BRISTOL ROVERS YOUTH 2-3 COVENTRY CITY YOUTH BY KEV MONKS
CITY: Gott, Phillips, Pegg, Fletcher, Willis, Roberts, Ruffels, Garner (Rankin 79), Clarke-Harris, Daniels, Richards (Lawton 72). SNU Maund, Donald, Wiseman
Bristol Rovers: Macey, Kamara, Staley, Goddard, Keary, Lockyer, Santos (Hunter 54), Jeffries, Harrison, Powell, Harding. SNU Dale, Finn, Southway, Crawford.
HT BRFC 0-3 CCFC FT BRFC 2-3 CCFC
Referee Richard Hulme. Booked Harding
Goals Jonson Clarke-Harris 35 & 41, Courtney Richards 38, Darren Jeffries 74, Tom Lockyer 90+2
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Coventry City booked a trip to Blackburn Rovers thanks to a 3-2 FA Youth Cup Third Round victory at Bristol Rovers.
A wet afternoon at the Memorial Stadium which is also home to Bristol Rugby Club as well as Bristol Rovers FC, drew a crowd of around 200 for this re-arranged game and saw Greg Rioch's side which was without the suspended Joe Henderson, take to the field in their green/black away kit.
Bristol Rovers are doing well in their FL Youth Alliance division and City did not have it all their own way in the opening twenty minutes after Jonson Clarke-Harris had sent a header from a Will Roberts cross onto the roof of the net in the opening attack.
Unlike the first team, City youngsters like to make the most of their wingers and Will Roberts was able to gain some good ground down the right flank and get in some good crosses whilst Josh Ruffles held the midfield firm.
The weak link in the home side appeared to be their keeper Matt Macey and the keeper was lucky that Billy Daniels was not closer when he spilled a 12th minute Richards shot.
He held a Garner shot before Rovers went up the other end and the City supporting Alex Gott made a fine save to block from Harrison.
Then in six minutes, City showed why they are top of the Academy League Group B table with three goals.
In the 35th minute, Ruffles played the ball inside to Jonson Clarke-Harris who ran for a yard before unleashing a piledriver into the net from twenty yards.
That goal was celebrated by the City support which included a mix of parents and supporters and three minutes later, Roberts delivered a cracking cross for Courtney Richards to smartly finish for the second goal.
Another three minutes passed and Roberts won a corner. The ball came over and Jonson Clarke-Harris rose to head home from the edge of the area and give the Sky Blues a 3-0 lead at the break.
Now on Friday against MK Dons, a game the CT would have you believe was postponed, City had gone in at the interval three goals up and not performed in the second and today, we had another repeat.
Jordan Willis had an effort from a corner saved by Macey with his legs, before the home keeper fumbled a Richards shot over the bar and in the 69th minute, failed to deal with a Garner shot and Billy Daniels fired across face of the empty goal instead of into it.
In the 74th minute, Rovers pulled one back when Darren Jeffries hit a speculative long ranger which Alex Gott got a hand to. He thought he had got the ball over the bar but it dropped over his head and into the net.
Daniels missed a good chance at the other and now lifted by scoring, Rovers piled on the pressure.
Rovers created a number of chances before City substitute Ivor Lawton had to head off the line from a Kamara effort in the 88th minute.
Four minutes of stoppage time were added on by the referee and in the second minute, a needless free kick was given away on the side nearest the stand where the crowd where and Tom Lockyer headed home to set up a grandstand finish.
Rovers had two more chances down the left but thankfully both went wide and Coventry left with a 3-2 victory and a trip to Ewood Park in the bag.
Picture copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM