QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1-1 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
TEAM
Westwood,Wright (sent off 36), Turner, Fox, Gunnarsson, Beuzelin, Doyle, Tabb, Mifsud (Eastwood 83), Morrison,Best (McKenzie 65) SNU Marshall, Thornton,Wynter
QPR
Cerny, Delaney (Ledesmsa 73), Connelly, Stewart, Gorkss, Ephriam (Hall 88), Leigterwood (Di Carmine 80),Routledge,Rowlands,Blackstock,Helguson
SNU Mahon,Alberti
HT QPRFC 0-0 CCFC FT QPRFC 1-1 CCFC Att 13,330
Goals Danny Fox (72), Dexter Blackstock (86)
Ref K.Stroud Booked Wright,Fox, Gunnarsson, Routledge,Helguson,Westwood
Sent Off Wright (36)
Man Of The Match Danny Fox, Aron Gunnarrson and Jay Tabb all got votes in an excellent team performance.
_______________
STARTING LINE UP
Chris Coleman made a number of changes from the team that had beaten Kidderminster. Keiren Westwood,Jay Tabb and Michael Mifsud all returned.
_________________
Around nine hundred members of the Sky Blue Army applauded Coventry City off the pitch after a tremendous team performance at Queeens Park Rangers had brought a 1-1 draw.
It was a bitterly cold day with a think blanket of snow covering the ground in Coventry as we left and we journeyed down the M40 in fog which later turned to snow as we got into the western part of the capital.
Considering that it was £30, in these troubled times to get into a cramped School End Upper Tier at Loftus Road, the turnout of City supporters was excellent. They thanked QPR for the £300,000 for Gary Borrowdale who was not included in Paulo Sousa's sixteen but were soon berating referee Keith Stroud after he had started to be rather too complimentary with his free kicks towards the home side.
This started after the first twenty minutes when City got into QPR from the start. Attacking the end where the City support were accommodated, Coventry,in their black away kit did well on a greasy surface.
Leon Best, who waved and clapped the City support, was excellent with the flick on headers whilst Fox,Tabb and Mifsud all tried to play in the very hard working Clinton Morrison.
Enter referee Mr Stroud. The Hampshire based official raised the blood pressure of some of the City support when he ignored a blatant push by Damion Stewart on Leon Best and then booked Stephen Wight when a home player (reading their red numbers on their hooped shirts was not the easiest of tasks), went across him in the 22nd minute and ended up in the ground.
It looked from our angle that an advantage was definitely being sought. Mr Stroud, who was being as yellow as his shirt, was not particularly well placed but cautioned Wright anyway.
Thirteen and a bit minutes later and with the home side getting all decisions much to the disgust of the City support, Wright went in for a challenge. Like his opponent Helguson, Wright's stud's were showing but it was only the former Sunderland man who saw a red card.
"We Only Need Ten Men",sang the City support as Jay Tabb dropped to right back with Aron Gunnarsson taking over Wright's role alongside Ben Turner.
Only once was the defence breached before the break but Westwood made a great reaction save. Mr Stroud was escorted off at the break to taunts from the City fans, most of which are not printable and probably had the best half time cuppa he had in his refereeing career provided by the home side in gratitude at his helpfulness.
Any decision given by the referee to the Sky Blues was met by a huge ironic cheer from the City support. But there was no cheer when Dexter Blackstock got throught when he looked well offside in the 55th minute. Fortunately, he fired wide. We fumed as did Danny Fox,who was cautioned.
In the 61st minute, Aron Gunnarsson was booked for the only real foul to be committed in the first hour and a minute play.
Chris Coleman, a man abused by the home fans for his Fulham links, had to send on Leon McKenzie after Leon Best took a nasty whack in the face from Wayne Routledge, who failed to impress on his debut and was well taunted for his time at Aston Villa.
Although, Guilly Beuzelin was forced further and further back, the rest of his midfield were more than happy to chase his balls.
In the 71st minute, one of his ball went forward and led to Coventry been awarded a free kick about 25 yards out on the right of the area as we looked at it. The wall looked good but behind it, Cerny decided to move into the centre of the goal. This left plenty of space for Danny Fox to curl the ball over the wall and into the net.
Fox raced the whole length of the pitch to celebrate with the City support, banging his fist on his badge and doing a Mark Cavendish by displaying four fingers to indicate the number of free kicks he had scored from or his shirt number if anyone was in any doubt as the Sky Blue Army went totally yampy.
The fat QPR fan in the stand to our right who had been giving the City supporters the biggie (nothing like the decent QPR supporters we had met pre-game), knowing full well there was no police in the stadium, went quiet and with eight minutes to go, some home fans around him started to make for the exit as Helguson blasted so wide it went for a corner.
Now, City had been brilliantly up until the 86th minute. Gunnarsson and Tabb defied their height to win headers in the air like there was no tomorrow, whilst Ben Turner played with the composure of someone who has a couple of hundred Football League matches experience.
The ball was played through the middle of the penalty area. Turner and Gunnarsson went for the same ball and collided into each other. Keirien Westwood came out and tried to punch the ball. Now he looked impeded as he failed to get the ball which Dexter Blackstock gratefully stuck in the empty net.
In stoppage time, Clinton Morrison nearly won it when he fired over and the City fans called for the referee to take a free kick on the edge of the area for QPR after the intial kick had been missed.
The goal was a bitter blow but this was a cracking performance from the Sky Blues and well worth the money that this trip cost us.
