STOKE CITY 1-3 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Team
Konstantoplous, De Zeeuw,Hall,Turner, McNamee,Osbourne,Doyle,Tabb,Best (Kyle 80),Simpson (off 33,Adebola 37), SNU Ward,Hughes,Cairo
Stoke
Simonsen,Wright (Parkin 65),Shawcross,Cort,Wilkinson, Lawrence,Delap,Pugh (Dickinson 90),Cresswell,Eustace,Fuller
SNU Hoult,Zakuani,Pericard
HT SCFC 0-0 CCFC
FT SCFC 1-3 CCFC
Referee A.Marriner
Booked Best,Wright,Turner,Eustace,Lawrence,Wilkinson,Fuller Goals Michael Mifsud (57,79),Dele Adebola (62), Liam Lawrence (70 pen)
Att 13,488
Man Of The Match - Michael Mifsud pipped the votes from David McNamee
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STARTING FORMATION
Mifsud Best
Tabb Doyle Osbourne Simpson
Hall Turner De Zeeuw McNamee
Konstantopolous
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City Supporters.
A good turn-out of just less than 750,noisy (well it sounded it in the away end). Forty Corporates in the Main Stand.
Team
Konstantoplous, De Zeeuw,Hall,Turner, McNamee,Osbourne,Doyle,Tabb,Best (Kyle 80),Simpson (off 33,Adebola 37), SNU Ward,Hughes,Cairo
Stoke
Simonsen,Wright (Parkin 65),Shawcross,Cort,Wilkinson, Lawrence,Delap,Pugh (Dickinson 90),Cresswell,Eustace,Fuller
SNU Hoult,Zakuani,Pericard
HT SCFC 0-0 CCFC
FT SCFC 1-3 CCFC
Referee A.Marriner
Booked Best,Wright,Turner,Eustace,Lawrence,Wilkinson,Fuller Goals Michael Mifsud (57,79),Dele Adebola (62), Liam Lawrence (70 pen)
Att 13,488
Man Of The Match - Michael Mifsud pipped the votes from David McNamee
____________________________
STARTING FORMATION
Mifsud Best
Tabb Doyle Osbourne Simpson
Hall Turner De Zeeuw McNamee
Konstantopolous
______________________
City Supporters.
A good turn-out of just less than 750,noisy (well it sounded it in the away end). Forty Corporates in the Main Stand.
With Stoke not sending any tickets, the City support were forced to pay extra to get in and some supporters especially those bringing disabled supporters to the game were charged more by a grey haired turnstile operator.
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Ground
A modern stadium. The Main Stand is stand alone with big gaps between the other stand which continues round the ground. Plenty of parking around the stadium.
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Michael Mifsud produced a couple of sparklers to pour water on Stoke's bonfire and give the Sky Blues a 3-1 win at the Brittania Stadium.
Having changed the side which unluckily went out of the League Cup against West Ham on Tuesday night,with Dimi Konstantopolous replacing the injured Andy Marshall and Robbie Simpson in for Julian Gray.
Stoke, included former Sky Blue John Eustace and new loanees Leon Cort and Danny Pugh, and should have been ahead after 35 seconds when Ricardo Fuller broke through .
Jay Tabb fired tamely at Simonsen and Fuller had a tenth minute cross cleared off the line by Michael Doyle before Leon Best got himself involved in a skirmish with Stephen Wright and both players went into the book of referee Andy Marriner who once was a resident of our famous and historic city.
A modern stadium. The Main Stand is stand alone with big gaps between the other stand which continues round the ground. Plenty of parking around the stadium.
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Michael Mifsud produced a couple of sparklers to pour water on Stoke's bonfire and give the Sky Blues a 3-1 win at the Brittania Stadium.
Having changed the side which unluckily went out of the League Cup against West Ham on Tuesday night,with Dimi Konstantopolous replacing the injured Andy Marshall and Robbie Simpson in for Julian Gray.
Stoke, included former Sky Blue John Eustace and new loanees Leon Cort and Danny Pugh, and should have been ahead after 35 seconds when Ricardo Fuller broke through .
Jay Tabb fired tamely at Simonsen and Fuller had a tenth minute cross cleared off the line by Michael Doyle before Leon Best got himself involved in a skirmish with Stephen Wright and both players went into the book of referee Andy Marriner who once was a resident of our famous and historic city.
The City support continued to taunt the fans to our right with chants of "Your Ground's Too Big For You" which was looked it considering the empty seats around the ground, that made it feel even colder than it actually was.
Michael Mifsud was his lively self racing on to a throw from Dimi to win a 25th minute corner. The ball got played back out to Jay Tabb who raced into the area and went down.
A free kick on the edge of the area led to a poor set piece with two half hit shots that finally fell for the keeper to catch.
In the 33rd minute, Robbie Simpson chased a long ball and was taken by Ryan Shawcross. The former Cambridge striker lay in a crumpled heap and was helped round the pitch nursing a hamstring injury.
Both Simpson and Dele Adebola when he came on the in 37th minute received excellent applause from the City fans who stood and watched in the last minute of the half,a Cresswell flick header was just missed at the far post by Liam Lawrence.
Stoke were booed off at half-time and then booed the referee as former Sky Blue John Eustace went into the book three minutes into the second half.
Too many passes had gone astray and the players looked scared to shoot but in the 57th minute, that was all forgotten as Dele Adebola held off a marker and played in Michael Mifsud who raced through and thumped the ball into the net.
We were still going barmy as Stoke went up the other end won a corner which Dimi dived to his left to a Shawcross header. The Stoke fans in the Boothen End thought the ball had crossed the line but Mr Marriner and the assistant in front of the stand to our right did not.
The next corner did bring a goal and it was for the Sky Blues. Michael Doyle took a 62nd minute corner when Adebola initially headed wide of the goal. Jay Tabb rescued the ball and played it back to Isaac Osbourne. Another superbly flighted ball found the head of Dele Adebola and the ball was in the back of the net.
As we went as equally ballistic as we had with the first goal, some of the Stoke fans in the Main Stand tried to have a go at the Corporate supporting City supporters. Thankfully,a rush of stewards prevented any serious disorder.
With chants of "You Might As Well Go Home" and "We're Just Too Good For You" booming out of the away end, Simonsen grabbed a Doyle shot at the second attempt as the ball almost squirmed under him.
City's back four had all defended well but in the 70th minute, Fuller attacked and went down under the challenge of Ben Turner who won the ball. The Assistant referee who was still receiving abuse from the Stokies for not giving the home side an earlier goal, put up his flag and a penalty was awarded.
Dimi went the right way but the kick from Liam Lawrence went just under him and into the net.
Stoke pressed but out of nothing, Michael Doyle's 79th minute played in Michael Mifsud. The PFA Championship Player For October created the right angle for himself and some ten yards out, smacked the ball into the top of the net.
Kevin Kyle on for the last ten minutes and with six to go, Mifsud was denied a hat-trick when he played a neat one-two with Jay Tabb before hitting a left footed shot which thumped off the near post.
Michael Doyle who ran himself into the ground, nearly added to the margin of victory in the 89th minute when his twenty yard drive was beat away by Simonsen for a corner.
Not that many Stoke fans were there to see it as most had started to head for home. A few minutes later, we joined them happy with an excellent second half performance and three more useful points from our fifth away win of the season in all competitions.