COVENTRY CITY 1-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
SAT OCT 15 AT The Ricoh Arena, Coventry
Team Murphy (Dunn 69), Keogh, Hussey, Christie 66,, Wood (Cameron 73), Bell, Deegan, Clingan, Thomas (Bigirimana 77), Jutkiewicz, Platt. SNU McDonald, O’Donovan.
Forest Camp, Chambers, Gunter, Hill, Greening (Majewski 70), Moussi, McGugan, Derbyshire (Findley 70), Miller, Tudgay (Reid 87). SNU Smith, Moloney
HT CCFC 0-0 NFFC FT CCFC 1-0 NFFC ATT 15,712
REFEREE Fred Graham. Assts C.Fitch & G.Muge. .
BOOKED Miller
GOAL Lukas Jutkiewicz (56)
MAN OF THE MATCH Richard Wood took the votes with nominations for Platt and Keogh.
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REPORT BY KEV MONKS
Life looks better after a victory and Coventry City were able to celebrate their second league victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
As the soap opera that is Coventry City FC rolls on with the as yet officially unexplained departure of CEO Paul Clouting and rumours aplenty which this week included Manager Andy Thorn quitting and Lee Carsley taking over, the Sky Blues took on Nottingham Forest on a gloriously sunny Mid October afternoon at the Ricoh Arena.
There had been much concern about which players Andy Thorn who completely denied any rumours of a resignation and castigated those who had spread such un-truths on Twitter and the club’s Facebook page, had available. But when the teams were announced to a crowd which was boosted by a large number of school children and a good turn out of Forest fans to 15,712, Thorn was able to field captain Sammy Clingan, keeper Joe Murphy and bring back Richard Wood and Clive Platt after injuries.
City, attacking the Jewson Stand for the first half, took on a Forest side who had Rob Kelly and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the technical area and new boss Steve Cotterill in the stand.
What Mr Cotterill made of his new charges, I don’t know but like everyone else in the ground, he would not have been impressed with their first half showing.
Although Joe Murphy had to make saves from McGugan in the third minute and Ishmael Miller sixteen minutes later, Forest offered their support little and after the Sky Blues had dealt with their opening flourish, Clive Platt was able to win most of his headers.
“The Tree” as Platt is nicknamed got in a 25th minute at Lee Camp, a keeper whose record against Coventry City is not good after twice letting in six goals whilst playing for Derby County and two minutes later saw his header pushed over for a corner.
With Gary Deegan, Clingan and Conor Thomas holding the midfield, this allowed the likes of Hussey, Christie and David Bell to get forward with the former Norwich City player doing well to get the ball across the area only for his 38th minute cross to miss everyone in the six yard box, City were comfortable going into the break.
Now referee Fred Graham had a good game but in the space of a minute he turned down appeals for two penalties. The first saw the Forest fans howling for a 50th minute penalty when the solid as ever Richard Keogh made a tackle and then as City went up the other end, Lukas Jutkiewicz was pulled down by Chris Gunter.
Jutkiewicz then won a corner. Up went Richard Wood and his header from inside the penalty area was saved by Camp on the line. The ball was initially cleared but when it came back in, there was the unmarked Lukas Jutkiewicz who headed the ball past Camp and gave City a 56th minute lead.
Jutkiewicz had one goal to add to his tally but he was unlucky not to be celebrating a second goal two minutes later, when his shot was hacked off the line.
A corner and Camp saving a Bell shot followed before Forest attacked down the other end. Joe Murphy pushed the ball away for a corner and fell, knocking himself out in the process.
Treatment was on hand immediately and the game was stopped for five minutes as he was treated. Not to the liking of some Forest fans who decided to slow handclap, something which did not go down well amongst sections of the City support.
Chris Dunn received some good applause when he came on as did Richard Wood who capped his goal for the Reserves on Tuesday with a good performance when the defender was replaced by Nathan Cameron.
Gael Bigirimana also came on to good applause from the City supporters who had shown their backing for Andy Thorn with some making their feelings for SISU also known.
Jutkiewicz had a 75th minute header come off the bar and although Forest had some brief pressure at the end, a big chorus of the Sky Blue Song helped the City players earn a much needed victory which lifts us out of the bottom three and up to eighteenth.