COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Match Report

This season is rapidly running away from the Boro as they suffered their heaviest defeat of the season down in Dover on Tuesday night.

After their comeback was cut-short by a late winner from Southport on Saturday, the key question this week was always going to be how Liam Daish and his team would react – the answer was not very well at all.

The Boro wre lucky to come away with a 5-0 defeat, as was the gulf in class between the two sides, something drastically needs to change – and soon – if the Boro are going to stand any chance of avoiding the drop this season.

There were no positives whatsoever to take from this defeat, apart from one – Nuneaton simply cannot get any worse this season.

They were undone in just the 21st minute on Tuesday night – and just like on Saturday, the goal came via the flanks.

This time Tom Murphy was the man who was on hand to take advantage, the Dover frontman was left unmarked in the box and headed home with ease.

The Boro looked solid up until that point, but just like the weekend again, the 1-0 lead soon became 2-0 as Nuneaton were unable to react to going behind.

The second goal was headed home by Connor Essam as once again the Dover man was afforded too much room in the box following a corner for the home side.

James Wren could do nothing about those opening two goals – but the third was one he should have stopped from ever coming about.

The Nuneaton stopper chased down a ball down by the corner flag and made a hash of clearing it.

That left Stefan Payne with the easy task of dispossessing him before he cut the ball back to Nick Deverdics who was able to steer the ball into the back of the empty net from the penalty spot.

Wren would have wished to be anywhere but on the pitch after that mistake, but all credit needs to go to the Boro stopper as he played through the pain barrier in the second half to ensure he remained out there.

He was soon beaten after the break, though, as this time Payne went from goal provider to goal finisher as the Dover man needed two bites at the cherry, but he finally slotted past Wren to move the home side even further ahead.

Nuneaton rallied a little after the fourth, but it always looked like a fifth goal could be just around the corner – and so it proved.

Payne was the scorer once again, the Dover frontman reacted to an Adam Walker mistake to break the off-side trap and race through on goal, cooly slotting past the injured Wren to put the cherry on top of the cake for the home side.

Nuneaton were left wondering how, and when, they can turn this torrid run of form round – and also after playing Dover twice already this season – just when they will be playing them again....