CRAWLEY TOWN 2-0 COVENTRY CITY
City: Murphy, Clarke, Wood, Stewart, Martin, Thomas, Baker, Daniels (Ball 68), Fleck, Moussa, Wilson. Subs Dunn, McDonald, Philliskirk, Christie, Edjenguele, Bailey
Crawley: P Jones; Hunt, Walsh, Essam (Connolly 74), Sadler; Bulman; Adams (Dumbaya 84), M Jones, Torres, Clarke (Simpson 78); Hayes. Subs: Maddison, Connolly, Sparrow, O'Brien, Proctor.
HT CTFC 1-0 CCFC FT CTFC 2-0 CCFC
ATT 3900
Goals Billy Clarke 15, Conor Essam 59
Referee Rob Lewis
Booked Hunt, Thomas,Torres
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The 687 Coventry City supporters, who called for their money back, had every right after witnessing a totally unacceptable 2-0 defeat at Crawley Town.
Travelling to a City away league game without a ticket, was for many of the City support a rare experience but with tickets easily collected from a helpful and friendly club, the City supporters, which included supporters from Southampton, Brighton and London as well as those who had travelled from the Midlands, were able to take their places in either the gazebo covered stand or the terrace behind the goal.
Crawley were the 108th team that City have played in the league and on a very wet afternoon, Coventry, in their yellow away kit, took to the pitch with four changes to the team that had drawn with Brentford.
On the best pitch City had played on for a while, Moussa got into the area in the second minute and went down with the referee Rob Lewis awarding a goal kick instead of the penalty the City fans were appealing for.
In the fifth minute, Crawley won the first corner of the game, which Joe Murphy confidently dealt with. However, the side who only joined the Football League a couple of seasons ago, attacked shortly after and this time, Murphy had to get down to smother a Nicky Adams shot and help clear the danger from the loose ball.
At the other end, Baker had a low free kick saved. But, Crawley were a threat every time they went forward and in the 15th minute, they took the lead through a free kick from Billy Clarke deflected off Fleck and went in to the net down the middle past the wrong footed Murphy.
After a call for a ball boy to be signed up from the City fans, Steven Pressley’s side started to be pressed in their own half.
Murphy dealt with one cross but two minutes before the break, there were huge cheers from the City fans when Fleck had a shot on target, followed by Baker having a great shot beaten away for a corner by Jones who had dived to his left.
The first half had been played in pouring rain and the pitch in the second half was not only cutting up badly, puddles were starting to appear.
The Crawley players seemed happy in the conditions but as happened at Walsall, it was clear that the pitch again was not to the liking of the Sky Blues, who were struggling to do anything more than make short passes and even that at times was beyond some of the midfield.
Just before the hour mark, Crawley went further ahead when a corner was met by Connor Essam. Despite all the City players being around the box, Essam was still able to score from close range.
“Call It Off” was now the chant from some of the very disgruntled fans, although to be honest, we were glad it wasn’t as it would have meant more time and expense for a re-arranged game. Thankfully, Mr Lewis was of the same opinion and the game carried on.
By now, the mood amongst the City support on the terrace had changed from bantering a steward who looked like John Terry and opinions were starting to be made known.
Some of the support took exception when Pressley sent on Callum Ball for Billy Daniels and it was just after John Fleck sent a free kick over the bar that some of the City fans snapped.
A massive chant (well it sounded massive due to the low roof of the terrace) of “We Want Our Money Back came out of the away end with some of the support declaring that Steven Pressley, whose future is already uncertain if City do get new owners, should be dispatched back north of the border at pace and those who appointed him given the sack.
Ball, who took some stick for his weight and a lack of goals, headed a free kick wide for an inept City team, which partly due to the conditions and partly knowing the game was over as a contest and any passion and desire had long gone out of the window, now could not string more than two passes together.
Only John Fleck came over to the applaud the City support left in the ground, who headed for home, feeling that ok, they had visited a new ground but for the third successive away game, they had been badly let down by those on the pitch.