TEAM
Konstantopolous, Borrowdale, Ward,Turner,Osbourne, M.Hughes, Thornton (Davis 77), Birchall (Simpson 37),Mifsud,Adebola,Best (Kyle 71) SNU Page,Hildreth
Leicester
Alnwick,Stearman,Kisnorbo,McAuley,Mattock,Bori,Oakley,Clemence,Laczko (Hayles 80),Hume (Wesolowski 91), Howard SNU Fryatt,N'Gotty,Chambers.
HT LCFC 1-0 CCFC FT LCFC 2-0 CCFC ATT 23,905
Referee Martin Atkinson. Booked Krisnobor
Goals Steve Howard (10), Barry Hayles (85).
Man Of The Match - The 2800 City support for going.
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GROUND
A monument to bland stadium design,The Crisp Bowl lacks the atmosphere of Filbert Street but it is in a good location with parking,train station etc all in easy walking distance. Visitors are given the corner block.
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STARTING FORMATION
Iain Dowie was forced to make two changes to the side which had beaten Blackburn Rovers so handsomely last week. Michael Doyle was suspended so he was replaced by fellow Irishman Kevin Thornton whilst Jay Tabb was ill and Chris Birchall came in to fill the gap.
Best Mifsud
Adebola Thornton M.Hughes Birchall
Borrowdale Turner Ward Osbourne
Konstantopolous
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Iain Dowie does not need a £40k a year Stats man to tell him that if you gift your opponents two goals and don't find the net yourselves then you don't win the game. This was why Coventry City again failed to win at the Crisp Bowl in a 2-0 defeat to Leicester City.
It was a performance not deserved by around 2,800 City supporters who welcomed the team onto the pitch with a crescendo of noise.
It was a City team without Michael Doyle and Jay Tabb, who last week set up all four goals, and boy did it show. Right from the first minute, Ian Holloway's side, who had five players making their home debuts, closed down the Sky Blues midfield and stopped them from playing.
The home side could have been ahead inside two minutes through a Laczko header but did succeed in taking the lead after ten minutes and forty seconds when the ball was played through by the Hungarian to Steve Howard.
Now, the £15k a week striker, formerly with Luton and Derby, had only Konstantopolous to beat and he cooly slipped the ball under the Greek's advancing body and into the net, delighting the fans of all things relative.
Coventry could have been level within five minutes when Leon Best beat Alnwick to the ball and fed Adebola who stroked the ball onto the post and out for a goal kick. That was City's best chance of not only the first half but the second as well.
As police in full riot gear kept the supporters apart on the left hand side of the away end and then kept swapping with more officers, City were thankful that a bad punch by Dimi was rifled over by Matt Oakley.
In the 37th minute, Zen Night Club owner Chris Birchall, who had been replaced at half-time during the Reserves draw with Walsall in midweek with tight hamstrings, pulled up again and had to be substituted.
Robbie Simpson was the man selected by Dowie and he went into midfield until the interval which not surprisingly saw the Sky Blues booed off.
A massive chant of "The Sky Blue Song" plus chants about inbreeding, boomed from the away end at the start of the secon half but it failed to lift the Sky Blues.
Kevin Thornton, who was as bogged down in midfield as the pitch, got down the right in the 53rd minute and won a free kick after Krisnobor had handled his initial cross.
For once, the clueless assistant referee on the line in front of us agreed and Krisnobor became the first name in Martin Atkinson's book. Thornton's kick was spot on and found Robbie Simpson, but with the goal at his mercy, the former student headed wide.
The same pair combined eight minutes later for another miss from the former Student but Leicester hit back and Dimi had to make a smart save in the 63rd minute to deny Oakley.
Iain Dowie sent on Kevin Kyle for £1m Forest target Leon Best and in the 77th minute, Liam Davis came on for Kevin Thornton.
Ian Holloway made his first change with ten minutes remaining and the replacing of Laczko with Hayles brought a goal,five minutes later to finish off the game.
Barry Hayles,whom had been with Holloway at Plymouth, was first to the ball as Ben Turner tried to pass the ball back to his keeper. With Dimi stranded, Hayles slotted the ball into the net as Turner raced in but could not prevent the ball from hitting the back of the net.
That prompted a mass walk out from the City support and when the final whistle did arrive, more boos and jeers were aimed at the team for another totally unacceptable performance.