Coventry City 1 - 0 Bradford City

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Super sub Andy Rose strikes for Sky Blues



ANDY Rose’s first goal in English football clinched back-to-back Ricoh victories for the Sky Blues, this time against a Bradford side chasing automatic promotion.

The Sky Blues were denied two first-half chances to improve their woeful penalty record (only four scored from the last 13 attempts) when Adam Armstrong and Ruben Lameiras were both the victims of what looked clear-cut fouls.

But all that was forgotten as substitute Rose smashed home a superb goal with his first touch of the ball.

Tony Mowbray made just one change from the side that clipped Millwall 2-1 – James Maddison replacing Andy Rose but tweaked his tactics, Romain Vincelot on the right of a back three with Aaron Phillips and Sam Ricketts operating as wing-backs.

Phil Parkinson stuck with the starting 11 that was denied a fifth consecutive 1-0 win by Shrewsbury’s late equaliser on Saturday and, roared on by a noisy bank of travelling fans (including one of those intensely-annoying, shouldn’t-be-allowed drummers) the Bantams made a typically energetic start, helped by a couple of alarming unforced City errors in midfield.

Kyel Reid looked particularly threatening down the left but it was the Sky Blues who carved out the first bona-fide chance in the 12th minute, Lameiras and Maddison linking neatly to feed Sam Ricketts cutting in from the left but Nathan Clarke diving in the block the home skipper’s shot.

They threatened again in the 25th minute when Maddison, having forced a free-kick from Josh Williams on the Wasps 22m line, smacked his free-kick against the wall and saw goalkeeper Ben Williams (briefly on loan with the Sky Blues) scramble the ricochet clear with no real conviction.

Tony McMahon then produced the best of a succession of long-range dips by Bradford, dragging his angled effort past the far post.

But after Ricketts had curled high and wide from another excellent Maddison pass, City were convinced they should have earned a penalty when Clarke clearly grappled Armstrong to the ground.

Bradford were happy to let their hosts have the bulk of possession and counter-attack at pace, a tactic that almost paid off three minutes before the interval when McMahon’s header didn’t have the pace to beat Charles-Cook.

But referee Lewis left the field to a hail of Sky Blue boos as he rejected an even more obvious spot-kick claim on the stroke of half-time, Rameiras felled by Stephen Darby as he twisted and turned his way into the area.

Rameiras was asking for explanations on the way to the dressing rooms and, after an interval perked up by two of Robbie Krieger’s finest compositions, the midfielder was still bending Mr Lewis’s ear when they re-emerged 15 minutes later.

Cullen cleared the bar after another sloppy midfield giveaway by the Sky Blues before a clever home move featuring three Maddison contributions saw Lameiras volley over.

Mowbray freshened up his midfield for the final half-hour by flinging on Rose and Gael Bigirimana and reaped his reward inside 30 seconds Armstrong’s flick freed Rose on the edge of the box and his ferocious volley flew home via the bar.

The Bantams should have been level four minutes later, Billy Clarke rolling the ball wide when Proctor teed him up in prime position, and Reice Charles-Cook then had to pull off an excellent save as Evans got his head to Nathan Clarke’s long throw.

Mowbray sent on Marcus Tudgay for Maddison as Coventry dropped into containing mode with Ricketts and Martin back in their usual berths.

The tactic allowed Bradford to enjoy far more possession which they used to pump a series of aerial balls into the home box

But, for the second time in four days, the Sky Blues suddenly found themselves with a spare man as Bradford substitute Davies was saw red for an off-the-ball incident that left Stephens on the deck.

With time running out, Parkinson resorted to his go-to target man James Hanson but Coventry ran down the clock with a series of short corners, the last one almost producing a decisive bonus as Tudgay and Rose set up Fleck for a low shot saved by Williams.

That still left five minutes of overtime, however, and when Phillips felled Reid on the edge of the box Charles-Cook had to go full length to divert Evans’s fiercely bending free-kick.

It was real siege of the Alamo stuff for the rest of the game, Williams supplementing the attack for the final corner, but with Charles-Cook dominant Coventry held on for a win that lifted them to 11th position – six points shy of the play-offs with nine up for grabs.

Attendance: 10,241 (1,386 away)