COVENTRY CITY 1-3 READING  BY KEV MONKS

Date 31/10/09 At The Ricoh Arena   Championship

Coventry
Konstantopolous, Cranie, Turner, Grandison, Clarke, Cork , Gunnarsson (Osbourne 56), McIndoe (Best 56), van Aanholt (Hussey 72), Morrison, Eastwood. SNU Ward, Ireland, Bell, Madine 

Reading
Federici, Tabb, Matejovsky, McAnuff, Church (Long 55), Rasiak, Bertrand, Sigguardson, Pearce, Pearce, Howard (Karacan 68) SNU Hamer

HT CCFC 0-1 RFC    FT  CCFC 1-3 RFC  ATT 15,165

Goals Grzegorz Rasiak (1 & 71), Jobi McAnuff (53), Freddy Eastwood (62)

REFEREE E.Ilderton BOOKED  Hussey

MAN OF THE MATCH  Freddy Eastwood took the votes 
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Coventry City served up a Halloween horror show with a 3-1 home defeat to Reading. 

This was my 1850^th City first team game and a match where the club were trialing the dropping of the match day price increases, something in my book, which has not helped attendances. 

This did not increase the crowd, which included more visitors from Northern Ireland plus a very welcome regular from Denmark and only 15,165 with 639 Reading fans, were officially recorded as being in the ground. 

The players of a City side that saw three changes with Dimi Konstantopolous replacing Keiren Westwood, Jermaine Grandison in for flu victim Stephen Wright and Aron Gunnarsson coming in for Isaac Osbourne, were led onto the pitch by British Legion Standard Bearers. 

They marched onto the pitch in a well-drilled manner but with twenty eight seconds of the first half, City’s young defence was looking anything but an organised outfit when a cross from the right was powerfully headed home into the CT Stand net from a couple of yards out by Grzegroz Rasiak. 

Then Sigurdsson went wide, Ryan Bertrand forced Dimi to smother his shot and before we had reach the eight minute mark, a Matejovsky cross was woefully wasted by Simon Church. 

Chris Coleman was told by the City support to sort it out in no uncertain terms whilst some in the Tesco Stand were heard booing as Reading won all the aerial battles. 

Having the Gunnarsson throw was a weapon in the City armoury and it eventually lead to the Sky Blues first corner in the 12^th minute after Ben Turner’s effort inside the area was blocked. 

Two minutes later and we were on our feet when City, who had not scored since the home game against Leicester City, had a free kick that was met by the head of Freddy Eastwood and the ball flew into the net. However, the assistant on the Main Stand side had his flag up and the goal was ruled out. 

With Jay Tabb playing at right back for the Royals and being cheered by some of the City support and booed by others, you would have thought that Patrick van Aanholt would have been tearing into him all afternoon. 

The Dutchman did get through in the 15^th minute when he volleyed wide but he did not enjoy much success against the former Coventry man. 

For much of the first half, it was as frustrating as the noise from kids blowing horns that had been on sale in the club shop with the Sky Blues being reactive rather than proactive in their attempts to find the equalising goal. 

Jermaine Grandison, who had a fairly good game had a 26^th minute header saved following a Gunnarsson throw and it was the Icelander who went wide with a shot on the turn from a 30^th minute corner. 

It was no surprise that the disgruntled City support booed the team off at the break and were even more fuming when Jobi McAnuff made it 2-0 to the visitors in the 53^rd minute, after a static defence watched him smash the ball into the net with Dimi helpless. 

There were massive boos after the goal which turned into a huge ironic cheer when Michael McIndoe, who again had failed to impress the City support, was replaced by Leon Best, quickly followed by Aron Gunnarsson, making way for Isaac Osbourne. 

Reading hit the post in the 58^th minute before Dimi saved from Long’s far post volley from the resulting corner and the “Coleman Sort It Out” chants started again. 

It seemed to work as up the other end, Jack Cork thumped the cross bar from ten yards before Adam Federici denied Clinton Morrison who had got to a flick on from Best for the first of two corners taken by Isaac Osbourne. 

This also lifted the City fans who were now trying to get behind the team and in the 62^nd minute, Freddy Eastwood got the ball about 22 yards out and drove it firmly into the net for his fifth goal since he joined City. 

We thought the fight back against a side who have struggled of late especially at home, was on. 

However, Brendan Rogers’ side forced Jordan Clarke, who did not have the best game of his career, to clear off the line from a corner. When eventually, the ball came back in, the Sky Blues defence stood thinking the flag would go up for offside but there was Grzegorz Rasiak to rifle home in the 71^st minute. The Pole looked at the referee before running over to celebrate with the jubilant visiting fans. 

Coleman sent on Chris Hussey who had played the whole game for City Reserves at Forest on Tuesday afternoon but the game was lost. 

Jordan Clarke wasted a great chance deep in stoppage time as City were booed off by some as they went down to their third defeat in four games.