Terry Angus and Michael Love were the winners as Coventry City drew 4-4 against Nuneaton Borough at Manor Park in a testimonial for the duo.
City Draw At Nuneaton
Terry Angus and Michael Love were the winners as Coventry City drew 4-4 against Nuneaton Borough at Manor Park in a testimonial for the duo.
Tim Flowers and Steve Ogrizovic started with a virtual reserve side plus Andy Marshall and Elliott Ward and in front of 568 paying spectators plus a few who tried to sneak in before being chased off by the stewards, City had most of the early pressure with Kevin Thornton,Elliott Ward and Andy Whing all pressurising Dale Beford who was sharing the Nuneaton goalkeeping duties with his son and former City Academy/Reserve keeper Cameron Belford.
The Sky Blues drew first blood when Andy Gooding netted in the 26th minute from a Thornton pass. The lead lasted for eleven minutes when Nuneaton player/manager Kevin Wilkin hit a soft shot which tricked into the corner of the net.
When City played Nuneaton in that Birmingham Senior Cup Third Round tie, Nuneaton born Lee Hildreth scored the only goal of the game and the midfielder was on target in this match when he put City ahead in the 43rd minute following a well passed move.
In now pouring rain, Flowers made two changes to the City line up at the break with Danny Ireland replacing City's Player Of The Season in goal and Cov kid Callum Burgess coming on for Elliott Ward. Unfortunately, Burgess' first touch of the ball led to an own goal.
City went back in front in the 51st minute through trialist Donovan Simmonds only for a handball by Liam Francis to give the City supporting Terry Angus a chance to get on the scoresheet which he did duly did in the 53rd minute. A fantastic goal by Simmonds a minute later had the Sky Blues back in front.
Both managers used all their substitutes with City U18's keeper Neil Collett being deployed as a striker. One player who played the whole game was Andy Whing in his final appearance in a Coventry City shirt and Belford made a great save from the defender in the 84th minute.
City looked in control of the game but two minutes to go,there was a scramble inside the box and Ian Blyth scrambled home to give Nuneaton a share of the spoils.
HT NBAFC 1-2 CCFC FT NBAFC 4-4 CCFC ATT 568 GOALS Andy Gooding (26),Kevin Wilkin (37),Lee Hildreth (43), Callum Burgess (og 47), Terry Angus (pen 53) Donovan Simmonds (51 & 53), Ian Blyth (88)
TEAM
Marshall (Ireland 46),Whing,Lynch,Gooding (Fitzharris 61),Ward (C.Burgess 46),Francis,Thornton (Burtoft 56), Hildreth (Richie 61), Simmonds (Collett 70),West (Ashraf 61),Davis.
Nuneaton
D.Belford,Oddy,O.Burgess,Crowley,Moore,Angus,Sidhu,Colkin,Quailey,Wilkin,Love Subs Whitaker,Williams, C.Belford,Blyth