COVENTRY CITY 1-0 DONCASTER ROVERS
City: Murphy, Baker (Bell 83), Fleck (Thomas 90), Barton, Ball (Wilson 71), Christie, Edjenguele, Stewart, Moussa, Martin, Bailey Subs Dunne, Clarke, McDonald, McSheffrey.
Doncaster Woods, Griffin, Jones, McCombe, Spurr, Cotterill, Lundstram, Hume (Bennett 66), Brown, Coppinger, Husband (Furman 46) Subs Sullivan, Wakefield, Paynter, Sinclair, Harper.
HT CCFC 1-0 DRFC FT CCFC 1-0 DRFC
ATT 10,981 8750 people in the ground according to police figures
Goal Cyrus Christie 12
Referee M.Halsey Booked None
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Coventry City needed a moral boosting victory and got it with a 1-0 win over Doncaster Rovers.
This has been the most turbulent week in the club's history since 1920 and made the fact that this game against Doncaster Rovers had been brought forward to a day when many people in Coventry had to work, pail into insignificance with all that has gone on this week with a High Court appearance and points deduction.
It was only after thirty hours of discussion that we finally got news yesterday that this game was even going ahead at the Ricoh Arena on a cold afternoon but still there was a decent crowd which looked around the 10,000 mark including around 900 Doncaster fans.
Steven Pressley rang the changes and dropped Gary McSheffrey and Cody McDonald to the bench with Adam Barton and Carl Baker back in the team.
The SISU Out chants from the City supporters who did not even have their season ticket checked as the turnstiles weren't working and had to trapse round the stadium to find an open toilet, had started long before a fifth minute City corner had gone back to the half way line.
League leaders Doncaster, who were highly concerned after a ball boy was knocked unconscious before kick off by a stray ball and it took two minutes before any stewards and not the one reported to have stepped over the poor lad, came to his aid despite the calls of players and the mascot, forced Joe Murphy from a David Cotterill shot down the right befoe a foul in the 11th minute gave City a free kick in a central position.
Baker had his kick saved but in City's next attack, Wood was picking the ball out of the net, when Cyrus Christie cut in from the right and scored with a cracking left footed drive.
Callum Ball headed at Woods before there were boos from Singers Corner when a City fan was thrown out.
This started a big chorus from the City support, clearly livid at what has become of our club, who applauded a Joe Murphy save following a deflected shot from Chris Brown in the 22nd minute.
Franck Moussa was again a livewire and had a shot saved by Gary Woods on the half hour mark.
Rob Jones, headed away a corner and Barton fired over with a beautiful dipping shot before an excellent forty five minutes performance from the Sky Blues ended.
Brian Flynn sent on South African Dean Furman for the second half and as expected, Rovers started the better, forcing Joe Murphy into a great save from a Cotterill shot before Hume, a player the City support once got sent off at Barnsley, had a goal ruled out for offside.
In the 52nd minute. Jones went close with a header but three minutes later, City went even closer when Christie, who had a fine game, sent over a cross which came off the bar.
That was followed by two corners for City who had the likes of Baker chasing down the Rovers midfield.
Callum Ball worked hard and won a corner and Rovers hit a pile driver against the post.
As City prepared to bring on Callum Wilson, Moussa went on a great run after Cotterill, who for me was Doncaster's Man Of The Match, lost possession, before being stopped at the final hurdle.
Wilson sent on for the final nineteen minutes, replacing Callum Ball, as Sky Blue Army chants rang round the ground.
David Bell also joined the action for the last seven minutes of normal time and watched as Dean Furman was left unmarked to head wide.
Doncaster were getting too close for comfort but City held firm and took the win which was needed after the week from hell.