WALSALL 4-0 COVENTRY CITY
City: Murphy (GK), Christie, Edjenguele, Martin, Stewart (Sent Off 64), Bailey, Barton (Jennings 65), Fleck, Baker (c), Moussa (Clarke 66), Ball (Wilson 62). Subs: Dunn (GK), Bell, McSheffrey, McDonald
Walsall: Johnstone, Butler (c), Chambers, Paterson, Brandy (Hemmings 88), Downing, Baxendale (Sawyer 87), Chambers, Taylor, Mantom, Westcarr. Subs: Roberts (GK), Holden, Featherstone, Purkiss, Benning,
HT WFC 1-0 CCFC FT WFC 4-0 CCFC
ATT 7504
Goals Jamie Paterson 32 & 87, Craig Westcarr 53 pen & 72
Referee T.Kettle
Booked Stewart, Ball, Stewart, Westcarr, Clarke, Christie
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Coventry City put in their worst performance since Shrewsbury away when they went down to a 4-0 defeat at Walsall.
A trip up the M6 for 2500 City fans including supporters from Newcastle, Finland, Kent and London saw the Sky Blues arrive at The Bescot Stadium.
City travelled having only won once away on an Easter Monday since 1959, against a Walsall side unbeaten in eleven matches.
It might have been April 1st but there was still snow around the Bescot Stadium as an unchanged City team in their yellow away kit took to the pitch.
City attacked the end where the City support was housed and it was a good start with Cyrus Christie working the right flank well. However, the Saddlers had two attacks which did not trouble Joe Murphy before Baker crossed for Ball to get in an eighth minute header at Johnstone.
Murphy pushed away a shot from City supporter James Paterson, who was watched by a number of Premier League clubs. City went up the other end and Johnstone punched away an 18th minute corner.
Another corner followed three minutes later, it was initally cleared but when it came back in, William Edjenguele rose to head just over.
The pitch at the Bescot was awful, far worse than many non-league pitch but the home side had adapted to the conditions better and in the 27th minute, they won two corners on a pitch which was badly cutting up.
The pitch could not be blamed for City players failing to win the second ball or finding players with some of their passing and Walsall began to be allowed more and more of the play.
It was quite obvious that the first goal in this game was going to the way of the Saddlers and in the 32nd minute, Jamie Paterson had time on the right to get a shot which went across Murphy and into the bottom corner of the net.
Franck Moussa had a shot pushed round for a 36th minute corner. Baker got in a back header but the Saddlers were able to clear.
Two minutes later, Baker got in a great shot which Johnstone fumbled into the path of Callum Ball, who somehow from six yards steered the ball wide of Johnstone's left hand post.
Walsall went up the other end and hit the post and another attack before the break forced Stewart to clear for a corner.
After the restart, Johnstone palmed over a Ball header from a Christie cross and Arron Martin sent a pile driver wide from long range.
But in the 53rd minute, City went two goals down when Arron Martin stuck his leg out at Baxendale and Mr Kettle awarded a penalty. Craig Westcarr stepped up. Murphy went to his left and Westcarr put it the other way to give The Saddlers a second goal.
It could have been worse four minutes when Stewart who was completely out of his depth and having a nightmare of a game, tripped Paterson. Thankfully, Mr Kettle missed this blatant penalty and the game continued.
As the City fans demanded that Pressley sort it out, the City boss finally brought on Callum Wilson for the hapless Ball.
Then In the 64th minute, Jordan Stewart was sent off for a second bookable, after yet another foul.
If things were bad enough at being two goals down with ten men, some fans cheering when Stewart was shown the yellow and red card just typified the mood of many stood behind the goal and down the side.
Pressley then got abused by sections of the support when he took off Moussa and Barton and brought on Jordan Clarke and Steven Jennings.
His substitutions did no good as in the 72nd minute, Walsall had a free kick. The wall was badly set up. The kick was aimed at Murphy who flapped at it and Craig Westcarr headed in to the empty net from a couple of feet out.
Some had left on the second goal but many City fans headed for the exits as the SISU Out chants started and the police came down the front in case anyone tried to get on the pitch or get at Westcarr, who was certainly inciting when he was booked by Mr Kettle for timewasting in an incident which saw one City fan reported as "being given a right pasting off the stewards".
Three minutes from time, the City defence disintegrated once again and James Paterson was allowed time and space to score a fourth from a Westcarr pass, which saw many of the remaining City fans leave, bitterly annoyed with a woeful and totally unacceptable performance from the Sky Blues.