COVENTRY CITY RESERVES 1-1 CHARLTON ATHLETIC RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
City were forced to settle for a draw after conceding a late goal against Charlton Reserves.
On a cold night at Nuneaton, Steve Ogrizovic gave outings to Scott Shearer and Graham Barrett who has been called up for the Republic Of Ireland's friendly against Croatia next Tuesday.
Now Steve Staunton would have surely have been available after sitting out the nightmare that was Leicester,but, either he has something in his contract saying he cannot play reserve games or he feels it beneath him,so and Ogrizovic drafted Andy Hall in at right back and switched Liam Nicell to the left.
Glyn Snodin's Charlton side were a mix of youth and experience and contained South African international Mark Fish and Graham Stuart. Helping Snodin was the fattest kitman I have ever seen in my life.
With Peter Reid again conspicuous by his absence,City won a corner in the 6th minute. The ball was knocked by to Liam Nicell who delivered a cross which Addicks keeper Stephan Anderson came out to catch.
The visitors immediately counter-attacked and a neat ball from James Walker found Lloyd Sam who got past Hall and fired across the face of Scott Shearer's goal.
Two minutes later,Charlton attacked again with Walker finding space to hit a low drive and Scott Shearer dived to his right to concede a corner.
With City's defensive back four led by Andy Whing all staying firm,City's midfield were allowed to push forward and in the 15th minute, Craig Pead nipped past three Charlton players only his shot to let him down as he fired very wide of the goal from eight yards.
Pead was involved five minutes later when he got down the right and cut inside for Graham Barrett to curl a right footed effort inches wide of the goal from ten yards.
In what looked like a harmless challenge, the highly dangerous Lloyd Sam went down, received treatment and was replaced Lawrie Wilson in the 23rd minute.
The injury must have been quite bad as the exceedingly portly kit man raced over to the City bench and demanded of Steve Ogrizovic if there was a doctor in the ground. Oggy who was actually shorter than the kit man said that there was and that he would be on his way to the dressing room.
Andy Hall may have been playing out of position at right back but he was adjusting to the role with ease and in the 27th minute, he spurted up the right flank,shrugged off the challenge of Adam Gross and got in a shot which just missed the far post.
As the game reached the end of the first third, Anthony Barry found Claus Jorgensen on the left and the Faroe Islander hit a good left footed shot from twelve yards which Anderson got down to force away before Mark Fish stepped in and booted clear.
Anderson was forced into action in the 32nd minute when a long ball from Whing found the industrious Kevin Thornton. The young Irishman who has impressed this season got in a low effort but the Charlton keeper was equal to it.
City immediately regained possession and Neil McCafferty took down Graham Barrett and was cautioned with a free kick some 22 yards out being awarded to City. Barrett took the place kick but sent it just over the crossbar.
Charlton had offered little but should have scored when Walker got down the left and fired into the side netting. Scott Shearer took the resulting goal kick and made a hash of it as the ball went as far as Graham Stuart some twenty yards out. With the City keeper struggling to regain his position,Stuart leant back and blasted high into the Cock N Bear End terrace.
Deep in added time at the end of the first half, a super ball by Andy Hall was played some fifty yards up to Craig Reid who shielded the ball before knocking it back to Jorgensen. The former Dane threaded it through two Charlton defenders for Graham Barrett to rifle it into the side netting.
With the refreshment kiosk next to the Manor Park Main Stand, most of the supporters and players such as Stuart Giddings,Richard Brush and later on Andy Morrell in a crowd which was 44 at the start but later rose to 128, adjourned to the social club to escape the cold for a few minutes.
There were no changes at the break and little of note until the 55th minute when the visitors won a corner. This was cleared but came straight back through Wilson who found Stacey Long in an offside position which ruled out his right footed shot which Shearer saved.
On the hour mark, City got into the Charlton penalty area, Claus Jorgensen tried to take too many touches,the ball fell to Barrett whose shot was deflected for a corner by Fish.
The former Bolton defender was replaced three minutes later by Nathan Ashton and after a City corner and Craig Pead firing over the bar after another good run by Hall and lay off by Thornton, James Walker was replaced by Danny Phillips.
With the village idiot who haunts us and the City bench at reserve games at Manor Park, continually asking anyone who would speak to him how long was left, a mistake by Wilson let in Thornton down the left. His 82nd minute cross found Craig Reid who could have shot but unselfishly knocked the ball back for Craig Pead to blast into the net from the edge of the area.
However,no sooner had we thought that a second consecutive victory for City reserves was on the cards has Charlton equalised. The was played forward to Graham Stuart who got round Hall before hitting an 85th minute low drive past Scott Shearer.
Craig Pead went close after another lovely run and City won a corner but could not conjure up a goal in the last few minutes and the game finished in a draw.
HT CCFC 0-0 CAFC FT CCFC 1-1 CAFC
ATT 128
Goals Craig Pead (82)
Graham Stuart (85)
Booked Neil McCafferty
Man Of The Match - Andy Hall with votes for Craig Pead
TEAMS
Shearer,Hall,Nicell,Barry,Bains,Whing,Jorgensen,
Pead,Reid,Barrett,Thornton SNU O'Donovan,Tuffey,Wall,Davis,Gooding
Charlton
Anderson,Fuller,Gross,Stuart,Sankofa,Fish (Ashton 63),Long,McCafferty,Varney,Walker (Phillips 79),Sam (Wilson 23) SNU Elliot,Carvill