COVENTRY CITY 0-4 WEST BROMWICH ALBION BY KEV MONKS
Team
Konstantopoulos,Osbourne,De Zeeuw,Turner,Hall,Hughes,Doyle,Tabb,Mifsud (Sent off 10),Adebola (McKenzie, 80), Best (Kyle, 46) SNU Marshall,Ward,Cairo.
West Brom
Kiely, Hoefkens,Barnett,Cesar,Robinson,Morrison (Brunt, 36),Greening, Koren,Teixeira,Gera,Miller (Bednar, 76) SNU Steele,Hodgkiss,Pele.
HT CCFC 0-0 WBAFC FT CCFC 0-4 WBAFC Att 18,566 Goals Robinson (55),Teixeira (57 & 73),Koren (91)Referee P.Dowd. Sent Off Mifsud (10) Booked Cesar,Hoefkens,Koren.
Man Of The Match - Jay Tabb took the votes from Doyle,Osbourne and Hughes
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CITY TEAM
For the last game before another international break, Iain Dowie brought back the mask wearing Stephen Hughes and started with Dele Adebola and Leon Best up front.
West Brom were with Kevin Phillips and fielded former Sky Blue Dean Kiely in goal with another former City keeper Luke Steele on the bench. __________________________________________________________________________
CITY SUPPORT
The crowd which included 2,200 West Brom fans was about what was expected. A good turn-out considering the game was on television and it was probably the coldest night in Cov for a good few months. ____________________________________________________________________________
Coventry City's miserable run of defeats against West Brom continued in a 4-0 defeat at the Ricoh Arena.
On a day where a 5pm Board meeting caused considerable interest but with no news as to whether the bid consortium front by Ray Ranson,who watched from the stands, or The Windsor Group who are backing Geoffrey Robinson to get some of his money back, has been successful, attention turned to the events on the pitch.
It was an eventful start for City who attacked the Jewson Stand first. There was just over nine minutes played on the clock of referee when Michael Mifsud had a massive rush of blood to the head and jumped into Baggies defender Carl Hoefkins with his elbow leading. The Belgian went down like he had been shot and over came referee Mr Dowd.
Clearly displaying how he had got onto the Premiership Panel List, after speaking to the assistant referee closest to the incident on the East Stand side, Mr Dowd did the backward running bit before consulting with the fourth official.
There were claims that Andy Hall had seen the incident on television (which he denied after the game) but it proved to be the correct decision and Mifsud was red carded.
City, with some of the players wearing poppies on their shirts, regrouped with Isaac Osbourne, Michael Doyle,Jay Tabb and Stephen Hughes who discarded his mask after it rose up onto the top of his head when challenging for a header, all ran their hearts out.
Although, Tony Mowbray's side passed the ball round nicely, the Sky Blues efforts and endeavour ensured that they kept the visitors down to the odd chance.
Jonathan Greening was a major threat not just because of his give and go lay-offs but like Mifsud, he had no qualms about using his elbow. Michael Doyle and Jay Tabb both felt his joint but unlike the Maltese international, he stayed on the pitch, much to the wrath of the City faithful who were booing Hoefkens every time he touched the ball.
The Baggies lost James Morrison with a knee injury after he turned trying to get to a 33rd minute Kiely throw out and ten minutes later, had the best chance of the game when Teixeira hit a shot which Dimi was able to push over for a corner.
City were doing well and did not need the half-time break as Tony Mowbray fired up his charges who came at the Sky Blues.
In the 55th minute, the visitors took the lead when Paul Robinson was played through on the left. Robinson who also scored against City last season, continued his run and lifted the ball over the advancing Dimi and into the net.
The Baggies support started to "Boing" and two minutes later, there was even more "boinging" when the ball got round Ben Turner and Andrade Flipe Teixeira nipped in to slip it into the net.
There had been one ejection from the back of the CT Stand and Marcus Hall had sent the ball across the box when Teixeira danced his way inside the area in the 72nd minute and got the ball on his left before rifling a shot into the bottom of the net.
Leon McKenzie was sent on to join half-time substitute Kevin Kyle and immediately won a corner but that was it from the Sky Blues.
A conga in front of the scoreboard, diverted some of the attention off the pitch for those who had not headed for home and in the first minute of stoppage time, Albion grabbed a fourth.
This time, Teixeira crossed from the right and the unmarked Robert Koren was there to tap into the net to compound what was a miserable night for City.