HINCKLEY UNITED 0-0 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Date 17/07/10 At De Montfort Park
Team
Ellegaard (Quirke 46), Keogh, Hussey, Turner (Wood 57), Cameron (Grandison 57), Gunnarsson (Clingan 57), Jeffers (McIndoe 57), Cranie (Doyle 57), Wilson (Eastwood on 12 McSheffrey 57), Smeekes (Baker 57), O'Donovan
Hinckley
Haystead, Miles, Morely, Dillon, Munday, Mace, Taylor, Strachan (off 46), Gray, Lellu (57), McGrath Subs Lister, Roberts, Hamilton, Laxton, King, Ramsey, Newton
HT HTFC 0-0 CCFC FT HTFC 0-0 CCFC
ATT 1534
Referee Rob Ellis
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Coventry City again failed to find the net or are still unbeaten in pre-season depending on your view point after a 0-0 draw at Hinckley United.
City arrived at the Conference North Side who had been on the brink over a £100k tax bill, with the same squad who had drawn at Nuneaton on Wednesday night plus Freddy Eastwood.
On a cloudy afternoon at De Montfort Park in front of a crowd twice the size of last season's City, who were skippered by Ben Turner, continued with the 60/30 outing and started with the team that came on as substitutes on Wednesday night apart from Richard Keogh and trialists Kevin Ellegaard and Orlando Smeekes.
Playing a 4-4-2 formation, the Sky Blues were caught napping in the third minute when a cross down the right by Andre Gray was met by the head of unmarked Michael McGrath, who sent the ball onto Ellegaard's right hand post from ten yards.
That was the closest anyone came to scoring in the whole game and in the ninth minute, Callum Wilson was fouled by former Coventry Sphinx player James Mace and went down clutching his shoulder. It was obvious that he could not carry on and after treatment, he was replaced by Freddy Eastwood.
City manager Aidy Boothroyd, ploughed up and down the technical area looking a worried man, as both sides won corners but didn't really threaten the keepers.
Richard Keogh made some good surging runs to try and get City going forward whilst Shaun Jeffers who was used as a right winger found himself closed down whenever he tried to attack.
Roy O'Donovan's twenty yard volley which sailed out of the ground caused a few groans from the City support as did a fumble by Ellegaard who let a long ranger from Leon Miles go over the bar for a corner.
The Danish keeper did redeem himself with a good save from former Sky Blue Gavin Strachan just before the break when he pushed away a shot for a corner.
Both players were replaced at the break and City started the second half far more livelier than they had finished the first.
Smeekes got in a good position on the left straight from the restart and hit a shot which was deflected for a corner that Shaun Jeffers fired wide. Then Eastwood attacked and Smeekes saw his shot again deflected into the side netting.
The trialist from Carl Zeiss Jena initially thought he had broken his leg when he collided with the fence behind the goal but got to his feet and carried on.
A third corner of the second half was won by City before a good cross from Keogh found O'Donovan and as the Irishman shot, Richard Munday, made a superbly timed tackle to concede a corner.
In the 57th minute, Aidy Boothroyd made seven changes whilst Hinckley boss Dean Thomas made four changes including the replacing of former City Academy player Sulimann Lellu. 
With the likes of Gary McSheffrey and Carl Baker on and the enthusiasm of Chris Hussey who had a good run and shot in the 67th minute, City always looked capable of getting a goal.
Unfortuately, both Baker, in the 74th minute and McSheffrey four minutes from time missed the target and City go to Northampton Town on Wednesday night still looking for their first goal in pre-season.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/SB