COVENTRY CITY 1-0 QUEENS PARK RANGERS BY KEV MONKS
Date 13/02/10 At The Ricoh Arena Championship
Coventry
Westwood, Wright, Wood, Barnett, Cranie, Clingan, Deegan, Baker, Mcindoe, Morrison (Sears 66), Eastwood SNU Konstantopolous, Hussey, Walker, Grandison, Jeffers
QPR
Ikeme, Ramage, Stewart, Buzsaky (Taarabt 66), Gorkss, Connolly, Cook, Faurlin, Hill. Simpson, Priskin (German 54) SNU Cerny, Vine, Quashie, Balanta, Borrowdale.
HT CCFC 1-0 QPR FT CCFC 1-0 QPR ATT 15,247
Goal Gary Deegan (9)
Referee D.Foster
Booked Wright, Cranie, Connolly, Faurlin, Gorkss
Man Of The Match Gary Deegan and Keiren Westwood took the votes with nominations for Leon Barnett and Sammy Clingan.
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Coventry City are up into the top ten of the Championship table after 1-0 home victory against Queens Park Rangers.
Chris Coleman was forced to make changes from the side that had put in a sterling shift against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night due to the injuries of Aron Gunnarsson and James McPake and David Bell and brought in Carl Baker, Leon Barnett and Gary Deegan.
It was the Irishman who joined City from Bohemians last month, who gave City, attacking the Jewson Stand in the first half, a lift in the ninth minute when a ball came across the box. Clinton Morrison shielded it well and Gary Deegan from the edge of the area, hit it past Carl Ikeme who never even moved.
On a cold, grey, afternoon, this was what the City supporters, which included supporters from South Wales, Kent, Surrey, Poole, to name but a few places, wanted.
Queens Park Rangers, who are currently managed by Mick Harford, whose Sky Blue claim to fame is one goal in a twelve minute spell against Newcastle, then started to have most of the play.
Although, they were usually able to get past the midfield, Richard Wood, Stephen Wright, Leon Barnett and Martin Cranie all made good tackles to stop the threat posed by Jay Simpson and Tamas Priskin who had scored for Watford on his last visit to the Ricoh Arena.
Deegan and Sammy Clingan did try to run at their opponents but found themselves victim of QPR's spoiling tactics in what was a very scrappy opening period.
The second half wasn't much better. Clinton Morrison who worked hard, got over one good cross, two minutes after the restart but there was little to cheer until Freddie Sears replaced the former Birmingham striker in the 66th minute.
Sears who made up his mind unlike target Jon Stead, had joined City on Thursday and looked sharp when he entered the field of play with the rain now coming down quite heavily.
One neat run saw Sears win a corner, followed by a free but in the 70th minute, all attention was at the other end when Keiren Westwood made an absolutely world class save and by far the best I have seen this season. Lee Cook had taken a free kick, which got headed on. It was heading towards the bottom corner of the net. Somehow, Westwood got down and one-handedly prevented the ball, which squirmed thankfully wide, from crossing the line.
How he did it, I don't know, but I hope the television companies have caught it and show it time and time again.
With Sears battling well, Stephen Wright tried his luck with a 35 yarder which flew into the arms of Ikeme before the game entered a minimum of four minutes of stoppage time.
Substitute German fired across the face of the goal, narrowly missing an incoming QPR player and Freddie Sears set up Freddy Eastwood on the right hand side of the area. We jumped up in anticipation that Eastwood's shot was going to bust the net. Unfortunately, it hit the side netting and we had to be happy with a 1-0 victory that lifts City up to tenth in the table.