Biamou strikes to secure the Sky Blues a point at Newport

Newport isn’t the easiest place to go considering they have only lost three times at Rodney Parade all season, with none of those defeats coming against top 10 sides. So, coming from behind to pick up a point isn’t too bad at all and it keeps us inside of the top seven and within reach of the automatic promotion spots.

With the Good Friday fixtures pitting most of the top sides against each other in Sky Bet League Two, it was imperative that we didn’t lose too much ground. A victory would have certainly aided our cause and closed the gap between ourselves and third place, but the draw could be an important one in the grand scheme of things.

As the game entered the final stages and the Sky Blue Army continued to get soaked in the uncovered away end, it seemed as if our unbeaten run was about to come to a halt. Step up, Maxime Biamou. The Frenchman has found game time limited over recent weeks due to the emergence of Jonson Clarke-Harris, but his 79th-minute volley – only his second league goal of the season – could prove key come May.

We rode our luck in the first half on several occasions, but you need a bit of good fortune if you are going to be successful. Padraig Amond had one cleared off the line before heading against the woodwork, but the powerful forward was unable to prevent his goalless spell extending to 10 games.

The hard-earned point means City are now seven games unbeaten going into Monday’s clash at home to Yeovil Town, a side who will be looking to cause an upset to ensure their own safety in the division. Their fixture at home to Forest Green Rovers was postponed on Friday, so they will also head to the Ricoh with fresher legs than the Sky Blues.

With a few of the teams in and around us playing each other again, we need to build on the result at Newport with victory on home soil. Our home record is the fourth best in the division and we need to maintain that during the run-in, particularly with some tricky away clashes coming up over the next few weeks. The Ricoh has to remain a fortress and we need to stick behind Mark Robins and the lads.

Taking the injuries we have suffered into account – most notably the ones to Jodi Jones and Tony Andreu – we have done well to keep ourselves in the hunt. I still think that we are in a strong position and there will be plenty of twists and turns between now and the final encounter of the campaign. This point just keeps us moving in the right direction, but given how tight it is around us, we can’t rest on our laurels.

Play Up Sky Blues.

 

Images courtesy of @SBA_HaA

Sparky stars as the Sky Blues see off Grimsby in style at the Ricoh

Anybody who follows the Sky Blues will be able to recall several occasions where we have tripped up on proverbial ‘banana skins’ at pivotal moments in the season. With four former City players on Grimsby Town’s books as well, it had the potential to be a frustrating game afternoon at the Ricoh Arena.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case and Peter Vincenti’s first-half strike set us well on the way to our biggest victory of the season so far. Marc McNulty then popped up with a hat-trick to take him to 21 goals in all competitions – a very healthy return for a man who came under some scrutiny during the early stages.

Finding the net has been a problem for us, but we seem to have overcome it recently to finally start putting teams to the sword. In a division as tight as Sky Bet League Two, whether or not we get promoted could boil down to goal difference, so the margin of victory is extra satisfying. We have now picked up 14 points from our last six games and it looks as if we are hitting form at exactly the right time.

The signing of Jonson Clarke-Harris has turned out to be a shrewd piece of business and he has been a real influence. His pace and power is capable of causing all sorts of problems for opposition defences, but his record in front of goal is respectable too. Maxime Biamou is still a great option when the ball needs to stick up top, and our striking options fill me with confidence now.

Our defensive record is by far the best in the league too and that should be enough of a platform to build on. No fixture from now until May will be easy, but Newport County lost to struggling Crewe Alexandra so they should be a team we can see off. They have fell away from the top seven too, so with just an outside chance of forcing themselves in there, it looks as if they will have to settle for a mid-table finish.

As teams in and around us continue to drop points, it’s imperative that we focus on ourselves and aim to prolong this current rich vein of form. We can’t look too far ahead, but the clash away to Notts County on April 7th is set to be a real six-pointer. Just six points now separate us and Wycombe Wanderers who occupy the final automatic promotion spot, while perhaps more importantly, the gap between City and 8th has widened.

We seem to have several attacking threats that we didn’t have a few months ago, none more so than Tom Bayliss who’s driving runs from midfield pose questions. His ability to spot a pass is exceptional and you can tell that that boy will go on to have a great career in the game. Vincenti is starting to show that there is talent in there too and I am glad for him because he tormented us numerous times when he was at Rochdale. Everything is falling into place.

There are 24 points still up for grabs and there is certainly more twists and turns to come, but we are on course to at least be in with a chance of a League One return. Mark Robins is doing a superb job when you consider the injury problems we have had over the last few months, and if we continue to back him and the players, who knows what can happen?

Play Up Sky Blues.

Images courtesy of @SBA_HaA