down injured in his own half around the ten minute mark and hobbled around for a while before requiring treatment for a second time and going off in the 24th minute, replaced by teenager Jordan Shipley.

Despite City’s possession they were making really hard work of breaking down their opponents, unable to penetrate and cause any real problems as the first half progressed. Colchester were well organised and appeared content to keep the home side at arm’s length, forcing them to pass the ball about around the halfway line looking for an opening.

That finally came when Nazon produced a bit of magic to get past his man and send in a dangerous ball across the face of goal, only for none of his team-mates to be in support to get on the end of it.

The U’s rarely troubled City at the other end, playing on the counter attack and getting plenty of shots off when they could, most of which were blocked close to source before another frustrating, disappointing and goalless half came to a close in which the Sky Blues managed just one effort on goal.

That must have been a topic of discussion in the dressing room because the players came out in the second half and immediately set about rectifying the situation with some determined, if a little frantic play in and around the box with two or three blocked shots.

Grimmer sent in a superb delivery from the right which the keeper stretched to get a touch to and send it over Shipley’s head – the teenager perfectly placed to score had he been able to connect with the delivery. In fact the right-back was City most effective outlet on the day, while Shipley provided some decent balls into the box.

The fans endured a nervous spell midway through the second period when Colchester enjoyed a string of set-pieces, the most threatening of which saw Lee Burge forced to save a far post header as the visitors began to have a go.

City began to get sloppy in possession, Beavon robbed by Brandon Comley just outside the box and racing into the area where he fired woefully wide in a big let off for the home side.

Peter Vincenti was thrown on for Beavon with just under 20 minutes to go and minutes later the visitors were reduced to ten men when midfielder and skipper Tom Lapslie was shown two yellow cards in the space of just over a minute, the first for a foul and second for handball and sent off.

Coventry upped their tempo for the last 15 with McNulty going agonisingly close at the far post as they threw bodies forward, desperately trying to find a way through a resolute defence.

McNulty set up Haynes for a shot that he sent wide as one of the clearest cut chances of the afternoon went begging four minutes from time as the U’s hung on for their point – something it looked like they’d come for from the first whistle.

Attendance: 7,149 (349 away)

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