Pre-season results might mean nothing to Micky Adams but it was little comfort for the hundred plus City fans who travelled to see City lost at Athlone Town.
After finally arriving back from the the experience that was the Copa Ibiza,part two of the pre-season tour saw us leave Coventry at a very early hour and make the trek to Athlone for City's first game in the Irish Republic since the draw at Bray four years ago.
As per pre-season, it took a taxi to find our accommodation and another hike to find St Mels Park.
When we eventually found the ground,it
was not the finest stadia ,many of the 100+ strong Sky Blues support had ever seen.
Micky Adams who spoke to me regarding the "abuse" of Liam Davis in Ibiza,named an experimental side for the first half.
Clayton Ince took the keepers shirt,Matt Heath and Adie Williams got the nod in the centre of defence. Trialists Darryl Powell and Paul Watson also featured whilst Andy Morrell and Stern John led the attack.
For a side at the bottom of the Eircom League Division One,Athlone did not look too bad a side as they forced two early corners.
City's first chance came in the 26th minute when Andy Morrell fired over from eight yards.
Paul Watson looked quite good going forward and after Alan O'Connor had curled a 29th minute free kick wide,he sent over a lovely cross which Neil Wood could only drill wide.
At the interval,Micky Adams made ten changes with Clayton Ince who was dealing nicely with the bread and butter stuff.
Padrig Mehan fired at Ince straight after the restart before Athlone's sub keeper Tad Murphy did well to gather an Andy Whing cross.
Athlone continued to press and took the lead in the 63rd minute when substitute Jon Geirnan stroked the ball home from eight yards.
Four minutes later,Irishman Graham Barrett blasted at Murphy as City tried to get back in the match.
In the 70th minute,Adebola chipped the ball over Murphy but Michael Collins was back on the line to clear.
Murphy made two good catches to thwart City who twice went very wide through Gary McSheffrey as Athlone held on to win.
City 1st half,
Ince,Watson,Hall,Powell,Williams,Heath,Morrell,Hughes,John,Scowcroft,Wood
City second half
Ince,Whing,Page,Shaw,Duffy,Jorgensen,Doyle,Osbourne,Barrett,McSheffrey,Adebola. SNU Thornton