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Coventry City 2 - 1 Doncaster Rovers

PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 3:55 pm
by dutchman

Re: Coventry City 2 - 1 Doncaster Rovers

PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 5:44 pm
by dutchman
Jordy Hiwula and Luke Thomas seal victory

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First half goals from Jordy Hiwula and Luke Thomas fired the Sky Blues on their way to a historic fifth consecutive league victory – the first time the club has achieved such a run for over 20 years.

City took the lead against Doncaster Rovers in the 20th minute when Hiwula bagged his fourth goal in five games and the outstanding Thomas doubled the advantage five minutes from the break with a fine individual strike from the edge of the box.

But Mark Robins’s men could have had a far greater lead at the break after twice being denied by the keeper and missing two chances to put the game beyond sight in a superb first half showing.

Those misses looked costly after the break, however, when Rovers pulled a goal back amid a sustained second half fight-back that saw Coventry hanging on for grim death, quite literally with Lee Burge the hero in the dying seconds when he somehow managed to make a brilliant save to deny Donny the draw..

City were thwarted by some brilliant goalkeeping from Mark Marosi in the first 15 minutes as the Sky Blues got themselves on the front foot from the first whistle, looking for the opening goal.

Michael Doyle hit a hard and low effort that took a deflection that looked to be looping over the keeper tipped it over the bar at the last second.

Marosi then came to the rescue again to deny Tom Davies from a Doyle free-kick, his header looking in but lightning reactions saw the keeper somehow get a firm hand to it to push it wide.

City, however, got themselves in front when another Doyle dead ball was cleared to Hiwula who thumped home through a pack of players to give the Sky Blues a deserved 20th minute lead.

Jordan Willis passed up the opportunity to double the lead when his lifted a shot over the bar at the back post from a corner before Jonson Clarke-Harris drove into the box and fired across the face of goal and wide as the home side brimmed with confidence as they looked for a second goal.

And the fans didn’t have to wait long before it came, this time from the boot of Luke Thomas who scored his first goal for the club since joining from Derby County on loan.

The 19-year-old twisted and turned on the edge of the area before hitting a powerful left foot shot in off the keeper’s left-hand post to double the advantage five minutes from the break.

Rovers came out fighting in the second half as they looked to get themselves back in the game, going agonisingly close when Junior Brown conceded a free kick on the edge of the box and Danny Andrew curled the set piece just past the far post.

And the visitors finally pulled a goal back as their sustained second half dominance paid off on 68 minutes when centre-back Joe Wright slammed home a loose ball from close range after City failed to clear their lines from one of 12 Doncaster corners.

Robins responded by sending on Jodi Jones for Conor Chaplin and pushing Hiwula up front with Clarke-Harris in a bid to snatch a third on the counter attack, which City had been reduced to playing in a testing second 45.

But then he took Hiwula off amid continuing pressure, sending on midfielder Abu Ogogo to help see the game out in a nervous last ten minutes when Coventry were clinging on to their slender lead.

Rovers kept plugging away and almost snatched a draw at the death, deep into four minutes of stoppage time when Burge dropped low to make a crucial save.

Attendance: 11,006 (686 away)

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