We Only Beat Palace

Team
Westwood, Keogh, Wood, Cameron, O'Halloran, Baker, Cranie, Gunnarsson, Jutkiewicz, King, Platt (Eastwood 87). SNU Clarke, Ireland, Bell, Hussey, O'Donovan, McSheffrey

Palace

Speroni, Clyne, McCarthy, Gardner, Moxey, Zaha, Garvan, Wright, Easter (Counago 62), Vaughan (Iversen 83), Ambrose (Scannell 62). SNU Dorman, Davis, Barrett, Price

HT CCFC 1-0 CPFC FT CCFC 2-1 CPFC ATT 16,454
Goals Richard Wood (33), Marlon King (79), Stefan Iversen (89)

Referee Kevin Wright Booked Gardner, King, Vaughan, Zaha

Man Of The Match Richard Wood took the votes from Stephen O'Halloran
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"We Only Beat Palace" was the chant from the City fans as Coventry City for the second time in 2011 beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Ricoh Arena.

This might have been "The Palace On Tour" game for the away fans but for Coventry City supporters, it was something down the priority order, due to the revelations of respected Coventry City supporter Gary Hoffman quitting the CCFC board and SISU bringing in two more henchmen.

Whether this two new guys in the form of Ken Dullieu and Leonard Brody have been brought into to seek new buyers for the club, has seen much conjecture amongst the City support and even saw the club issue orders to the media not to question manager Aidy Boothroyd about the goings-on.

Not having won since December 4^th in a league game and Palace's last visit here in the FA Cup back in January which was watched by a crowd half as big as the one inside the Ricoh Arena today, boosted by 2,500 visitors and a host of tickets given out to the likes of Leamington Hibernian FC, there was pressure on the City boss to get a result.

The City boss brought back Nathan Cameron who had impressed on his England U20's debut in midweek and started with Marlon King up front, moving Lukas Jutkiewicz who has not got the goals expected of him so far this season, out to the left flank.

On a very pleasant, sunny afternoon, City attacked the CT Stand for the first half and took their time to weigh up the Croydon based side.

Carl Baker, who again occupied the right flank in City's four man midfield, had the first effort and sent a decent volley into the arms of Julian Speroni.

All the noise was coming from the Palace support, who were enjoying their day out whilst the singing corner stood in total silence. They watched on as Richard Keogh made a great tackle to concede a corner and in the 20^th minute, saw Easter get past Cameron and force the well cheered when he came out Keiren Westwood to save with his legs.

Baker firing over produced a few groans from some of the City support who were waiting for something to happen in what was a pretty tepid game.

And happen it did in the 33^rd minute when Coventry took the lead thanks to Richard Wood, who had a fine came at centre-half, ensuring that Darren Ambrose was ineffective as was his replacement.

Martin Cranie sent the ball into the middle of the penalty area and RICHARD WOOD was virtually unmarked and able to get a touch with his head to send the ball past Speroni and into the net before running over to the corner of the CT and Main Stand to celebrate.

The half passed by without incident and straight after the restart, it was only a cracking one handed save from Speroni to deny the diving Clive Platt that stopped City adding further to their tally.

In the 50^th minute, there was one of those decisions that changed from what angle you saw it at. Jermaine Easter went down on the left hand side of the penalty area. Friends in the Main Stand thought, it was a penalty but the City supporters around me were claiming that it was simulation and calling for a card to be issued rather than the lecture from referee Kevin Wright, the Palace player got.

City went straight up the other and won a corner which Keogh fired wide from as the Singing Corner now awake launched into the legally wrong Marlon King song which many of the City support at Elland Road last week had bitterly objected to.

The Palace fans lit a red flare at the back of the Jewson Stand, which saw the orange coated response team called into action as Clive Platt, having his best game for a while, had another header saved by Speroni.

In the 78^th minute and as the Palace fans dancing and swaying, which had greatly helped the atmosphere, was halted due to those at the back now being hemmed into their seats by stewards on either side, Platt hooked over.

The next attack was to prove more fruitful for City and Aron Gunnarsson delivered a wonderful ball to pick out MARLON KING who stroked the ball into the net.

King, who had took a fair bit of stick from the Palace fans was booked for celebrating his goal and he was joined shortly in the book of Mr Wright by James Vaughan who had clearly lost the plot before he was substituted and Zaha.

City made their first change in the 87^th minute and it was Clive Platt's number, which appeared on the yellow numbers board that one sees at non-league clubs (where the electronic board was I don't know), as he made way for Freddy Eastwood who had been in Dublin this week on international duty with Wales.

Palace boss Dougie Freedman had also made changes and it was his third change in STEFAN IVERSEN who set up a grandstand finish when he bundled the ball home in the 89^th minute from a Scannell cross.

Four minutes of time were added on and although Richard Wood had to concede a corner, City kept things tight with some good tackles from the excellent O'Halloran and Cameron and ensured we went home happy with an all too rare victory.