OLDHAM ATHLETIC 0-0 COVENTRY CITY
City: Murphy, Christie, Webster, Willis, Clarke, Fleck, Baker (Marshall 65), Prutton, Robinson (Thomas 71), Eccleston (Seaborne 90) Wilson. Subs: Burge, Adams, Delfounseo, McGeough.
Oldham: Rachubka, Brown, Lockwood, Wilson, Grounds, Worrall, Smith, Wesolowski, Harkins (Dayton 46), Phillskirk (McDonald 66), Clarke-Harris. Subs: Coleman, Millar, Mellor, Gafati. Byrom.
HT OAFC 0-0 CCFC FT OAFC 0-0 CCFC ATT 4633
Goals None Referee J.Simpson
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There are days when you really question is it worth following Coventry City and today was one of them as Coventry City took a point from their Bank Holiday Monday fixture.
Oldham Athletic, is not the place many City supporters, many of whom have harbour grave concerns that there will not be a club next season, would chose to spend an Easter Monday due to its Boundary Park ground being one of the worst grounds in the division. Now getting there for us proved troublesome with a journey that should have taken two hours, taking four due to an accident by Sandbach Services on the M6, a road which had more than its fair share of idiot drivers, putting the lives of others at risk.
We were the lucky ones and got there before kick-off whilst others missed the first ten or twenty minutes of the game and made it among the 578 strong travelling support giving plenty of support for City manager Steven Pressley, who is now being seen by some who like to contact phone ins as a naughty boy who would be better heading back over Hadrians Wall, rather than a messiah.
With the People's Front of Coventry or was it the Popular Front!, making plenty of noise, City took to the pitch with a team which included Anton Robinson back in the side along with Nathan Eccleston up front, alongside Callum Wilson, who according to reports, is not interesting Wolves manager Kenny Jackett.
On a sunny afternoon, City in their yellow away kit, were on the attack forcing two corners, before Murphy punched away a seventh minute corner from a team that included former Sky Blues Danny Philliskirk and Jonson Clarke-Harris.
Jordan Clarke cleared a free kick from Wesolowski and in the 17th minute, Murphy dived to his left to push away a Clarke-Harris header for a corner which Baker hoofed away.
A foul by Baker gave the Latics a free kick twenty yards out. Clarke-Harris curled the kick and hit Murphy's right hand post.
Eccleston won a 38th minute corner which ended up back at the half way line as a turgid half of too many players already on the beach and the rest not good enough for this level of football, ended
Oldham with Drayton on for the second half which saw the City supporting demanding their City back and James Wilson winning everything in the air at the back for the Latics who have started to get on with building their new stand to our right, against a City forward line who have no-one to hold up the ball.
Thirteen minutes in and there was a huge ironic cheer and celebrations from the City fans when Nathan Eccleston gave Rachubka an easy back pass to deal with, or was it a shot? Either way, the loanee from Blackpool made it clear that he was not impressed with the City fans by glaring at the City support who had the whole stand behind the goal, City were attacking.
Oldham had a header go wide at the other end, before Pressley listened to the City fans and brought on Mark Marshall in place of Carl Baker with twenty five minutes to go.
Marshall, who is apparently, going to be offered a contract by City, did not offer much against an Oldham side , who had taken off Danny Philliskirk, and forced Murphy to clear his lines with another attack they should have scored from.
In the 71st minute. Conor Thomas came on for Anton Robinson who limped off after tangling with Rachubka, to win a corner which Jordan Clarke, who marshalled City’s defence well, headed over.
Thomas dropped into a midfield which was not holding the ball and too often having to help out the defence.
When they did start to pass the ball, Eccleston won a corner but Thomas used his arm to control the ball. Fleck got through in the 82nd minute but Rachubka came out and blocked with his legs in City's best chance of the game.
Danny Seaborne came on in stoppage time to defend a free kick which went wide, as City took a point which we would have taken before kick-off before facing another three and a half hour trek home due to traffic velocity.