TEAM
Westwood,Wright (sent off 36), Turner, Fox, Gunnarsson, Beuzelin, Doyle, Tabb, Mifsud (Eastwood 83), Morrison,Best (McKenzie 65) SNU Marshall, Thornton,Wynter
QPR
Cerny, Delaney (Ledesmsa 73), Connelly, Stewart, Gorkss, Ephriam (Hall 88), Leigterwood (Di Carmine 80),Routledge,Rowlands,Blackstock,Helguson
SNU Mahon,Alberti
HT QPRFC 0-0 CCFC FT QPRFC 1-1 CCFC Att 13,330
Goals Danny Fox (72), Dexter Blackstock (86)
Ref K.Stroud Booked Wright,Fox, Gunnarsson, Routledge,Helguson,Westwood
Sent Off Wright (36)
Man Of The Match Danny Fox, Aron Gunnarrson and Jay Tabb all got votes in an excellent team performance.
_______________
STARTING LINE UP
Chris Coleman made a number of changes from the team that had beaten Kidderminster. Keiren Westwood,Jay Tabb and Michael Mifsud all returned.
_________________
Around nine hundred members of the Sky Blue Army applauded Coventry City off the pitch after a tremendous team performance at Queeens Park Rangers had brought a 1-1 draw.
It was a bitterly cold day with a think blanket of snow covering the ground in Coventry as we left and we journeyed down the M40 in fog which later turned to snow as we got into the western part of the capital.
Considering that it was £30, in these troubled times to get into a cramped School End Upper Tier at Loftus Road, the turnout of City supporters was excellent. They thanked QPR for the £300,000 for Gary Borrowdale who was not included in Paulo Sousa's sixteen but were soon berating referee Keith Stroud after he had started to be rather too complimentary with his free kicks towards the home side.
This started after the first twenty minutes when City got into QPR from the start. Attacking the end where the City support were accommodated, Coventry,in their black away kit did well on a greasy surface.
Leon Best, who waved and clapped the City support, was excellent with the flick on headers whilst Fox,Tabb and Mifsud all tried to play in the very hard working Clinton Morrison.
Enter referee Mr Stroud. The Hampshire based official raised the blood pressure of some of the City support when he ignored a blatant push by Damion Stewart on Leon Best and then booked Stephen Wight when a home player (reading their red numbers on their hooped shirts was not the easiest of tasks), went across him in the 22nd minute and ended up in the ground.
It looked from our angle that an advantage was definitely being sought. Mr Stroud, who was being as yellow as his shirt, was not particularly well placed but cautioned Wright anyway.
Thirteen and a bit minutes later and with the home side getting all decisions much to the disgust of the City support, Wright went in for a challenge. Like his opponent Helguson, Wright's stud's were showing but it was only the former Sunderland man who saw a red card.
"We Only Need Ten Men",sang the City support as Jay Tabb dropped to right back with Aron Gunnarsson taking over Wright's role alongside Ben Turner.
Only once was the defence breached before the break but Westwood made a great reaction save. Mr Stroud was escorted off at the break to taunts from the City fans, most of which are not printable and probably had the best half time cuppa he had in his refereeing career provided by the home side in gratitude at his helpfulness.
Any decision given by the referee to the Sky Blues was met by a huge ironic cheer from the City support. But there was no cheer when Dexter Blackstock got throught when he looked well offside in the 55th minute. Fortunately, he fired wide. We fumed as did Danny Fox,who was cautioned.
In the 61st minute, Aron Gunnarsson was booked for the only real foul to be committed in the first hour and a minute play.
Chris Coleman, a man abused by the home fans for his Fulham links, had to send on Leon McKenzie after Leon Best took a nasty whack in the face from Wayne Routledge, who failed to impress on his debut and was well taunted for his time at Aston Villa.
Although, Guilly Beuzelin was forced further and further back, the rest of his midfield were more than happy to chase his balls.
In the 71st minute, one of his ball went forward and led to Coventry been awarded a free kick about 25 yards out on the right of the area as we looked at it. The wall looked good but behind it, Cerny decided to move into the centre of the goal. This left plenty of space for Danny Fox to curl the ball over the wall and into the net.
Fox raced the whole length of the pitch to celebrate with the City support, banging his fist on his badge and doing a Mark Cavendish by displaying four fingers to indicate the number of free kicks he had scored from or his shirt number if anyone was in any doubt as the Sky Blue Army went totally yampy.
The fat QPR fan in the stand to our right who had been giving the City supporters the biggie (nothing like the decent QPR supporters we had met pre-game), knowing full well there was no police in the stadium, went quiet and with eight minutes to go, some home fans around him started to make for the exit as Helguson blasted so wide it went for a corner.
Now, City had been brilliantly up until the 86th minute. Gunnarsson and Tabb defied their height to win headers in the air like there was no tomorrow, whilst Ben Turner played with the composure of someone who has a couple of hundred Football League matches experience.
The ball was played through the middle of the penalty area. Turner and Gunnarsson went for the same ball and collided into each other. Keirien Westwood came out and tried to punch the ball. Now he looked impeded as he failed to get the ball which Dexter Blackstock gratefully stuck in the empty net.
In stoppage time, Clinton Morrison nearly won it when he fired over and the City fans called for the referee to take a free kick on the edge of the area for QPR after the intial kick had been missed.
The goal was a bitter blow but this was a cracking performance from the Sky Blues and well worth the money that this trip cost us.