COVENTRY CITY 1-1 CARDIFF CITY
TUE NOV 22ND AT The Ricoh Arena, Coventry
City: Murphy, Keogh, Hussey (Wood 82), Christie,. Cranie, Clingan, Thomas, Bigirimana, McSheffrey (Baker 60), Jutkiewicz, Platt. SNU Dunn, McDonald, Cameron.
Cardiff: Marshall, McNaughton (Blake 86), Gerrard, Turner, Taylor, Cowie, Kiss (McPhail. 67), Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Miller. SNU Earnshaw, Mason, Heaton.
HT CCFC 0-0 CCFC FT CCFC 1-1 CCFC ATT 12,317
Referee Darren Drysdale. Assts Stephen Martin and Paul Thompson .
Booked – Bigirimana
Goals – Peter Whittingham 48, Lukas Jutkiewicz 61
Man Of The Match – Richard Keogh took the votes with nominations for Platt, Cranie and Hussey
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CITY SUPPORT: About the expected crowd, who gave the team some good backing. City supporters from Poole and South Wales to name but a few places.
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DIRECTOR WATCH: John Clarke and Tim Fisher were in the Directors Box.
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CITY TEAM NEWS
Andy Thorn had no new injury worries and was able to keep the same team which started against West Ham.
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Coventry City came back to take a valuable point against fourth placed Cardiff City at the Ricoh Arena.
With City now more likely to be cashing in on Lukas Jutkiewicz, Sammy Clingan and Martin Cranie in January than going into administration, after news of a £3m bid from Jutkiewicz’s home club, the Sky Blues took to the field on a coldish Coventry night.
They faced a Cardiff side, turned out in probably the worst away kit, I have ever seen them in and fielding a team which included former Sky Blues Ben Turner and Aron Gunnarsson who both received good applause when their names were announced.
The Icelander was involved in the first real chance of the game in the 6th minute when he took a throw in front of the Tescos Stand to a few boos and plenty of applause from the City fans, which also included former keeper Keiren Westwood, and found Kenny Miller who volleyed wide and then fired wide four minutes later.
Now this wasn’t the strongest Cardiff side City have faced in recent years and with the likes of Conor Thomas able to make good ground in midfield, the Sky Blues could attack the best Welsh side in the Football League that their 1,130 fans were singing about.
A 13tn minute free kick led to a corner before Jutkiewicz fired wide after good work from Platt and Clingan.
Another good chance came in 21st minute when a peach of a cross from Hussey was headed not far wide of the Away End Stand goal by Platt.
Anthony Gerrard forced Murphy to get down low in the 25th minute and twelve minutes later, Murphy pushed round a Whittingham shot for a corner.
Although McSheffrey and Bigirimana weren’t as involved as some supporters would have liked, City, who won a corner in first half stoppage time, were still able to match the visitors in every department and received some good applause for a pleasing first half as they went off at the break.
However, City probably didn’t need the break as it gave Malky McKay, the chance to rip into his troops who came out for the second half, fired up.
Within three minutes of the restart, Gunnarsson took a throw and found Nuneaton born Peter Whittingham who coolly finished with aplomb to put Cardiff a goal up.
Heads could have dropped but tonight, the Coventry players dug deeper into their resolve and won a corner. Marshall saved from Jutkiewicz and in the 52nd minute, a Clingan free kick was flapped by Marshall onto Richard Keogh and out for a goal kick, before Keogh who had another fine game, could do anything about it.
Cardiff went up the other end with Whittingham hitting a pile driver which looked destined for the net before Murphy got a touch to push the ball onto the bar and out for a corner.
We had reached the hour mark when Andy Thorn decided to freshen things up and send on Carl Baker for Gary McSheffrey. When play, was restarted by the orange shirted referee, Hussey delivered another peach of a cross and up rose Lukas Jutkiewicz to get in a header from six yards. The ball bounced down and just over the goal-line. It was hard to tell from my angle if the ball was fully over the line but the assistant on the Tescos Stand side pointed his flag towards the centre circle and City were back on level terms.
Bigirimana got away with a booking for a tackle from behind before Clingan whipped in a cracking cross in the 66th minute which had to be bundled away by the Cardiff defence.
Kenny Miller danced round the City defence in the 72nd minute but let himself down with a shot that went well wide before Chris Hussey pulled up after attacking down the left in front of the press box and was replaced by Richard Wood with nine minutes left.
Cardiff had to replaced Ken McNaughton who came off worse after colliding with Clive Platt and won two corners, the second of which was well cleared by the ever improving Cyrus Christie as both sides took a share of the spoils from this game which will be looked back upon as a fair result.