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TEAM: Murphy, Christie, Keogh, Wood, Hussey, Clingan, Bell, Thomas 54, Jutkiewicz (Jeffers 60), McSheffrey, Eastwood (O’Donovan 72) SNU Dunn, Jeffers, Wilson, Cameron.
Chesterfield: Lee, Talbot (Dariwka 84), Ford (Lowry 57), Mattis (Downes 57), Smith, Ricketts (Niven 57), Randall (Holden 57), Abbott (Clay 65), Whitaker, Bowery, Morgan (Boden 76)
HT CFC 0-1 CCFC FT CFC 2-2 CCFC ATT 2,572
REFEREE Kevin Friend Assistants N.Smith and Ian Dudley
GOALS Chris Hussey (40), Dean Morgan (51 & 60), Lukas Jutkiewicz (52)
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REPORT BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City upped their pre-season pace with a trip to League One new boys Chesterfield and came away with a 2-2 draw in a match that either side could have won.
Pre-season normally affords at least one game somewhere different and tonight was that night as the Sky Blues made their first ever appearance at Chesterfield's new B2net home.
As new grounds go, it is not bad with four decent sized stands, which serve their purpose. It is also ideally located on the Sheffield Road, which offers the decent pubs including the excellent real ale hostelry of the Derby Tup amongst the number of varied pubs and eateries all within walking distance of the ground.
With no Martin Cranie and Carl Baker, so Andy Thorn brought in Richard Wood and Conor Thomas to the team that started at Kettering and dropped Roy O’Donovan to the bench in favour of Freddy Eastwood.
Backed by 255 City supporters, according to official numbers and again including Joe Elliott and his wife, in a crowd of 2,572, the Sky Blues were nearly ahead after forty seconds when Lukas Jutkiewicz rounded the keeper but had his shot cleared off the line by a covering defender.
Rohan Ricketts played at number nine for the Spireites and looked useful. He whipped in a couple of crosses that the capable Richard Wood dealt with.
City also put over some good crosses from Hussey, McSheffrey and Christie whilst Clingan, who is failing to shake off the rumours linking him to a move to Leeds, did a good job as playmaker.
Clingan.who will miss the League Cup tie at Bury due to being on international duty, left the doggies and running to Conor Thomas and the youngster, to his credit, worked hard in the middle for City.
That early Jutkiewicz chance had set the tone for an entertaining game and this was probably more a game for the supporters to enjoy than the managers to take something from.
In the 17th minute, Richard Keogh made a great intervention to take the ball off the foot of Bowry following City losing the ball in midfield before the home fans took delight in the sight of a Chesterfield player changing his shorts.
Clingan and Whitaker both went wide with curlers but it was not until the 35th minute, that either keeper had a decent shot to save. It was the long haired Tommy Lee in the Chesterfield goal, who made a great double save to deny firstly Jutkiewicz and secondly McSheffrey before Eastwood fired wide.
Jutkiewicz had a cross turned over for a corner. The ball after some interplay came back to Sammy Clingan who picked out CHRIS HUSSEY. The Londoner, who had made some great tackles earlier in the game, knew exactly what he was doing and drilled the ball past Lee putting City ahead in the 40th minute.
Coventry attacked the North Stand which housed the City fans for the second half but six minutes in, the ball was in the South Stand net when DEAN MORGAN got the ball on the right and after getting past left back Christie, beat Murphy with a low shot.
We only had parity for less than a minute. A cross from the right by David Bell, was met by the head of LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ. The striker rose to nod the ball onto the bar before it bounced down and in off Lee. .
Conor Thomas, who scored at Hinckley, got into the box in the 54th minute and saw his effort, deflected over for a corner.
Then came a moment of controversy when a Chris Hussey cross from the left sneaked past Lee and rolled along the line and looked to have crossed it at the far post.
With the assistant not up with play and referee Kevin Friend who had spoken at a Coventry City Diamond Club lunch last month, doing his best to stay out of the way and let the game flow, nothing was given. Chesterfield countered on the hour mark and the ball was played into DEAN MORGAN who picked his spot to level the match.
Freddy Eastwood could have restored City's lead in the 62nd minute when with the goal to aim at, he headed the ball in the direction of the home keeper who made a one handed punch and when the ball came back to the Welsh international, all he could do was blast it high into the stand where the City fans were.
Eastwood was replaced by Roy O'Donovan as City won corners and had enough of the play.
We got to the one minute of stoppage time added by the Leicester supporting referee, Joe Murphy saved a header from a corner. Then there was a scramble and the ball ended up in the back of the City net following a Smith shot but the referee ruled the goal out for offside and the Sky Blues left with a 2-2 draw from what was an enjoyable game but a performance that needs to be upped when we face Leicester on August 6th.
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