COVENTRY CITY 2-0 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY BY KEV MONKS
TEAM
Westwood, Hall, Gunnarsson, Wright, Turner, Doyle, Beuzelin, McKenzie (Simpson 62),Mifsud (Walker 86),Best, Morrison (Eastwood 68)
SNU Marshall, Wynter
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Grant, Spurr, Watson, Tudgay, McAllister (Jeffers 72), Beevers, Wood, O'Connor (Boden 88), Buxton, Small (Modest 72), Slusarski SNU Lekaj,Smith
HT CCFC 1-0 SWFC FT CCFC 2-0 SWFC ATT 19,602
GOALS Clinton Morrison (10), Robbie Simpson (81)
REFEREE Graham Laws BOOKED None
MAN OF THE MATCH Aron Gunnarsson took the votes from Ben Turner
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STARTING LINE-UP
Changes were made to the team that did not want to win at Swansea. Elliott Ward had picked up a shoulder strain,leg injury or virus take your pick and watched the game from the Main Stand.
Aron Gunnarsson dropped to right back with Stephen Wright at centre half. Guilly Beuzelin played in the centre mid with Leon McKenzie back on the left flank. Leon Best partnered Clinton Morrison up front.
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Coventry City made it a double over Sheffield Wednesday with a 2-0 victory at the Ricoh Arena this afternoon.
Not having won since October, City went into the game having kept a clean sheet at Swansea and admist the rumour mill working overtime with Keiren Westwood, Aron Gunnarsson, Danny Fox, Scott Dann, Michael Doyle, Jay Tabb and Elliott Ward, all rumoured to be on their way out of the club. News of anyone coming in to replace them has unfortunately been rarer than someone in the crowd of 19,602 at the Arena who actually looked warm on a bitterly cold day with a bitting wind which took the chill factor well into the minus figures.
Again, City playing 4-4-2, started brightly. Marcus Tudgay made a prat of himself early on when he fell over when he had a chance after just one hundred seconds on the watch of referee Graham Laws who had been in charge of City's games at Sheffield Wednesday last season including the abandoned and postponed ones.
In the tenth minute, Coventry took their customary early lead. One time City target Richard Wood, who to be honest did not look worth all the fuss today, fired well wide at the CT Stand end. The Sky Blues went up the other end and a lovely ball from the outside of Beuzelin's right foot picked out Clinton Morrison. The captain, raced before beating Grant with a drive to put City one goal to the good.
Keiren Westwood did not have a lot to do all game but in the fifteenth minute, he came racing out and bravely blocked Sean McAllister who had been left unmarked on the far side of the penalty area.
Tudgay missed again, before the City supporters started to find their voice as the Sky Blues won a corner and a throw in which saw Grant come out to catch under pressure Gunnarsson's long throw.
In the 32nd minute, another corner was won by City. This time, it was Marcus Hall who made the long dash to earn the flag kick and this drew huge applause as he made his way back towards the halfway line.
For long periods of the first half, both sides looked evenly matched. Neither particularly threatened in front of goal as both sets of defences did their job and the midfield battle saw neither side really gain any ground.
The second half of a game which was my 1801st City first team game, was a bit more open. Attacking the CT Stand for the second half, the Sky Blues got Leon McKenzie and Michael Mifsud involved a bit more early on. The Sky Blues won a 47th minute corner which Ben Turner nodded over before Westwood pushed away a shot inside the area from former Arsenal youngster Small. At the other end, Lee Grant got down in the 58th minute to a Doyle cross from the left as Morrison came racing in.
It was time for a change and Chris Coleman was the first manager to make it when he replaced Leon McKenzie with Robbie Simpson. The former Cambridge United man went on the right with Michael Mifsud switching to the left but in the 66th minute, the Maltese international was in the centre of the penalty area as he was played in for a shot by Morrison but it was not powerfully hit and Grant and was able to get down to it.
Two minutes after, Morrison made way for Freddie Eastwood who had wasted City's best chances at Swansea on Friday. With the Basildon Boy on the pitch, City almost doubled their tally. They won a corner. Michael Doyle delivered his best kick of the match and Aron Gunnarsson's header just went over the crossbar.
As one of the 2811 (official figures - looked more like 3,500 to me) Sheffield Wednesday fans was being ejected, Brian Laws made a double change. Franny Jeffers, whose international days seem a very long time ago, waddled onto the pitch along with Rocky Modest.
Out of nowhere, the Sky Blues found a bit of spark. Michael Doyle had wasted a free kick and Leon Best, who again ignored the City support on the final whistle, shot just wide.
The next time Best touched the ball, it was to help City wrap up a victory. The Young Player Of The Year, held off a couple of markers and slipped an 81st minute ball out to Robbie Simpson on the right.
Simpson kept his cool and a low drive sent the ball into the far corner of the net and the Sky Blue support dancing with delight. Simpson slid into the ground face first in celebration as many Wednesdayites took that as their cue to leave.
With four minutes of normal time remaining, I for one was delighted when Coventry kid Adam Walker was given his debut. The Academy player who had scored for City Reserves last season had been given a big hug and a pat on the back from his manager before he replaced Michael Mifsud.
Walker, who is an excellent watcher of the game, had some good touches, won a couple of tackles and a header whilst looking more than comfortable in a first team role.
His time on the pitch went to eight minutes with four minutes of time that were added on as Coventry City ended 2008 with their first home victory since October and a double over Sheffield Wednesday to leave them 14th in the Championship table.