PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 1-0 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Team
Marshall,Osbourne,Ward,Turner,Borrowdale (Kyle 77),Doyle,S.Hughes,M.Hughes,Simpson (Adebola 57),Mifsud
SNU De Zeeuw,Konstantopolous,McNamee
Plymouth
McCormick,Connelly,Timar,Seip,Hodges,Martin,Norros,Nalis,Halmosi,Ebanks-Blake,Hayles SNU Fallon,Chadwick,Buzsaky,Gosling
HT PAFC 1-0 CCFC FT PAFC 1-0 CCFC
Referee K.Hill
Booked Seip,S.Hughes,Timar, Norris,Connelly,
Goal Lee Martin (15)
Att 11,576
Man Of The Match - Michael Mifsud won the votes with nominations for Osbourne, Julian Gray and Stephen Hughes.
____________________________
STARTING FORMATION
Iain Dowie brought back fit again Julian Gray and Michael Hughes who played on either flank.
Former Sky Blue Lillian Nalis started in the Plymouth line up along with Cov Kid Luke McCormick.
Mifsud Simpson
Gray S.Hughes Doyle M.Hughes
Borrowdale Turner Ward Osbourne
Marshall
_______________
GROUND
A much improved stadium. The Main Stand is old and wooden and has open seating in front of it.
The rest of the ground is a smaller version of Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium with a single tier stand going all the way round the ground.
There is a big free car park outside the ground. ACL please note.
___________________________
City Supporters
An excellent turn-out of 761 made the four hour journey to Home Park. Many stayed either in Plymouth or in the Torquay area.
_____________________
If Coventry City need "bums on seats" to help them out of their current mess,then dire performances like this are not going to get supporters flocking to the Rioch Arena.
City who threw "One Game,One Community" t-shirts in the crowd of City supporters before kick off didn't settle when referee Mr Hill blew his first whistle.
In the 12th minute,the Sky Blues won a corner through the pace of Michael Mifsud who scored for Malta on Wednesday night.
It was an awful corner but Julian Gray won it back and centred only for it to be cleared up to Lee Martin whose drive save Marshall dive to his left.
Three minutes later,loanee from Manchester United Lee Martin had his name on the scoresheet.
A Stephen Hughes ball never found its intended target. The ball was banged out to the right, the nippy Ebanks-Blake drove in a cross for Martin to ram low past Marshall from eight yards.
Gary Borrowdale had a nightmare in the first half and in the 19th minute,he was dispossessed by Martin. Elliott Ward tried to keep the ball in but it went for a corner from which Dave Norris opted to head over when really he should have scored.
For much of the first half,City's midfield was bypassed by Ian Holloway's side.
Unusually,Ben Turner struggled to cope with the pace and with no-one willing to stamp their authority in defence and reorganise, it was not a surprise that the attacks continued.
Martin was denied once more by Marshall who won the Les Sealey impersonation of the day award for some of his kicking.
A 42nd minute Coventry corner came to nothing and in stoppage time, Marshall tipped a free kick,deemed offside over.
Half-time saw Geoffrey Robinson walk amongst the away end. The former City Chairman was met with some hostility by a good number of City supporters who avoided him as he made his way to his seat in the Main Stand just above a sign which read "For Sale"
Now,I must admit, I was not particularly good during the second half or on the way back,so apologies for anything I missed.
There was a brief spell early in the second half where Dowie's side looked liked they might get back in the match.
Simpson,Doyle and Mifsud,who displayed a few neat touches, all went close before Dele Adebola equalled Andy Morrell's substitute record when he came on in the 57th minute.
In that minute,Mr Hill ignored our pleas for hand-ball by Hayles.
A penalty would have given us something to cheer but we sat, some taunting the smiling McCormick with chants of "Traitor", waiting for something to happen.
Dowie told the side to go 3-4-3 in the 77th minute when Kevin Kyle was sent on for Borrowdale.
It was the Scot who nearly snatched a draw in the last minute of normal time,when his header from a free kick just went past the far post.
Kyle stood looking at the City support with his arms wide open as if to say "I'm trying".
He was right. This dire performance had been trying for every City supporter,including one from Sweden, who had spent hours travelling to Home Park and paying to watch this avoidable let down.
