Newport County 1-1 Coventry City
City Burge, Grimmer, McDonald, Haynes, Hyam, Vincenti, (Biamou 77) Doyle, Bayliss, Shipley (Reid 64), McNulty (Ponticelli 69),.Clarke-Harris. Subs: O'Brien, Stokes, Davies,
Barrett.
Newport: Day, Pipe, White, O'Brien, Demetriou, Willmott (Sheehan 73),, Butler, Dolan, Tozer, Amond, Hayes (Nouble 46), Subs: Bitter, McCoulsky, Bennett, Reid, Collins.
Att 4,667
Goals Demetriou 39, Max Biamou 78
Coventry City snatched a point in a 1-1 draw at Newport County
Good Friday morning, the sun was out in Cov and the Sky Blue Army set off for Newport, a city that was in England until 1974, depending on what you believe.
The first ever visit to Rodney Parade saw over 1400 City supporters making the trip to Newport where it was pouring with rain and the ground was charging £5 a pint.
Mark Robins named an unchanged side against Newport who included former City player David Pipe and had Frank Nouble on the bench.
After a minute's silence for Bobby Ferguson, the game on a rugby pitch in what is a rugby ground rather than a football stadium, started with Shipley getting up after being fouled to win an early free kick which he sent wide.
In the sixth minute, Jordan Shipley got in a header which went inches past Day's left hand post.
A City corner came to nothing and the home side had a couple of shots which did not trouble Lee Burge In the City goal.
McNulty fired over in the 23rd minute for City who had a corner and another in the 31st minute that led to another two for Shipley to take.
Newport had a 35th minute corner. Burge caught and set up a move for Marc McNulty to blast high and wide.
Then in the 39th minute, the home side put together a good move and Mickey Demetriou slotted the ball past Burge on his left hand side.
Haynes shot wide and Clarke-Harris had a shot saved before the Sky Blues who needed to raise their game trooped off at half-time.
Newport sent on Frank Nouble for the second half to a chorus of boos from the City support who were less than happy with the defending which allowed Dolan to send a shot from twenty yards just past Burge"s left hand post.
Clarke-Harris shot was sliced by a defender into the arms of Day as the City support launched into a chorus of The Sky Blue Song and Take Me Home Highfield Road.
A 57th minute corner was cleared before McNulty headed a Grimmer cross over.
Burge made a brilliant one handed save in the 63rd minute from Amond who then got in a shot which Hyam cleared off the line.
Kyel Reid came on for Jordan Shipley and Ponticelli replaced McNulty to see if that would do anything as the City support became increasingly riled.
They fumed at Tozer's Australian style ball tampering before there were a few ironic cheers when Peter Vincenti went off and was replaced by Max Biamou.
That change worked as within a minute, Reid played the ball over and there was Max Biamou who slotted home past Day on his left. to make it 1-1.
The two sections of 1,479 City supporters in a crowd of 4,667 went absolutely ballistic with more flares and soaking wet supporters diving everywhere.
Ok, it was not the best of performances but a point was acceptable.
