WATFORD 2-2 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Date 14/08/10 At Vicarage Road
Team
I.Turner (Quirke 17), Keogh, B.Turner, Cameron, Cranie, Bell, Carsley, Doyle, McSheffrey (Gunnarsson 62), Eastwood (Platt 62), Jutkiewicz SNU Clingan, McPake, Baker, Wood
Watford
Loach, Hodson, Taylor, Mariappa, Doyley, Cowie, Eustace, McGinn, Buckley (Mutch 75), Graham, Sordell (Deeney 75) SNU Jenkins, Bryan, Bennett, Henderson
HT WFC 1-0 CCFC FT WFC 2-2 CCFC ATT 12,813
GOALS Will Buckey (45+2), John Eustace (58), David Bell (87), Lukas Jutkiewicz (89 pen)
Booked Lloyd Doyley
Man Of The Match - Nathan Cameron took the votes just being nominations for Clive Platt and David Bell
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It was a tale of three goals and eighty odd minutes of misery but Coventry City came back to snatch a dramatic draw at Watford.
On the day after Coventry City FC's 127th birthday, it was a trip to Hertfordshire on a rainy Saturday lunchtime for the City support.
The pubs were full of City supporters and the away end at Vicarage Road was jam packed, looking more than the official 1480 that Watford officially said where there, as news filtered round that Keeper Keiren Westwood was not playing due to the death of a family member on active service and Iain Turner who had joined on loan from Everton this morning was thrust into the action.
The former Stirling Albion player in goal was the only change from the side that had beaten Portsmouth last Saturday and in pouring rain, he defended the goal in front of the City support.
Former Sky Blue John Eustace played in front of the back and had the Hornets opening shot, in the fourth minute, which skidded wide like, Lukas Jutkiewicz's after twenty seconds.
With Ben Turner all over the place, much to the annoyance of Aidy Boothroyd, who had been accused by some home fans waiting for the City team coach of leading Watford to the brink of bankruptcy, Lee Carsley had to clear for a corner after Ben Turner let in his marker and in the 15th minute, another mistake by Ben Turner forced Iain Turner to come out. He collided with six goals in three games striker Danny Graham.
The Watford striker immediately summoned medical attention for Turner, unselfishly ignoring the fact that he needed treatment himself and when referee Trevor Kettle finally stopped the game, the loanee from Everton was replaced by Michael Quirke.
The Coventry born City fan is not the tallest custodian you will ever see in goal for the Sky Blues, but he settled in well, being cheered every time he touched the ball.
Just after the half hour mark, Quirke made a superb one handed save diving to his right to push away a Marvin Sordell shot from inside the area.
Nathan Cameron was having a stormer of a game and was heading or clearing anything away or picking out a City player but in the second minute of the four added on at the interval, Quirke failed to deal with a Will Buckley header across the goal. The ball hit Nathan Cameron but he could not keep it out and only kicked it further into the goalnetting.
To concede a goal on the stroke of half time was gut wrenching and with City not backing up their strikers with a midfeld which looked ragged, Watford were winning the midfeld battle early in the second half.
Watford won two corners and in the 58th minute, the second saw the ball over to John Eustace on the edge of the area and he was left plenty of room to superbly sent a shot, over Quirke and high into the net.
Referee Trevor Kettle limped off injured and was replaced by the fourth offical Mr Stewart and in the 62nd minute, Aidy Boothroyd used his two remaining substitutes, when he sent on Clive Platt and Aron Gunnarsson.
Some of the City support were less than happy and let Boothroyd , who had gone down in the estimation of some fans after his selection led to City going out of the League Cup without a fight at Morecambe, know it.
However, unlike Tuesday at the brand new Globe Arena, there was today, players on the bench capable of changing the game.
With the aerial presence of Clive Platt on, City started to wake up,. They had their first shot for 67 minutes when David Bell who again tried really hard, sent a twenty yarder wide.
A City corner won by Platt was wasted before Aron Gunnarsson who was clearly up for this game when he came on, headed over.
With four minutes to go, two very long-standing friends of mine from Reading decided to head for home. "You'll miss a goal", my mate Steve said and within a minute, the remaining City supporters were going mental in the away end when a corner got played to David Bell who had moved to the left. The winger cut inside and hit a shot, which went past Loach and into the left hand side of the net.
If that goal was royally celebrated then two minutes later, the City support went ballistic as Richard Keogh went down in the area and the referee awarded a penalty.
Lukas Jutkiewicz stepped up after Lloyd Doyley had been cautioned. He put the ball to Loach's left and City were level.
The Watford fans to our right just sat and looked like we were all two headed monsters as the City support, which included a good number of Southern based City supporters, embalmed themselves in joyous ecstasy.
There was seven minutes of stoppage time that left Michael Quirke with a big grin as he took the ball off a Watford player's head and held the ball aloft just before Mr Stewart blew the final whistle and sent the City support home happy with a point.