Coventry City 1-0 Port Vale
City: Burge, Grimmer,. Willis, McDonald (sent off), Stokes, Doyle, Vincenti, Kelly, Andreu (Nazon 67). Jones, McNulty (Beavon 29, Davies 81)). Subs: O'Brien, Davies, Maycock, Devon Kelly-Evans. Ponticelli ,
Port Vale: Lainton (Hornby 59), Davis, Kay, Smith, Gunning, Middleton (De Freitas 81), Whitfield, Worrall, Barnett (Pyke 65), Pope, Harness. Subs: Hornby, Denton, Anderson. Wilson, Turner.
Goals Jodi Jones 24
Att 6,951
Coventry City needed only ten men as they beat Port Vale 1-0 at the Ricoh Arena.
On a soggy Saturday, the Sky Blues without a goal in their last three league games, took on Port Vale, who went into the game second bottom of the table.
City had Rod McDonald back in the side which attacked the end where the few hundred visiting fans were for the first half.
Against a Vale side in a kit which looked not too unlike City's famous chocolate kit, City who had Robert Page and Carl Baker amongst the former players in attendance at the game, struggled to get into the game with neither side bothering the keeper in the opening fifteen minutes as the sun came out and Jordan Willis and Jack Grimmer both did well in the tackles.
Finally in the 24th minute. The game burst into lift when Jodi Jones cut across and created some space to curl a shot past Rob Launton on his right and into the net.
Marc McNulty, who had taken a knock and who has been criticised in the many sectors of the deeply divided City suppoort for the amount of chances he wasted, went off, not looking happy at all and was replaced in the 29th minute by Stuart Beavon.
Vale had their first shot on target with a Whitfield drive at Burge and Grimmer drove across the face of the goal in the 33rd minute.
Peter Vincenti worked hard on the right in the first half, trying to get City going forwards as the police started to take an interest in the City support in the corner stand.
City had Andreu get into a good position before the visitors hit the bar with a header from Kay in the first minute of the three added on.
Three minutes into the second half and City should have had a second goal when Beavon headed down down for Liam Kelly to drive wide of Lainton's right hand post.
Kelly then headed a cross from Jones who was starting to cause problems for the visiting defence.
Beavon had a lovely 52nd minute shot on the turn saved from an Andreu pass and Doyle drove wide, before Beavon got through in the 58th minute and flicked the ball past the advancing Lainton and just wide of the left hand post.
That left Lainton into a bad way and he had to be replaced for the last half an hour by Sam Hornby in a half where injuries were holding up the game for the crowd which was officially given as 6,951 but looked around the 6k mark and the lowest for a Saturday game at City's main ground since 1958.
One of those injuries forced off Tony Andreu in the 67th minute and on came Duckens Nazon who got in to a low shot at Hornby after Middleton had been booked for a foul from behind.
Jones won a 75th minute corner and took it only for Vale to initially clear. A free kick followed but Hornby caught that.
In the 79th minute, Worrall got through and went down right on the edge of the area. The Vale fans screamed for a penalty. The referee consulted his assistant and sent off Rod McDonald and gave a free kick on the edge of the area.
The free kick was poor and Nazon broke only to have his shot blocked.
Vincenti got booked for hacking down his man with a tackle that he was very lucky to stay on for, as "You Fat B@stard" chants rang out from the City supporters in the direction of the referee who let City make their final change with Tom Davies getting his debut.
Burge had to make a great block in the 86th minute to concede a corner which he punched away.
Eight minutes were added on and it was the side from Stoke On Trent who were looking the most likely to get something.
Jones fired wide whilst Vale tried without success to pump high balls into the box. They did hit the post but it was City who took the win.