Scintillating Sky Blues Secure Wembley Showdown

Wow. Now I have had time to drink it all in and let the dust settle somewhat, the sense of pride that I held upon the full-time whistle hasn’t faded in the slightest. We travelled to Meadow Lane expecting a difficult game against an organised Notts County side, but we simply blew them away. Yes, there were perhaps a few more contentious refereeing decisions on the night, but we can only control the controllables. To a man, we more than matched them and the result was fully deserved.

From start to finish, we were excellent, and we thoroughly deserve to be heading to Wembley on Bank Holiday Monday. Every single player deserves huge credit for their part in the victory, but the supporters were formidable themselves – the atmosphere created was quite special. We all know that the Sky Blue Army are desperate for success, and you could sense that last night. The level of unity was quite astounding which made it feel like a home fixture.

Prior to kick-off, the level of anticipation was at an all-time high and I had gnawed my fingernails off before a ball was even kicked. All the signs pointed County’s way. Kevin Nolan’s men had beaten us on their own patch in April, they had experience on their side and they were intending to overturn some rough justice from the first leg. You would’ve thought they would be the quickest out of the traps, but the Sky Blues showed they were up for the fight from the first whistle.

With less than 60 seconds on the clock, some neat link-up between Marc McNulty and Maxime Biamou saw the latter go close. It was certainly a positive opening, and we were rewarded after just six minutes as Biamou found the corner of the net in some style. The Frenchman has came to the fore over the last few months, and he met Jordan Willis’ knock-down with an overhead kick that oozed class. Dream start for the Sky Blues.

As the travelling contingent continued to create a deafening atmosphere, the lads down on the pitch handled the occasion expertly. The returning Willis looked solid next to the impressive Dominic Hyam, and the pair fended off the aerial threat of Jonathan Forte and Jon Stead. Our midfield were dictating proceedings too, and we looked dangerous every time we went forward, McNulty going close on a few occasions.

Some great build-up and a neat turn from Jordan Shipley then almost fashioned a second on 22 minutes, but the youngster’s strike was blocked bravely. Adam Collin was then on hand to deny McNulty with a smart save seven minutes later, but he was unable to prevent ‘Sparky’ firing home on 38 minutes. Tom Bayliss threaded a neat pass to Liam Kelly who pulled it back for McNulty, and the Scottish striker slotted home his 28th goal of the season – the same amount George Hudson managed as City won the Division Three title in 1963-64.

That goal did settle my nerves a little, but in typical style, we had to give the opposition some hope by conceding just before half-time. It was a long throw-in routine that got the better of us, with Jorge Grant pouncing on a flick-on to finish from six yards. The hosts then came out searching for an equaliser after the restart, but despite numerous aerial balls and some tidy passing moves, City weathered the storm to maintain a foothold.

If ever there was a turning point where the pendulum swung back in our favour, it was in the 65th minute. When Stead let fly from around 20 yards, my heart was in my mouth as it looked destined to find the corner. However, Lee Burge got down to his right to make contact with a flailing hand that diverted the ball beyond the post. From the resulting corner, County had the ball in the back of the net via Forte, but it was wrongly chalked off for offside.

Following that controversial moment, City began to regain control of the affair and when the third goal flew in with 71 minutes played, the relief poured out. There was a hint off offside as McNulty and Biamou played a one-two, but the latter showed great composure to turn and pick out the bottom corner from inside the area before wheeling away.

For a player who struggled for form earlier on in the season, Biamou has developed a trait of conjuring up pieces of magic, and he rightly received a rapturous applause when he made way for Jonson Clarke-Harris with 15 minutes to go. Shola Ameobi was also introduced by Notts County, but Burge commanded his area well and the bodies in front of him alleviated the danger brilliantly too. Bayliss then put the icing on the cake following a bursting run as his deflected effort beat the despairing Collin.

