ASTON VILLA U18'S 3-2 COVENTRY CITY U18'S BY KEV MONKS
Team
Quirke, Bottomer, Gudger, Grogan, Cameron, Christie, Cain (Lellu 79), Thomas (Ruffels 84), Jeffers, Ogleby, Blackwell SNU Phillips, Bigirimana, Harris
Aston Villa
Dau, Grocott, Deeney, Halfhuid, Devine, Gardner, Lampkin (C.Cameron 61), Carruthers, Poyser, Stieber, Berry (Taylor 21 Johnson 80),
Ht AVFC 3-1 CCFC FT AVFC 3-2 CCFC
Goals Gary Gardener (20 & 41), Shaun Jeffers (36), Connor Taylor (43), Ashley Cain (65)
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Coventry City U18's were beaten 3-2 at Aston Villa this morning.
City took their time to get into the game and were on the back foot early on against a Villa side who got in their tackles.
The home side took the lead in the 20th minute thanks to a lovely top corner curler from Gary Gardner from twenty yards.
Greg Rioch's side had their first real attack in the 26th minute and when the hard working Gudger and Grogan were able to supply Ashley Cain and Jacob Blackwell on the flanks, the Sky Blues always looked capable of getting back in the match.
This they did in the 36th minute when a free kick was banged forward to Nathan Cameron who had a header punched away by Thomas Dau. The ball fell to Robert Ogleby who slotted a ball which fell kindly for Shaun Jeffers to stroke into the empty net from four yards.
A good City following at Bodymoor Heath hoped that City could take this into the half time interval but Villa responded with a double strike.
In the 41st minute, Gary Gardner rose to head home from a corner and with the City defence still recovering, former Coventry Sphinx youngster Connor Taylor raced through and chipped the ball over Michael Quirke.
The Sky Blues were a lot more postive in the second half. They stopped Villa in midfield and although Cyrus Christie cleared a Jason Lampkin shot in the 57th minute, the Sky Blues kept battling away.
Ashely Cain headed over in the 57th minute but six minutes later, he got himself on the scoresheet with a cracking free kick from 20 yards out after Jeffers had been upended.
Gardner, who had fouled Jeffers struck the post with a 73rd minute free kick.
Apart from a couple of breaks, City could not find another way past Dau and finished up a beaten side.