COVENTRY CITY 1-2 WEST HAM UNITED
SAT NOV 19TH AT The Ricoh Arena, Coventry
City: Murphy, Christie (Wood 79), Keogh, Cranie, Hussey, Clingan, Bigirimana, Thomas, McSheffrey (Baker 75), Jutkiewicz, Platt. SNU Dunn, McDonald, Cameron
West Ham: Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Faye, McCartney, Nolan, Diop (Piquionne 61), Noble, Baldock (O’Brien 79), Carew (Cole 46), Collison. SNU Stech, Sears.
HT CCFC 1-0 WHUFC FT CCFC 1-2 WHUFC ATT 20,524
Referee Keith Stroud Assts Andy Hendley & Tim Wood. Booked – McSheffrey, Clingan, Faye, Diop, Faubert.
Goals – Clive Platt (32), Carlton Cole (68), Frederic Piquionne (75)
Man Of The Match – Sammy Clingan took the votes with nominations for Richard Keogh, Conor Thomas and Clive Platt.
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CITY SUPPORT: A decent turn out of City supporters for this game and some good was generated by both sets of fans. The City support included supporters from Ireland, South Wales, Poole to name but a few places.
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DIRECTOR WATCH: Chairman Ken Dulieu, SISU Rep Onye Igwe, John Clarke and Mark Labrovitch were all spotted.
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CITY TEAM NEWS
Andy Thorn made four changes from the side, which lost to Southampton. Martin Cranie, Chris Hussey, Gael Bigirimana and Clive Platt all were back in the team.
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Coventry City put in their best home performance of the season but went down to a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United.
On a grey day at the Ricoh Arena, where rumours were flying round about the club being placed into administration on Monday and with a rabid mob of 6,313 West Ham fans whose arrival in the city had the police out bright and early, the Sky Blues who had former director Leonard Brody making us a complete laughing stock with his ‘text in which players you want substituted’ idea, were badly in need of a decent performance and a result.
After a minute’s silence, which was only put on after the club did not have one against Southampton, to the annoyance of some supporters, had been marred by some West Ham fans making their way into the ground, the noise levels from both sets of supporters were good as the game commenced.
The opening fifteen minutes were scrappy and littered with free kicks given by diminuative referee Keith Stroud who probably should have shown his yellow card a lot earlier than he eventually did after hefty tackles came in on Cyrus Christie and Sammy Clingan.
With City seemingly having ditched the diamond formation in favour of a 4-4-2, the Sky Blues enjoyed plenty of possession, with Sammy Clingan having a fine game in midfield, pulling the strings, Gael Bigirimana always wanting the ball, and Gary McSheffrey looking a threat.
It took 24 minutes for the Hammers to create their first chance of note and it saw Mark Noble fire well over the CT Stand bar.
Eight minutes later and Cyrus Christie got down the right and picked out Clive Platt who turned inside the box and then lashed the ball high into the Away End net to delight the City faithful.
Platt nearly increased the lead when he headed at Green in the 35th minute and you felt that City always needed a second goal.
Former Sky Blue Sam Allardyce sent on Carlton Cole for John Carew to bolster the Hammers attack and after Green had made a good save to tip round a Jutkiewicz 55th minute shot and Clingan fired wide from a corner three minutes later, the side second top of the table started to come to life.
Richard Keogh and Martin Cranie made some cracking blocks but in the 68th minute, Carlton Cole latched onto a Green kick upfield and kept his cool to draw West Ham level by firing past Murphy who had not been overly worked.
In the 75th minute, Murphy, who a year ago had been picking the ball out of the net twice against City when he was in goal for another team in claret and blue Scunthorpe, was picking the ball out of the net for a second time.
This time, Faubert picked out substitute Frederic Piquionne and the former Portsmouth player was able to get in a close range header and score before running to the West Ham fans nearest the Scoreboard to celebrate.
Andy Thorn (without the help of any texters!) brought on Carl Baker for Gary McSheffrey and in the 83rd minute, a good cross from Baker, was nodded just wide by Platt.
In stoppage time, West Ham missed a right sitter when Collison blasted over but with that much needed second City goal not materialising, it was a case of a good try but no points once more.