Across the entire Football League, no team that had played away in the second leg had progressed to the play-off final, but the Sky Blues didn’t read the script. Now just 90 minutes away from an immediate return to League One, I am praying that we can replicate this performance at Wembley. Exeter City are a very difficult side to get the best of, but if it all comes together like it did on Friday night, we stand a very good chance of seeing off the Grecians in front of what will be a tremendous backing.

It would’ve been easy for us to crumble against County given the youth in our ranks, but the lads stood up to everything and they were faultless. The home supporters will feel that decisions went against them, and they did at key moments, but I have never been more proud of this football club. Our style of play is refreshing and the support in the stands was simply phenomenal. The scenes at the end will always stay with me. If we can harness that on the 28th May and show the same level of togetherness, it could be a very special day. I bloody love Coventry City, whatever happens!

Play Up Sky Blues

Sparky steps up as City salvage controversial County draw

Waking up on Saturday morning and remembering that Coventry City had a play-off game that night was surreal, and the anticipation built up as the hours slowly ticked by. Although nothing would be settled over the course of 90 minutes at the Ricoh Arena, I arrived early to soak in the atmosphere and to get my caffeine hit in the shape of a few large lattes.

My decision to wear shorts proved to be a ridiculous one, with the driving rain soaking me on the way to the turnstiles. Once in my seat, a few supporters around me were questioning whether the game would even go ahead because of some pretty obvious surface water on the pitch. The referee deemed it safe, however, and the players emerged from the tunnel to a vociferous roar from all sides of the ground.

Although the swamp of a left flank hindered City’s attacking play in the first half, we played some tidy football and started the brighter of the two teams. Jack Grimmer saw a shot blocked after some neat build-up, but Marc McNulty would go even closer with just nine minutes played after he was threaded through by Jordan Shipley. The in-form striker then set his sights and let fly, only for his low effort to canon back off the post.

It was the Sky Blues who continued to enjoy more possession, but the adverse conditions made things difficult and it turned into a stop-start affair. Kevin Nolan’s men carried a threat with their physicality from set pieces, and it almost paid dividends on 27 minutes as Jonathan Forte directed a Daniel Jones free-kick towards goal. Somehow, Lee Burge clawed it off the line and City were allowed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Up the other end 10 minutes later, it would’ve been the away contingent who had their hearts in their mouths as McNulty slipped down the byline. He then delivered a low cross that skidded off the greasy surface and Adam Collin was only able to gather with help from the post. As some City supporters geared up to celebrate, Gavin Ward’s watch didn’t buzz and goal line technology confirmed the ball had not crept over.

Tom Bayliss then spurned an opportunity three minutes before the break as he skewed a cross-cum-shot off target after latching onto a perfectly weighted Liam Kelly pass. The half-time whistle was sounded soon afterwards and I’m sure that every City fan was hoping that we wouldn’t come to rue our missed chances. However, despite going close once more almost immediately after the restart, the complexion of the game altered on 49 minutes as the first goal of the evening found the net.

Unfortunately for us, it was County who broke the deadlock and the water that had frustrated us in the first 45 played its part. As Grimmer and Jones raced for a loose ball, it was the latter who came out on top as City’s full-back seemed to shirk the challenge and he was sent flying. Jones then drove towards the box, drilled in a low cross and Forte was on hand to deftly flick the ball beyond Burge with superb technique. Great finish, but a dreadful one to concede and a hard one to take given our relative control on proceedings.

From that moment on, it was always going to be an uphill task as the Magpies adopted a more rigid approach and became very tough to break down. Tom Bayliss did conjure up an opening with a brilliant turn on 67 minutes, but his curler from 20 yards dropped just the wrong side of the post. Mark Robins then made his first change of the evening, introducing the pace of Jordan Ponticelli at the expense of a tiring Shipley.

Jonson Clarke-Harris then entered the fray late on as he took Maxime Biamou’s place, but the Sky Blues continued to pose little threat against an experienced opposition. Then, with 87 minutes on the clock, City were handed a lifeline as Bayliss went down under a challenge inside the area – penalty. Initially, it looked as if Matt Tootle had taken the ball, and having watched it back, he definitely did. Notts County have every right to feel aggrieved, but McNulty stepped up to fire in his 27th goal of the season – ice must run through his veins.

