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!

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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.

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City secure sixth spot following Shrimps stalemate

Finally, our 48-year wait for a top six finish is over and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to say that! Whilst Saturday’s clash with Morecambe didn’t provide much in the way of entertainment, the scenes when the full-time whistle was sounded were excellent. As the Sky Blue Army celebrated clinching a play-off spot, the travelling band of Shrimps fans revelled in the fact their team had staved off relegation. Not a bad day all-round for everyone at the Ricoh Arena…

It would’ve taken a lot for us to have fallen out of the top seven come 5pm, but stranger things had happened in the past and, therefore, I was always wary. However, it was all plain sailing in the end and results even went our way too, meaning our game was somewhat of a drab affair. City did create the better of the few chances that presented themselves during the course of the afternoon, but we failed to beat Barry Roche in the Morecambe goal who remained a bystander for large parts.

With just six minutes played, it looked as if we would take the lead when Michael Doyle powered an effort towards goal from 25 yards. Some neat build-up between Jonson Clarke-Harris and Marc McNulty created the opportunity for the skipper, but the ‘keeper acrobatically tipped the ball over his crossbar. We then kept the ball for spells, but didn’t do too much with it, and any ounce of urgency fizzled out rather quickly to transform it into what looked like a training exercise.

Mark Robins and Adi Viveash did bark plenty of orders from the technical area throughout and it seemed as if they wanted more, but that never came. Clarke-Harris did spurn the best opening of the game on 39 minutes following some superb attacking play from Chris Stokes, but the striker could only find the gloves of Roche from close range. The Rotherham United loanee looked frustrated at times, but despite some heavy touches and some poor distribution, he looked a handful in glimpses.

The second half was a non-event to tell the truth, but the 15,000 or so City fans singing ‘Twist and Shout’ accompanied by Morecambe’s Mariachi Band was a highlight. At that point, both sets of supporters knew that things were looking good and they made the most of it. 39-year-old Kevin Ellison did strike the side-netting on 52 minutes whilst Tom Bayliss was denied at the other end, but the clock eventually ticked over to 90 minutes and that was that.

Given the fact it’s our highest league position since 1970, albeit in the lowest division of the English Football League, the subsequent pitch invasion was understandable as emotions reigned supreme. It’s quite a surreal feeling that we are going to be competing in the play-off schedule, and it hasn’t sunk in just yet. However, whilst it’s a decent achievement, we haven’t won anything yet. We need to secure that promotion, one which would be our first since 1967.

To do that, we will have to perform to the levels we displayed at Cheltenham Town last weekend. Notts County are our opponents in the semi-finals, and they will be just as up for this as we are. It certainly will be an intriguing contest over two legs, but I am confident that the players can take us a step closer. We convincingly beat the Magpies on home soil on the opening day, and we were unfortunate at Meadow Lane, so that proves there’s enough there.

As always, our supporters will be right behind the manager and his squad. We have been the 12th man this season, especially away from home, and now we need to provide our unwavering backing once more. I’m buzzing for next Saturday’s home leg and I’m praying I get a ticket, but if I don’t, I’ll be at home watching it with everything crossed. We’ve got this far – let’s make the most of this opportunity.

Inconsistency has been our worst enemy over these last 10 months, but fingers crossed with the home leg coming first, we can hit the ground running. Of course there will be nerves aplenty and people not knowing what to do in such an odd scenario for a Cov fan to be in, but let’s embrace it. Together, we can do this. No set of supporters are as desperate for something to cheer than us – hopefully we will be doing just that.

With Cyrille Regis watching down on the club on Saturday and a host of former players on the pitch for Legends’ Day, it was fitting to watch us grab sixth spot. Although many of our heroes of yesteryear played for us when we were higher up in the footballing pyramid, the current crop of players could become idols to the latest generation of fans. What incentive is as strong as that?

Play Up Sky Blues.

