Coventry City 6 - 1 Millwall

[dutchman]

Rampant Sky Blues sign off in sensational style



Mark Robins wanted his Coventry City side to finish off the season in style and that’s exactly what they did as they put six past Millwall.

First half goals from Jordan Shipley and Kyle McFadzean set the Sky Blues on their way to their biggest and most comprehensive victory of their Championship campaign, with Dom Hyam, Callum O’Hare and Matty James bumping up the tally with three goals in six devastating minutes, before Tyler Walker added a sixth at St Andrew’s.

It was a fitting end to their hugely successful groundshare spell in terms of results and will instil a stack of confidence to take into next season.

It was a fairly frantic and scrappy start to the game with plenty of tasty challenges going in, mainly from Millwall who left a foot in on Sam McCallum and Callum O’Hare, the latter earning the first booking of the day after just five minutes, with Danny McNamara shown the yellow card.

O’Hare had the first chance of the game on ten minutes when Viktor Gyokeres pulled the ball back for him in the box and the midfielder thumped a shot at goal, only to take a deflection out for a corner.

The lively player then drove forward into the box minutes later and hit a low shot across the keeper and just wide of the far post as City looked the more likely.

They suffered a setback, however, when Fankaty Dabo went down injured and had to go off, replaced by Josh Eccles as early as the 12th minute.

But Mark Robins’s men got themselves ahead four minutes later when O’Hare slipped the ball to Jordan Shipley in the box and the midfielder placed a lovely shot onto the left-hand post and into the back of the net to give Coventry a deserved lead.

City suffered another injury blow on the half hour when Gus Hamer limped off, replaced by another youngsters in Jack Burroughs who went to wing-back and Eccles switched inside to cover in the middle of the park.

The visitors then enjoyed a sustained ten minute spell of pressure with striker Tom Bradshaw going close with a clever back heel that beat Marosi but not the far post.

But the Sky Blues increased their advantage just before the break when Kyle McFadzean hooked home a half volley in the box from a Matty James’ corner, to send City in 2-0 at the break.

Millwall came out fighting in the second half when they pulled a goal back on 54 minutes when wing-back Scott Malone broke free down the left and sent in a hard and low cross to the box which was met by McFadzean who slid in in an attempt to clear but inadvertently steered it past Marosi and into the back of his own net.

However, Coventry restored their two goal cushion when Dom Hyam poked home from close range on the hour after a Michael Rose header from a corner was blocked on the line and wriggled it’s way to the defender at the far post.

And O’Hare made it 4-1 two minutes later when Shipley broke down the right and sent in a lovely cross to the midfielder who, unmarked at the far post, smashed home with his left foot.

Robins responded by making three changes, sending on Max Biamou, Tyler Walker and Ben Sheaf for Gyokeres, Shipley and Rose.

And a minute later James made it 5-1 with a close range finish after O’Hare had put a low ball in from the left.

Biamou almost made it six when played clear on the left where his powerful shot was denied by the keeper.

But Walker added the icing to the cake with a sixth of the day six minutes from time to complete the end of season rout.

[dutchman]

Coventry thrash Millwall to finish on high



Coventry ended their temporary stay at St Andrew's in style, demolishing Millwall to record their biggest win of the campaign.

Jordan Shipley opened the scoring for the Sky Blues, who will return to the Ricoh Arena next season, before Kyle McFadzean made it 2-0.

McFadzean's second-half own goal gave the Lions hope, but Coventry put the contest beyond doubt with a further three-goal burst.

Dominic Hyam, Callum O'Hare and Matty James all found the net - and Tyler Walker iced the Coventry cake with a late sixth.

The result secured a 16th-place finish for the Sky Blues - their best in 15 years - while Millwall ended the season in 11th.

Coventry dominated the opening half an hour, with O'Hare a constant menace and the midfielder's incisive run set up the opener for Shipley, who collected his pass and rifled a left-foot drive in off the post.

Shipley nearly made it 2-0 soon afterwards, testing Bartosz Bialkowski with another long-range effort, but the Lions responded well and Tom Bradshaw's backheel grazed the post before Mason Bennett twice went close.

However, McFadzean doubled the Sky Blues' advantage on the stroke of half-time, connecting with a James corner to volley down and into the top corner.

Millwall halved the deficit when McFadzean slid in and diverted Scott Malone's cross into his own net - but three further goals in the space of eight minutes snuffed out the visitors' hopes of a comeback.

Hyam finished off a close-range scramble to make it 3-1 and Shipley set up O'Hare, who chested down before firing in the fourth.

James netted Coventry's fifth, pouncing on a Bialkowski fumble, and then supplied the corner for Walker to deepen Millwall's misery five minutes from time.

Coventry manager Mark Robins told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

"To sign off at St Andrew's with a win and performance like that is just what we wanted to do. I wanted a good performance to finish the season off and I got it in spades - it was outstanding.

"We've managed to use the ball really well, get into some good scoring positions and they've been really focused on the final product.

"Moving back into Coventry we've got that stability - we can work towards a brighter future and keep building."