STEVENAGE FC 2-1 COVENTRY CITY
Stevenage: Beasant: Demble (Deacon 46), Worley, Bond ( Ashton 46)), Whelpdale, Charles (Walton 46) Pett, Marriott, Wells, Lee, Trialist. Subs B.Trialist, C.Tralist, D'Trialist, Johnson, Okenabirhie,
Coventry CIty: Burge, Willis, Pugh, Clarke, Johnson, C.Thomas, Fleck, Devon Kelly- Evans, Tudgay, Miller, O'Brien. Subs: Richards, Stevenson, Shipley.
HT SFC 0-0 CCFC
FT SFC 2-1 CCFC
ATT
Goals Simon Walton 58 pen, Roarie Deacon 63, Marcus Tudgay 71
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Coventry City ended their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Stevenage.
The Sky Blues final pre-season game saw us roll up back in Hertfordshire at Broadhall Way in the commuter town of Stevenage.
Steven Pressley fielded a strong team which also included City U18's wingman or full back Devon Kelly Evans, as the Sky Blues entered the pitch in their sky blue kit, watched by around ninety fans in the away end and a few members of the London Supporters club, who had presented their end of the season away for last season to Steven Pressley who accepted the award on behalf of the departed Joe Murphy.
The car park attendant had remarked to me before the game that the City players did not look up for this when they got off the coach, which had been stuck in the traffic on the M1 and arrived around an hour before kick off and he had a point as Stevenage looked the the more dangerous early on with Lee Burge doing well to stop Darius Charles.
It took twelve minutes for City to have their first attempt on goal which came when Conor Thomas side-footed wide but back came Stevenage with a free kick, a corner and Charles attempted over-head kick going wide.
John Fleck and Jim O'Brien worked well for a City side who had Tudgay fire wide from the edge of the area in the 20th minute.
Three minutes later, it was the League Two side who breached the City defence with Adam Marriott firing wide.
Lee Burge looked confident in goal, handling well and using his area to his advantage. He was far by the busier of the two keeper's in a half which ended with Tudgay getting a knock.
On a cloudy afternoon which later saw the sun come out, Jordan Clarke made a good tackle before Burge dived high to his right push away a Deacon drive in the 57th minute for a Stevenage side who had made four changes with three at the break.
In the 58th minute, Reda Johnson dived in and the referee from Northampton awarded Stevenage a penalty. Simon Walton stepped up and sent the ball down the middle and into the net.
Five minutes later and City were 2-0 down when a shove on Marriott on the right was spotted by the referee and Roarie Deacon stepped up to smash the ball low past Burge.
Thomas fired at Beasant as the rain came down and Stevenage continued to control the play.
However, in the 71st minute, there was something for the City fans to cheer when Marcus Tudgay stroked home from six yards in front of the City supporters after good work from the lively Devon Kelly Evans and Thomas.
Apart from a Conor Thomas shot, City spent the rest of the game on the back foot and the final whistle to end a pre-season which shows there is still plenty of work to do and players to bring in before Saturday's opening League One game of the season at Bradford City, came as a relief.