Coventry City 4 - 0 Grimsby Town

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Impressive Sky Blues sink Mariners



A Marc McNulty hat-trick saw Coventry City strengthen their grip on the play-off positions with a comfortable victory over struggling Grimsby Town.

A first half goal from Peter Vincenti and three second half finishes from McNulty – who took his season’s tally to an outstanding 21 – extended the Sky Blues impressive unbeaten run to six games as they continue to build their promotion momentum with eight games to go.

City made hard work of a frustrating first half, not helped by a whistle-happy referee who helped spoil the flow of the game, but finally got their noses in front eight minutes from the break when Vincenti rose at the back post to head home a Jordan Shipley free-kick from near the right corner flag.

Grimsby had looked relatively solid until that point and threatened to open the scoring themselves from one of four first half corners from the returning Gary McSheffrey, going close when Martyn Woolford had a goal-bound header blocked by one of his own players.

Jonson Clarke-Harris – who put in a terrific shift – wasted a great move that could have increased the lead early in the second half when he skied his shot into the stands after being teed up by McNulty as the visitors attempted to launch a fight-back.

But the big centre-forward showed his unselfish side to settle the game in the 55th minute when a brilliant counter attack sparked by Michael Doyle saw Clarke-Harris square the ball to McNulty for a simple finish in a two v one against the keeper, James McKeown.

And McNulty added a third to make sure when he pounced in the box, heading home from close range after he flicked a Dom Hyam shot goalwards which the keeper pushed onto the bar, only for the leading scorer to get on the end of the rebound.

McNulty then completed his hat-trick – his first for the Sky Blues – four minutes from time when Kyel Reid whipped in a cross from the left and it was flicked on by a defender for the striker to volley home spectacularly at the far post.

The win ensured City recorded a league double over the Mariners, whom they beat 2-0 in the second league game of the season, and puts Mark Robins’s men on 64 points, moving them back up to sixth.

Attendance: A total of 8,755 at the Ricoh today