Team
Marshall,Osbourne,Ward,Turner,Borrowdale (Kyle 77),Doyle,S.Hughes,M.Hughes,Simpson (Adebola 57),Mifsud
SNU De Zeeuw,Konstantopolous,McNamee
Plymouth
McCormick,Connelly,Timar,Seip,Hodges,Martin,Norros,Nalis,Halmosi,Ebanks-Blake,Hayles SNU Fallon,Chadwick,Buzsaky,Gosling
HT PAFC 1-0 CCFC FT PAFC 1-0 CCFC
Referee K.Hill
Booked Seip,S.Hughes,Timar, Norris,Connelly,
Goal Lee Martin (15)
Att 11,576
Man Of The Match - Michael Mifsud won the votes with nominations for Osbourne, Julian Gray and Stephen Hughes.
____________________________
STARTING FORMATION
Iain Dowie brought back fit again Julian Gray and Michael Hughes who played on either flank.
Former Sky Blue Lillian Nalis started in the Plymouth line up along with Cov Kid Luke McCormick.
Mifsud Simpson
Gray S.Hughes Doyle M.Hughes
Borrowdale Turner Ward Osbourne
Marshall
_______________
GROUND
A much improved stadium. The Main Stand is old and wooden and has open seating in front of it.
The rest of the ground is a smaller version of Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium with a single tier stand going all the way round the ground.
There is a big free car park outside the ground. ACL please note.
___________________________
City Supporters
An excellent turn-out of 761 made the four hour journey to Home Park. Many stayed either in Plymouth or in the Torquay area.
_____________________
If Coventry City need "bums on seats" to help them out of their current mess,then dire performances like this are not going to get supporters flocking to the Rioch Arena.
City who threw "One Game,One Community" t-shirts in the crowd of City supporters before kick off didn't settle when referee Mr Hill blew his first whistle.
In the 12th minute,the Sky Blues won a corner through the pace of Michael Mifsud who scored for Malta on Wednesday night.
It was an awful corner but Julian Gray won it back and centred only for it to be cleared up to Lee Martin whose drive save Marshall dive to his left.
Three minutes later,loanee from Manchester United Lee Martin had his name on the scoresheet.
A Stephen Hughes ball never found its intended target. The ball was banged out to the right, the nippy Ebanks-Blake drove in a cross for Martin to ram low past Marshall from eight yards.
Gary Borrowdale had a nightmare in the first half and in the 19th minute,he was dispossessed by Martin. Elliott Ward tried to keep the ball in but it went for a corner from which Dave Norris opted to head over when really he should have scored.
For much of the first half,City's midfield was bypassed by Ian Holloway's side.
Unusually,Ben Turner struggled to cope with the pace and with no-one willing to stamp their authority in defence and reorganise, it was not a surprise that the attacks continued.
Martin was denied once more by Marshall who won the Les Sealey impersonation of the day award for some of his kicking.
A 42nd minute Coventry corner came to nothing and in stoppage time, Marshall tipped a free kick,deemed offside over.
Half-time saw Geoffrey Robinson walk amongst the away end. The former City Chairman was met with some hostility by a good number of City supporters who avoided him as he made his way to his seat in the Main Stand just above a sign which read "For Sale"
Now,I must admit, I was not particularly good during the second half or on the way back,so apologies for anything I missed.
There was a brief spell early in the second half where Dowie's side looked liked they might get back in the match.
Simpson,Doyle and Mifsud,who displayed a few neat touches, all went close before Dele Adebola equalled Andy Morrell's substitute record when he came on in the 57th minute.
In that minute,Mr Hill ignored our pleas for hand-ball by Hayles.
A penalty would have given us something to cheer but we sat, some taunting the smiling McCormick with chants of "Traitor", waiting for something to happen.
Dowie told the side to go 3-4-3 in the 77th minute when Kevin Kyle was sent on for Borrowdale.
It was the Scot who nearly snatched a draw in the last minute of normal time,when his header from a free kick just went past the far post.
Kyle stood looking at the City support with his arms wide open as if to say "I'm trying".
He was right. This dire performance had been trying for every City supporter,including one from Sweden, who had spent hours travelling to Home Park and paying to watch this avoidable let down.