Ponticelli proves his worth as the Sky Blues beat Crawley

With a run of three games without a win going into this fixture, the pressure was on for City to claim all three points to maintain the play-off push. Harry Kewell’s Crawley Town had already picked up a few results against some of our promotion rivals, so it was never going to be an easy fixture for the Sky Blues to navigate.

Step up, Jordan Ponticelli. The 19-year-old has been pushing for a first-team spot all season, and it was great to see him given an opportunity following his goal at Notts County last weekend. He has been managed well by Mark Robins this season, but he has certainly produced this time around and his contributions are coming when we need them the most.

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When he popped up to open the scoring with just five minutes played, you were hoping that the Sky Blues would gain a foothold and build upon that. So, when Lewis Young got forward and drilled an equaliser into the far corner, you began to question whether or not it was going to be our day. Glenn Morris then produced some fine saves to keep Jonson Clarke-Harris, Marc McNulty and Jack Grimmer all off the scoresheet.

Then, with 78 minutes on the clock, Ponticelli stepped up to secure the victory in style and send the 1,197-strong away end into raptures. Maxime Biamou was on hand to claim the assist and his recent displays have been promising, but it was the youngster who gained all of the plaudits and deservedly so. He has proven that he is a natural finisher at youth level, and the Sky Blue Army are desperate to see yet another local lad flourish.

Our next fixture is a home tie against Stevenage, and they will be hungry to avenge Saturday’s defeat to Cambridge United. However, I am sure Robins will want to see his players put the Yeovil horror show behind them by returning to winning ways at the Ricoh. With Dino Maamria’s newly inherited Boro side looking at mid-table mediocrity, they don’t have a lot to play for bar pride.

I will be travelling down to the Ricoh on Friday, and with it being so tight around us, I am hoping that we can start to piece together a final run to finish the season strongly. Conceding goals has been a real issue over recent weeks, but we are beginning to find the net more freely and that is encouraging. We have proven that we are very capable when we are at our best – we now just need to reach those levels for the final four fixtures. Fingers crossed.

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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

A day to forget for City…

I thought April Fool’s Day was on Sunday? Everybody knows that you can’t really predict how things will go in Sky Bet League Two, but it’s safe to say that City were expected to see off Yeovil Town on home soil. So, when I discovered that we had lost, I was understandably frustrated. However, when I heard the scoreline, it compounded my misery even more so as I attempted to fathom how we had conceded SIX times.

Defensively, the Sky Blues have looked solid all season. Given that fact, you have to believe that it was a one-off and we won’t see another match plagued with a catalogue of errors, but it will depend on what this result does to confidence. We are now almost out of the automatic promotion hunt, but we must not dwell on what was quite frankly an embarrassing afternoon – the less said about it, the better.

When we travel to Notts County on Saturday, the players have got to rectify things with three points in front of around 4,000 members of the Sky Blue Army. They know they’re better than Monday’s meltdown and so do we, but the time for talking has stopped. There are now just six games to go and we have to make them count. It would be typical Coventry City for us to go to Meadow Lane and come away with a positive result, similarly to Luton away earlier in the season.

Supporting this football club plays havoc with your emotions, that’s for sure. This time last year we were basking in the Wembley sunshine and celebrating with a few deserved beverages. As a fan base, we must hold onto that day and use it for inspiration. We weren’t expecting to lift that trophy, but we did. Football is a funny old game, and this defeat doesn’t signal an end to our campaign just yet.

As Mark Robins said post-match, it’s imperative that we don’t let one awful day shadow over us. Of course, it ramps the pressure up even more so ahead of the weekend, but what’s done is done. A few days on the training ground and some harsh exchanging of words will do us good. I’m still confident that we can at least finish in the top seven, so let’s keep backing the team and see where it takes us.

We are all desperate to see City finish the season strongly with some success to go with it, and I’m sure the players are just as disappointed as we are with Monday’s shenanigans. Fingers crossed that provides motivation and we can get back on track. It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. Here’s hoping for a strong one!

Play up Sky Blues.

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