SOUTHAMPTON RESERVES 0-1 COVENTRY CITY RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
Craig Reid staked his claim for a first team place with another goal that gave Coventry City Reserves their first away victory of the season at Southampton.
Darren Robinson managing the team in Alan Cork's absence, named a side that was due to start with Youssef Sofiane,a player most including the CET thought had left the club.
Unfortunately,the Frenchman struggled to find Southampton's training ground at Fawley and arrived 23 minutes after kick off.
He was replaced in the starting line up by Craig Reid and within five minutes of kick off,Reid had raced on to a through ball from Neil Wood,chested the ball down,turned and hit a low drive into the net from ten yards,
In incessant rain,Reid who had scored for City in a reserve team friendly against Crewe last week,nearly doubled his tally in the 13th minute,when he latched onto a long kick from Jonny Tuffey and sent a right footed flick against the foot of the far post.
Apart from Jonny Tuffey getting down to a Marian Pahars shot in the opening seconds,Southampton were always struggling to break through a hard working Sky Blues back four.
They managed another effort in the 17th minute thanks to a volley from Brett Ormerod whose language at this chance flying wide was not to the liking of some of the Saints fans stood around me on the dug-out side of the ground.
Craig Reid won City their first corner of the game in the 20th minute when his shot from six yards was blocked by the feet of Saints keeper Paul Smith.
Kevin Thornton who made his full first team debut at Cardiff City, played the same way has did on Sunday,chasing and hassling any Saints player who came near him whilst Andy Morrell,Adam Layfield,Claus Jorgensen, Paul Watson,Stuart Wall and Andy Whing played some good passing football in what was City's best half since they beat Leicester 2-0 in the last game Darren Robinson was in charge of.
Reid fired wide from twenty yards in the 26th minute and Neil Wood did the same seconds later with a free kick on the edge of the area.
Craig Richards became the first caution by Premiership referee Rob Styles for a trip on Liam Davis, just before Smith pulled off a fine save to deny Andy Morrell.
Jonny Tuffey remained alert at the other end and in the 35th minute,he dived to his left to push away an Ormerod effort for the first of three corners.
As City went into the break,Craig Reid sent a twenty yard curler inches wide.
The Saints made one change at the break and Ormerod must have been wishing it was him as much to the amusement of the 400+ crowd as his 49th minute shot from inside the area went so wide that it just missed the corner flag as it flew out for a goal kick.
Tuffey easily gathered a Pahars header to send Kevin Thornton up the other end to strike a lovely effort from twenty five yards which just missed the target.
Claus Jorgensen was as industrious as every other City player and the Faroe Islander also went close with another long ranger in the 55th minute.
With the rain still pouring down,both sides made changes with McGoldrick and Feliiciano Condesso coming on for the home side whilst Robinson sent on Andy Gooding,Yousseff Sofiane and Azariah Ogarro coming on for Davis,Reid and Thornton.
Tuffey made a stunning save to push over an Eddie Anaclet shot for a corner and in the last minute,Claus Jorgensen had an effort blocked.
A bigger margin of victory would have fully merited the performance from every one of the Sky Blues players but one goal was enough.
HT SFC 0-1 CCFC
FT SFC 0-1 CCFC
Goal Craig Reid (4)
Booked
Craig Richards (29),Darren Kenton (73)
Man Of The Match - Take your pick from eleven worthy candidates.
Team
Tuffey,Whing,Wall,Watson,Layfield,Davis (Gooding 78),Reid (Sofiane 82),Thornton (Ogarro 86),Jorgensen,Wood,Morrell SNU Turner
Southampton
Smith,Richards (Dutton-Black 46),Kenton,Folly, Anaclet,Griffit (McGoldrick 63),Sparv, Gillett (Condesso 68),St Juste, Ormerod,Pahars
Subs
McNeil,James.
Craig Reid staked his claim for a first team place with another goal that gave Coventry City Reserves their first away victory of the season at Southampton.
Darren Robinson managing the team in Alan Cork's absence, named a side that was due to start with Youssef Sofiane,a player most including the CET thought had left the club.
Unfortunately,the Frenchman struggled to find Southampton's training ground at Fawley and arrived 23 minutes after kick off.
He was replaced in the starting line up by Craig Reid and within five minutes of kick off,Reid had raced on to a through ball from Neil Wood,chested the ball down,turned and hit a low drive into the net from ten yards,
In incessant rain,Reid who had scored for City in a reserve team friendly against Crewe last week,nearly doubled his tally in the 13th minute,when he latched onto a long kick from Jonny Tuffey and sent a right footed flick against the foot of the far post.
Apart from Jonny Tuffey getting down to a Marian Pahars shot in the opening seconds,Southampton were always struggling to break through a hard working Sky Blues back four.
They managed another effort in the 17th minute thanks to a volley from Brett Ormerod whose language at this chance flying wide was not to the liking of some of the Saints fans stood around me on the dug-out side of the ground.
Craig Reid won City their first corner of the game in the 20th minute when his shot from six yards was blocked by the feet of Saints keeper Paul Smith.
Kevin Thornton who made his full first team debut at Cardiff City, played the same way has did on Sunday,chasing and hassling any Saints player who came near him whilst Andy Morrell,Adam Layfield,Claus Jorgensen, Paul Watson,Stuart Wall and Andy Whing played some good passing football in what was City's best half since they beat Leicester 2-0 in the last game Darren Robinson was in charge of.
Reid fired wide from twenty yards in the 26th minute and Neil Wood did the same seconds later with a free kick on the edge of the area.
Craig Richards became the first caution by Premiership referee Rob Styles for a trip on Liam Davis, just before Smith pulled off a fine save to deny Andy Morrell.
Jonny Tuffey remained alert at the other end and in the 35th minute,he dived to his left to push away an Ormerod effort for the first of three corners.
As City went into the break,Craig Reid sent a twenty yard curler inches wide.
The Saints made one change at the break and Ormerod must have been wishing it was him as much to the amusement of the 400+ crowd as his 49th minute shot from inside the area went so wide that it just missed the corner flag as it flew out for a goal kick.
Tuffey easily gathered a Pahars header to send Kevin Thornton up the other end to strike a lovely effort from twenty five yards which just missed the target.
Claus Jorgensen was as industrious as every other City player and the Faroe Islander also went close with another long ranger in the 55th minute.
With the rain still pouring down,both sides made changes with McGoldrick and Feliiciano Condesso coming on for the home side whilst Robinson sent on Andy Gooding,Yousseff Sofiane and Azariah Ogarro coming on for Davis,Reid and Thornton.
Tuffey made a stunning save to push over an Eddie Anaclet shot for a corner and in the last minute,Claus Jorgensen had an effort blocked.
A bigger margin of victory would have fully merited the performance from every one of the Sky Blues players but one goal was enough.
HT SFC 0-1 CCFC
FT SFC 0-1 CCFC
Goal Craig Reid (4)
Booked
Craig Richards (29),Darren Kenton (73)
Man Of The Match - Take your pick from eleven worthy candidates.
Team
Tuffey,Whing,Wall,Watson,Layfield,Davis (Gooding 78),Reid (Sofiane 82),Thornton (Ogarro 86),Jorgensen,Wood,Morrell SNU Turner
Southampton
Smith,Richards (Dutton-Black 46),Kenton,Folly, Anaclet,Griffit (McGoldrick 63),Sparv, Gillett (Condesso 68),St Juste, Ormerod,Pahars
Subs
McNeil,James.