ACCRINGTON STANLEY 1-4 COVENTRY CITY
SAT AUG 04 At The Crown Ground, Accrington
City: Murphy, Clarke, Kilbane, Brown (McSheffrey 24), Edjenguele, Wood, Daniels, Fleck (O'Donovan 76), Cazarine (Ball 46). SNU Malaga, Burge, Henderson
Accrington: Dunbavin, Lindfield (Amond 57), Nsiala (Molyneux 61), Winnard (Murphy 16), Liddle, Joyce (Wint 83), Miller, Barnett (Eckersley 53), Clark (Dixon 78), Chippendale (Hatfield 57), Gray (Shepherd 46)
Referee Mark Heywood Assts Peter Banks & Andrew Scregg. Fth Official Ben Speedie.
HT ASFC 0-3 CCFC FT ASFC 1-4 CCFC ATT e900 .
Goals John Fleck (21 pen & 40), Cody McDonald (23 & 51), Carl Shepherd (69)
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CITY SUPPORT: .Around a hundred City supporters made the trip to Lancashire.
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CITY TEAM NEWS: Andy Thorn changed his team from the one beaten at Wrexham on Tuesday night. Cody McDonald, Richard Wood and Billy Daniels all started.
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WEATHER A day of sunshine and showers but warm.
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If a taste of Accrington Stanley is a taste of lower league football then, then Coventry City supporters could be in for some pleasurable times.
We had arrived early in Accrington and after a brief tour of their Crown Green Ground which comprises of a small but tidy main stand, a home end with seats and some standing, a stand down the side which was once at a dog track and an open ended terrace, we took in Stanley's ground of Peel Park before they folded in 1962.
Here, there was still a pitch with the changing rooms but the banks that once housed terracing were now over-grown with trees. Opposite this was the Peel Park hotel, a CAMRA recommended pub and home to a wide range of sporting memorabilia including a picture of legendary City player George Hudson.
A taxi ride brought us back to the Crown Ground to join the other one hundred or so City supporters sat in the Main Stand to the right of the technical area utlised by former City midfielder Paul Cook who has been managing Stanley after moving from Ireland.
Andy Thorn was in the left hand dug-out and he named a team which was changed from those who had their backsides kicked following the defeat in North Wales on Tuesday night and started in a diamond formation with Reece Brown in front of the back four.
Stanley attacking the goal to our right, came at City, who have off-loaded Gary Deeggan to Hibs, from the start. They had won two corners and had efforts from Gray and Luke Clark before Joe Murphy had to push away a George Miller shot.
In the 19th minute, City went up the other end and won their first corner of the game. That turned into a penalty when Gary Winnard was adjudged to have fouled. Carl Baker looked like he wanted it but John Fleck took it and scored.
Winnard was then seen by the City fans walking in front of them and heading off down the tunnel. Had he been sent off or told to be replaced? it was not revealed until he was eventually replaced by Peter Murphy.
Three minutes after the goal, City attacked again. This time, the ball fell for Cody McDonald who scored with a quality finish to put City two goals up.
Reece Brown had changed his boots but in the 24th minute, was unable to continue and Gary McSheffrey was sent on.
This meant that the diamond formation was changed and City as a team started to play better with the back four able to support the midfield.
Jordan Clarke, who has been one of City's better players this pre-season, attacked on the over-lap and let rip with a 29th minute shot that was not too far wide.
Paul Cook was losing his voice on the touchline and five minutes before the interval, he was quiet as John Fleck fashioned some space on the left and sent a stunning lob into the far corner of the net to put City 3-0 up at half-time.
Callum Ball replaced Cazarine who looked sluggish at the break and six minutes into the second half, City put together a great move that ended with Gary McSheffrey delivering a blinder of a ball from the left and Cody McDonald flicking past Dunbavin from close range.
Cook, whom I had the pleasure of catching up with just before kick off, rang the changes before the referee denied Gary McSheffrey a 62nd minute penalty when he was taken from behind. It looked from our angle to be a yard into the penalty area but Mr Heywood decided it was outside and only gave a free kick, as he did four minutes later, when McDonald was clean through but taken down by Molyneux, who was cautioned a yard outside the area.
In the 69th minute, there was some consolation for the home fans when Billy Daniels gave the ball away and trialist Carl Shepherd was given the space to beat Murphy with a low drive.
Six minutes later, there was more bad news for City when John Fleck felt his right hamstring and had to be replaced by Roy O'Donovan.
Richard Wood who had a solid game, made a great tackle to concede a corner before Dunbavin brilliantly pushed over a Baker volley for a corner.
Baker then turned provider with a telling cross for Ball to poke at the keeper at the far post.
Ball, who grew stronger the longer the game went on, had another effort late on before the referee ended the game and we finished our day at a club, whose friendliesness and hospitality was a massive credit to them, with another drink.