COVENTRY CITY RESERVES 0-2 SOUTHAMPTON RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
Long term injury carriers Stephen Hughes, Richard Duffy and Stuart Giddings all came through City Reserves game with Southampton but could not prevent a 2-0 home defeat.
With injuries to Andy Gooding,Adam Layfield and Vijay Sidhu and top scorer Craig Reid loaned out to Tamworth,City Reserves boss Alan Cork was forced to ring the changes.
He dipped into the first team squad to give outings to Adie Williams, Andy Impey, Andy Morrell and Clayton Ince a run-out whilst giving Stephen Hughes and Richard Duffy a game as part of both players recovery from injury.
Southampton boss Stewart Henderson named a reasonable side with Nathan Dyer, whose pace had caught the eye of many a City supporter during the first team 1-1 draw at St Mary's earlier this month,starting.
With Colchester boss Phil Parkinson amongst a crowd of 150 at Butlin Road,the visitors attacked early on winning a fifth minute corner and then David McGoldrick sent a long ranger over Clayton Ince's bar.
It was the Trinidadian who had the first save to make and this came in the 12th minute when Ince got down to save from a Dyer effort.
Andy Impey managed to get to the byline a few times but City were lacking. Disinterest may be a strong word but in this case it was one felt appropriate by many of the regular reserve team watchers around me.
In the 27th minute,Adie Williams was very lucky to be on the pitch after screeching at the assistant referee on the Main Stand side that he was an "effin idiot". Referee Ollie Langford, whom I knew during his time in charge of Midland Combination matches, decided a yellow card was punishment for this unnecessary outburst.
Southampton, who had Martin Cranie cautioned for a trip, looked good going forward and it took a good reaction save from Ince to stop a sublime through-ball from the impressive Simon Gillett.
Richard Duffy in his reserve team outing this season, became the third caution of the half when a tackle from behind saw him carded for persistent misconduct in the 42nd minute.
This had been a drab first half and it was no surprise that many of the scouts walked out at the break.
Three minutes after the restart, Southampton took a deserved lead. Simon Gillett took a free kick some twenty yards out. He floated the ball over to the far post when Feliciano Condesso was able to bundle the ball into the net as City's defence watched on.
There was little spark from the Sky Blues whose first real effort on goal came in the 51st minute when Ryan Lynch slammed a shot against the bar after a neat through ball.
Six minutes later, it was game,set and match for Southampton, David McGoldrick got down the left. He looked offside and certainly some of the City defenders thought so as well. However,McGoldrick kept going and drove a low shot into the bottom corner. There was no flag raised and Mr Langford awarded a goal.
Seconds later,McGoldrick attacked again. This time, his shot hit the crossbar as the Sky Blues defence were left bewildered.
It was clearly time for changes and it was pleasing to see Stuart Giddings come on in the 62nd minute for Aaron Stringfellow after missing all this season and most of last with first an ankle and then a knee injury. At the same time,Aza Ogarro replaced Ryan Lynch.
Gidds took up his usual position at left back and grew in stature after a few early touches.
Andy Morrell had done little up front for the Sky Blues,with little service to be fair and he was joined up front by Matt Heath. The centre half headed wide from a deep cross by Impey in the 76th minute before Impey made way for Stuart Wall.
Morrell had a 79th minute shot deflected for a corner and then got in a header which forced Saints on-loan keeper Zac Jones to get his first touch of the ball with an easy catch.
Jones was picking the ball out of the net three minutes later when Morrell rose to head in from a corner. Unfortunately, Mr Langford spotted an infringement and disallowed the goal.
Paul McCrink had a half chance late on but the points had long gone the way of Southampton.
HT CCFC 0-0 SFC
FT CCFC 0-2 SFC
GOALS Feliciano Condesso (48), David McGoldrick (57)
BOOKED Williams,Cranie,Duffy
TEAM
Ince, Stringfellow (Giddings 62), Duffy, Heath, Williams, Impey (Wall 77), Hughes, Thornton, Morrell, McCrink, Lynch (Ogarro 62)
SNU Tuffey,Bains.
Southampton
Z Jones, Anaclet, Thomson, Gillett, James, Cranie, Condesso, Dyer, McGoldrick, Sparv, Lallana. Subs: Toti, Baseya, Douglas.