We then probed for a winner late on, but it wasn’t to be and the first leg ended in a stalemate. That was probably a fair outcome, but I still can’t understand how the referee has pointed to the spot. Having said that, we had another shout for a spot kick turned down when the ball struck a Notts hand in what was certainly an unnatural position. I do think that, despite a questionable display of officiating, our performance warranted at least a draw and the tie remains tightly poised ahead of Friday’s trip to Meadow Lane.

Our record there is nothing short of atrocious, with our last win away to County coming back in September of 1963. We will probably be without an influential member of our back line too, with Tom Davies likely to be handed a retrospective ban for a kick on Forte and a stamp on Richard Duffy. He was superior in the air all night, and he will be a huge miss in the second leg if he is suspended, particularly if Jordan Willis isn’t fully fit.

We will have to be at our best to have any chance of reaching a Wembley showdown, and influential players such as Bayliss will have to be on song. The young midfielder put in another mature performance on Saturday and he is a real star – his ability to do the dirty work coupled with his phenomenal technical ability offers us so much in the midfield. Whether it’s out wide or in more central areas, he carries a real threat and he will be crucial in the second leg.

Although supporters don’t know what to expect as we’ve never been in this situation before, we have every reason to be quietly confident. There’s no doubting that we have the potential to beat any side in this division, and whilst Nolan’s men are notoriously hard to overcome on home soil, it’s a one-off game. It will probably boil down to who deals with the pressure most effectively, but the 4,500 travelling members of the Sky Blue Army will be right behind our young team. Anything can happen.

Play Up Sky Blues

Magpies soar as City’s Meadow Lane misery continues

After the harrowing defeat at home to Yeovil Town on Easter Monday, City travelled to Meadow Lane – a ground we haven’t won at since 1963 – on Saturday with around 4,200 supporters expecting a response. The players had talked the talk on social media leading up to the fixture, but could they walk the walk when it really mattered? Unfortunately for us, the answer was no, and with that, any slim chance we had of automatic promotion had well and truly evaporated.

Admittedly, when Jordan Ponticelli rather delicately back-heeled a finish into the far corner with just five minutes to play, I thought a point would be heading back to Coventry. Then, in typical sky blue style, we threw it away all but 60 seconds later and the elation quickly transformed into frustration. Naivety had cost us the game and that hurt as Jonathan Forte wheeled away in celebration.

What has become evident over the recent weeks is that we miss Jordan Willis’ leadership in the heart of our defence. Having watched the highlights, we have looked shoddy at the back and that is something that couldn’t be said for the majority of games this season. Although statistically we still have the best defensive record in the division, shipping eight goals in two games is a serious concern.

The Sky Blues have only conceded 40 in 41 games, meaning 20% of those have gone against us in the space of six days. Due to that, people are fearful that this season will dwindle out and we will miss out on a play-off spot, but the only positive is that we still lie seventh – it’s all in our own hands. There are now five fixtures remaining and we have very little room for error. I don’t think my heart can take much more.

What surprised me the most at Notts County, however, was to see Tom Bayliss feature out wide in order to accommodate Liam Kelly. You can understand the thought process of Mark Robins’ wanting the latter in there to help shore things up in midfield, especially given the physicality and experience Kevin Nolan’s men possess. Having said that, why then leave out Kyel Reid – a natural winger – someone who has impressed and looked a threat since his return in January? That’s why I wouldn’t want to be a manager.

It was quite a statement to make five changes to the team that capitulated against Yeovil, but given the manner of the result, it was understandable. Some would argue that it had a negative impact on any fluidity we were starting to build, but regardless of that, everyone is disappointed that back-to-back losses have followed a seven-game unbeaten run. All we can do now is dust ourselves down and go again. City have proven they can beat anyone in League Two on their day, but we must stop being our own worst enemy.

Bring on Crawley. Play Up Sky Blues.

 

Images courtesy of @SBA_HaA