BRISTOL CITY 1-2 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Date 18/09/10 At Ashton Gate
Team
Westwood, Keogh, Wood, Turner, Cranie, Carsley, Clingan, Baker, Jutkiewicz, Platt. SNU Doyle, McSheffrey, Ireland, Clarke, O'Donovan, Cameron, Harris. City mascot Conor Cahill
Bristol City
James, Ribero (Pitman 85), McAllister, Fontaine, Carey, Elliott (Clarkson 67), Skuse, Adomah, Rose, Stead, Haynes (Johnson 68). SNU Gerken, Spoule, Stewart, Campbell-Ryce.
HT BCFC 1-2 CCFC FT BCFC 1-2 CCFC ATT 13,428
Referee Iain Williamson
Booked Jutkiewicz, Skuse, Gunnarsson, Turner
Goals Clive Platt (21), Marvin Elliott (41), Ben Turner (44)
Man Of The Match Ben Turner and Carl Baker with nominations for Clive Platt
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For this match up of a team who hadn't won at home against one who had not won away since March, there were more supporters or mushrooms (kept in the dark and fed crap), as described in something I read this week, than there were at Swansea. There was in fact 840, City supporters all of whom were in absolute cracking form.
The support they gave the team today was brilliant, singing from twenty minutes before kick off and all the way through the game.
The songs including a new one about following City away that blocked out some bloke from Bristol City apologising for the delay in their new stadium, which means more times in an away end of back-less seats and restricted views.
Martin Cranie had talked about the need for City to play in both halves of the game and today they did. The Sky Blues got straight into a Bristol City side which included former Sky Blues Jon Stead and Louis Carey.
Richard Keogh was full of attacking runs and with Aron Gunnarsson working hard in midfield, along-side, Carsley, Clingan and Baker, the Sky Blues were always putting the side which had David James in goal under pressure.
At the other end, Keiren Westwood was showing the dodgy David James how it should be done, making a great block to deny Danny Haynes in the 13th minute after a rare mistake by Richard Wood.
In the 21st minute, the City supporters who had been enjoying some good banter with the Bristol City fans to our right, went totally mental as Clive Platt was sent clear. David James just stood there, giving Platt the choice to put it to his right or left. Platt choose the keeper's left and as the ball hit the back of the net, City supporters were diving all over the away end in sheer delight.
A mate had to be taken out in a mobile stretcher as on the pitch, Baker, Keogh and Gunnarsson were whipping in crosses.
In the 35th minute, the singing from the Sky Blue Army briefly stopped when Lukas Jutkiewicz was brought down but Mr Williamson, who seemed to have a bit of an aversion to giving the Sky Blues in their home kit with black shorts a decision, decided against a spot kick.
City had just put together a cracking move involving Baker, Gunnarsson and Platt before Carsley fired over, when Bristol City went up the other end and levelled in the 41st minute, thanks to Marvin Elliott turning a Jon Stead cross past Westwood.
The home fans enjoyed their moment of joy but a moment was all it was.
City went straight up the top end where the changing rooms and won a free kick when Jutkiewicz was fouled. Clingan took the free kick and the ball eventually found Platt who knocked the ball for Ben Turner to head past James for his third goal of the season and the Sky Blues back in front.
The second half brought David James to the goal nearest the Coventry supporters. Straight away, the former England international was ripped to pieces in song, chants and verbal abuse.
"Are You Watching David James" was directed at the custodian, who never once looked at the City support as Westwood made a superb save from an Elliott shot to concede a corner.
Adomah headed onto the bar in the 57th minute but that was as close as the Sky Blues defence let Keith Millen's side get.
Mr Williamson had the City fans fuming when he missed a blatant punch of the ball by Louis Carey and decided that Jutkiewicz must have shoved him instead.
The City fans were soon back singing, reminding the fans to our right, as to who made their tractors and pointing out that David James is not very good, something backed up by his performance today.
A massive cheer for a free kick to City in the 77th minute went up and when the final whistle went, a cracking job by all eleven players was well and truly celebrated.