King Can't Over Shadow Lonergan's Day

Team
Westwood, Keogh, Cranie, Wood, Turner, Gunnarsson (Bell 60), Baker (King 52), Clingan, Carsley, Jutkiewicz (Ward 75), Platt SNU Ireland, Doyle, McSheffrey, Cameron

Preston
Lonergan, Davidson, St Ledger, Brown (Morgan 35), Coutts (Parry 63), Tracey (Gray 69), Barton, Hume, Jones, Russell, Parkin. SNU Arestidou, Hayes, Mayor, McLaughlin

HT CCFC 0-2 PNE FT CCFC 1-2 PNE ATT 14,945
Referee C.Boyeson
Booked Carsley, Parry, Jones
Goals Billy Jones (35), Iain Hume (45+1), Aron Gunnarsson (60)
Man Of The Match Keiren Westwood and Sammy Clingan shared the votes with nominations for Platt, Cranie, King and Gunnarsson
___________________

Coventry City played some good football but could not stop themselves from going down to a 2-1 home defeat to Preston North End.

Not since the days of Jimmy Hill getting rid of George Hudson have the Sky Blues support been so split over a player as they have been with Marlon King. The protracted saga that sparked countless rumours and theories as well as proof of how desperate City supporters are for any type of success after years of mismanagement on and off the field, saw King given a contract until the end of the season on Monday.

City manager Aidy Boothroyd, resisted the temptation to throw his mate straight into the starting line up and kept the same team that had won at Bristol City a week ago whilst including King in a very strong bench.

For the first time at a home game this season, there was no rain and the sun was out as City attacked the away end where there was the smallest following of visiting supporters this season, 374 in total, in a crowd again massively boosted by the Tickets for Schools deal which has been organised for the last season or so by a City supporter.

King was loudly cheered when he named was read out prior to kick off but early on the atmosphere was so quiet that you could hear the players calling for the ball.

Against a Preston side who arrived at the Ricoh Arena, bottom of the league but knowing that any result would lift them above Leicester who were hammered 6-1 at Portsmouth on Friday night and with their manager Darren Ferguson sat in the Main Stand due to his final game of a touchline ban, City continued in the same vein as they had done at Bristol City, by getting into the opposition from the start.

Carl Baker was involved early with two chances in the first ten minutes, picking up scrapes from Clive Platt who again was well marked but did his job of winning his headers well.

Martin Cranie at the other end, made a cracking tackle to get City out of a spot in the 16th minute when referee Mr Boyeson failed to give the Sky Blues a free kick after a blatant foul on Sammy Clingan.

Richard Wood had a header from a corner cleared before a great move in the 23rd minute saw Sammy Clingan picked out Lukas Jutkiewicz. The English, Irish, Pole timed his shot well but Andy Lonergan, whom I have long championed as one of the best 'keepers in the division and a worthy replacement for Keiren Westwood, made a cracking save to concede a corner.

City had the Preston defence rocking in the 25th minute with a Clingan free kick and a minute later, Lonergan pulled off a terrific save when Jutkiewicz got in a left footed volley that was destined for the net.

Carl Baker found the roof of the net but in the 35th minute, City were forced to concede a corner. John Parkin made a nuisance of himself in the area and the ball dropped for Billy Jones to hook the ball goalwards. Martin Cranie tried to clear but the ball had already crossed the line and the visitors were ahead.

Darren Ferguson, using some form of telecommunication from his viewpoint in the Main Stand which offered a better view of the game than in the technical area, replaced Brown with Morgan and watched on as John Parkin had a 38th minute shot blocked by Westwood and when the ball came back in, Martin Cranie this time cleared off the line.

The City fans were becoming increasingly restless and a minute later, referee Mr Boyeson missed a shirt pull by Richard Wood on Sean St Ledger before Westwood saved to concede a corner.

Boos and slowhand claps came from the disgruntled City support and a minute into time added on, there was more reason to be down when Preston doubled their tally.

Keith Tracey had a shot blocked by Ben Turner but unfortunately, the ball went over the other side of the area for the unmarked Iain Hume, who again took a fair bit of abuse for having played for Leicester, to superbly volley past the helpless Westwood.

The boos echoed around the less than half-full Arena and it was clear that something needed to be changed in the second half.

A throw in which led to a corner got the City support back chanting "Sky Blue Army." Another corner was followed before a bicycle kick from Ben Turner went inches wide and Clingan found the roof of the net.

Then in the 52nd minute, Marlon King came on to a big cheer and applause. Sensibly, with Platt and Jutkiewicz doing well, Aidy Boothroyd opted for a midfielder in the form of Carl Baker to come off rather than the front-runners who both had good games.

King, in his orange and white boots, who is not yet speaking to the media, was involved straight away. He showed some neat touches and was involved in the move which led to Lonergan brilliantly scrambling a twelve yard volley from Richard Wood.

With the home support now lifted, City pushed forward and Darel Russel cleared a yard off the line in the 58th minute.

Pressing like this, it was only a matter of time before a goal game and on the hour mark, Aron Gunnarsson was celebrating his first ever goal at the Ricoh Arena when a Martin Cranie throw-in was sent into the area by Ben Turner and the Icelander poked the ball home from twelve yards.

As soon as he had finished celebrating, Gunnarsson, was replaced by David Bell.

Parkin had the ball in the net only to see it ruled out for offside before City went down the CT Stand end in the 63rd minute and set King up for a shot from ten yards which the arm of Jones. The City fans nearest the goal including the schools parties all appealed for handball but Mr Boyeson was having none of it and Preston got off the hook.

City's hard working Ulsterman Sammy Clingan sent a dipping shot from 25 yards just over before a foul by Marlon King saw him met by a torrent of abuse from the visiting support who earlier had been singing "Twist N Shout".

Tracey forced Westwood in a terrific one handed push over the bar before the City management team made their third change of the afternoon with Danny Ward coming on for Lukas Jutkiewicz.

There was less than seven minutes left when a King shot came back for David Bell to strike Lonergan's far post. Then, seconds later, City regained possession and King was played in for a shot which he hit well but Lonergan had got his angles spot on and was able to push over the bar for a corner.

Preston were time-wasting in a style their manager's dad would have been proud of, before Jones hacked the ball away some five foot or so out off the line following another Clingan corner.

City got a corner in the third minute of the five minutes minimum of stoppage time. Keiren Westwood came up and rose to head the ball but it went wide and the Sky Blues, despite playing well went down to defeat.