COVENTRY CITY 3-1 LEYTON ORIENT
City:Murphy (GK), Adams, Webster, J. Clarke, Willis, Moussa (Barton 82), Thomas, Fleck, Baker (C) (Garner 86), Wilson (Manset 91), L. Clarke. Subs: Burge (GK), Phillips, Haynes, Rankin.
Leyton Orient: Jones (GK), Omozusi (Sawyer 82), Vincelot, Cuthbert, Baundry, Cox, James, Mooney (Lasiment 76), Odubajo, Batt (Stockley 68, Clarke (C). Subs: Larkins, Gorman, Bartley, Sutherland.
HT CCFC 1-0 LOFC FT CCFC 3-1 LOFC
ATT 2386
GOALS Carl Baker 9, Franck Moussa 66, Leon Clarke 77, Yohann Lasiment 92
Referee David Webb
Booked Vincelot, Moussa, Nathan Clarke
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All good runs come to an end and the one that had seen Leyton Orient go on an eleven game unbeaten run ended when they were beaten 3-1 by a hard working Coventry City side.
The third game against Leyton Orient this season, came on a day when City Council Leader Ann Lucas called for the Sky Blues to be home for Christmas.
Obviously, a lot needs to happen but being in the Ricoh Arena, just in the city of Coventry, is a lot more preferable to the current situation of shifting staff, players and those fans who can or want to go, to a Sixfields Stadium whose main stand currently would be a death trap in the event of a fire etc and was the only one stand open for City supporters tonight, due to a lack of stewards.
Leon Clarke and Jordan Willis were fit and City boss Steven Pressley named the same team that had started at Wolves, whilst Orient were without Kevin Lisbie.
With Mark Robins in the crowd with Nuneaton chairman Ian Neale, Gary Numan's agent and Steve Froggatt in the press box working for Radio London, the Sky Blues, in their new sky blue kit had to defend two early corners, taken by Lloyd James.
As the rain came down, drenching the thirty or so hardy souls on the hill, Carl Baker brought a ray of sunshine when he got the ball, in the ninth minute, twenty five yards, cut inside and launched a stunning left footed drive which flew into the net.
It was a stunning goal to get City off to a great start and but there was no resting on their laurels and Baker turned defender getting his foot in following on from a corner.
In the 16th minute, City had their first corner of the game when Leon Clarke played in Callum Wilson after a low shot from the Coventry kid was blocked by Jamie Jones with his legs and the ball went for a corner.
That was cleared and Replacement referee David Webb decided not to pick up on a handball or a shove and allowed Dean Cox to get in a daisy cutter which Murphy did well to deal with on the wet surface.
Callum Wilson had a 23rd minute shot parried for a corner and when the ball came back to him from the flag kick, his shot was blatantly handled by Scott Cuthbert. The whole stand in a crowd of 2386, saw it and appealed but Mr Webb was having none of it.
Orient started to press on the City midfield as Steven Pressley, in a black coat and tracksuit bottoms, paced his technical area like an expectant father in a waiting room.
A flash of lightening and a clap of thunder that made a change from the annoying whistle that was being blown by someone outside the ground before Wilson was pulled back in the 35th minute as Mr Webb played the advantage.
Such was the lack of stewards at the game that Tim Fisher and Steve Waggott were minded by only two stewards at the interval, although their walkabout failed to generate the same amount of interest as Sky Blue Sam giving away an away shirt did.
City needed a second goal and it nearly came when Leon Clarke had one shot saved and in the 48th minute, Fleck played in Wilson for a shot that Jones sat on in order to save.
At times, it was like watching a reserve game at Highfield Road in terms of the crowd and the noise generated but a talking to for Conor Thomas, who had a superb game, for winning the ball from Mr Webb did raise the noise level in the stand along with a 56th minute version of the Sky Blue Song
Moses Odubajo was the biggest threat for the O's who were awarded a 57th minute penalty. It looked a harsh decision but justice was done when Joe Murphy got down to his right and saved Mooney's spot kick.
The City supporters were on their feet in delight and in the 66th minute, the City fans were telling the Orient players that they were having a laugh if they were top of the league when Franck Moussa got the ball on the left hand side of the area and absolutely brilliantly dinked it over Jones and into the net.
The lightening continued to flash and add to the lighting of the stadium which will hopefully begin much needed improvement work next February as another Odubajo attack won the O's a 73rd minute corner.
Three minutes later, Callum Wilson attacked and was brought down. That gave City a free kick. Baker took it and swung it over to the far post for Leon Clarke to head down and past Jones to put City 3-0 up.
The Orient fans started to head for home as Franck Moussa left to a standing ovation when he was replaced by Adam Barton and Carl Baker also got a good ovation when he was replaced by Louis Garner with four minutes to go.
Four minutes were added on. Manset was sent on and Yohann Lasiment scored with a low drive after a rare error but City had given their all, matching the league leaders in every department, stopping them from playing and scoring three cracking goals to get the 3-1 win that their efforts deserved.