COVENTRY CITY RESERVES 3-1 CHELSEA RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City Reserves put in their best performance of the season to beat Chelsea Reserves at the Arena.
With his son Jack getting a place on the bench for the visitors,Alan Cork named a very strong reserve side which saw only two players in the starting eleven not having played first team football.
Chelsea managed by Mick McGiven were unbeaten in their last five games and fielded an U19's side with Lenny Pidgeley in goal.
City only needed 113 seconds in the second ever reserve game at the Arena to take the lead. Bas Savage saw his shot blocked and Andy Morrell was on hand to drive a low shot from ten yards into the net.
Ince made a low diving save from a James Simmonds shot before Andy Whing nodded wide from a free kick in the eighth minute.
The first corner of the game came in the 17th minute and was nodded over by Stuart Wall
In the 21st minute, Paul Watson reacted to a foul by Dean Smith and squared up to the Chelsea defender.Referee Mr Fletcher blew his whistle for all he was worth and cautioned Smith.
Chelsea did not look anything special but in the 38th minute, Phil Younghusband got in a left footed effort which Clayton Ince was able to push over.
City cleared the corner and Youseff Sofiane got in a stunning effort which the Chelsea keeper did well to palm away for another corner.
Five minutes into the second half and Chelsea pulled level when Danny Hollands who had just come on for Dean Smith,delivered a weighted ball for Phil Younghusband to nod firmly past Ince.
Both sides were playing some neat passing football although at times some of the City passing led to possession being needlessly conceded.
Neil Wood was one of those whose passing had been letting him down but the former Manchester United midfielder recovered to hit a sublime 62nd minute shot that Pidgeley scrambled away for a corner.
Liam Davis was replaced by Andy Gooding in the 63rd minute and Coventry started to look the better side.
Wood was involved in the 68th minute when this time,a lovely low cross with the outside of his boot got into the mixer. Andy Morrell raced in, Pidgeley blocked before Savage tried his luck only to see his effort blocked as well.
In the 73rd minute, Coventry City were back in front when a foul by Antony Grant saw the midfielder cautioned and a free kick to the Sky Blues some twenty five yards out. Neil Wood took the place kick and a lovely weighted ball was met by the rising Andy Whing whose header from six yards flew into the net.
Craig Reid came on for Bas Savage in the 79th minute. It was no surprise as Savage who had arrived late,did not have the best of games.
With nine minutes left and the cold now biting the 300+ supporters camped in the away end and main stand, City added a third goal.
Again it came from Neil Wood. This time, his free kick was going wide and out for a goal kick. Now Stuart Wall was on the left flank. The defender stuck out his left leg and steered the ball across the face of the goal and into the net at the far corner.
Sat just a few yards away,the delight on Wall's parents faces was a joy to behold and was a bonus for yet another of City's hard working defenders.
Talking of defending and hard working. Just over a minute after the goal, Clayton Ince picked the ball up and dropping it and conceded a free kick on the edge of the six yard box.
City's wall did its job initially but when Filipe Morais' shot came in, there was the highly industrious Isaac Osbourne who headed the ball firmly off the line and away from danger.
The Chelsea players continued to protest and Morais was cautioned.
With the game deep in stoppage time,Youseff Sofiane who always looked a handful, sent over a corner which Andy Impey headed onto the crossbar.
Paul Watson who had been putting in some tough tackles all night was cautioned late on but it did not take the gloss of a good performance from City Reserves.
HT CCFC 1-0 CFC
FT CCFC 3-1 CFC
Goals
Andy Morrell (2), Phil Younghusband (50), Andy Whing (73),Stuart Wall (81)
Booked
Dean Smith (21),Anthony Grant (73), Filipe Morais (84),Paul Watson (93)
MOM Isaac Osbourne took the votes ahead of Andy Whing.
TEAM
Ince,Impey,Wall,Whing,Watson,Morrell,Osbourne,Wood,Davis (63),Savage (Reid 79),Sofiane
Subs Lynch,Belford,Ogarro
CHELSEA
Pidgeley,Smith (Hollands 50),Pettigrew,Watt (Cork 85),Tillen,J.Younghusband, Grant (Cummings 81),Simmonds, Morais, P.Younghusband,Keenan
Subs Kalambay,Furman
Pidgeley,Smith (Hollands 50),Pettigrew,Watt (Cork 85),Tillen,J.Younghusband, Grant (Cummings 81),Simmonds, Morais, P.Younghusband,Keenan
Subs Kalambay,Furman