Coventry's Second Game Jinx Strikes Again!

By CovSid67
August 20 2007

Deja vu .... again. An average first half display, followed by an improved second half display, but failure to grab all three points means we're no longer top of the league - and we still can't win that second game of the league season in this division. Something to remember for the coupons/betting slips next season, whoever the opposition....

Just over 21,000 turned up for this match (Though there was a disappointing turn-out in the 'posh seats'), with the new seating arrangment meaning home supporters were behind both goals, with away fans rightly shunted into a corner (A few of whom were heard singing moronic ditties about Coventry's ethnic population as they entered the ground, with the police already having taken up positions inside the ground).

The same Coventry XI that hammered Barnsley were selected, with three strikers, Adebola, Mifsud, and Best, on the bench.

This was the sort of game we needed to win if we are to be contenders, and this was obviously a game Hull thought we would win judging by their spoiling tactics. Recently voted the worst place in Britain to live, their style of football is pretty damned ugly too.

Things might have been different had the referee or his assistant noticed the most blatant of fouls on Kyle inside the area after 20 minutes, but they either bottled giving the decision, or wanted to make sure the scoring didn't start to early.

Tabb had clearly been targeted as our biggest threat, and was given the sort of treatment that would make Blackburn's players wince, while Gray was also given a hefty kick for his troubles, with Ricketts receiving a yellow card.

A poor header from Tabb also cost us a first half lead (It looked far easier to score), while a superb last-ditch challenge as Michael Hughes looked to open his Coventry City account also helped keep the half-time score to 0-0.

A cracking ball should have released Kyle for a free run at goal just before the break, but sadly for the home side the ball cannoned off his leg and the chance was gone.

Hull weren't without chances, though this was usually due to poor Coventry defending rather than slick football.

S. Hughes replaced M. Hughes at half-time, and those trademark sideways or backward passes were still in evidence, rather than anything likely to help him get the nod ahead of the new man.

Another decent Kyle flick-on was latched onto by McKenzie, who took his average to two goals in two games for the season, after scoring inside Duke's near post. This was followed by a prolonged, and slightly bizarre, goal celebration.

Gray was unlucky not to make it 2-0 two minutes later, firing just wide after a nice one-two, and a minute later another Gray effort flew just past Duke's far post.

Borrowdale has shown in a very short space of time that he is a touch of class in this division, sending in a quality cross that Hull's defence cleared as Kyle threatened to make it two in two too.

Just as it looked as though Hull might go the way of Barnsley and Notts County, one of those pathetic, soft goals we were guilty of conceding far to often last season was conceded - Barmby the beneficiary.

Ricketts was sent off for a blatant pull on Gray (Nowhere near as blatant as the penalty incident though), and was shown a second yellow card - unlike Michael Essien, this one did result in a dismissal.

To a fair few peoples surprise, Kyle was replaced by Adebola. His first contribution was to harass Hull's defence into making a mistake, which resulted in a blatant (That word again!) back-pass. Said offence was ignored by the referee.

A succession of painfully slow Hull substitutions wasted around ten minutes of the second half, while Tabb, who left the pitch far quicker, despite having received a kick in the head, was replaced by Mifsud.

A blatant (Is that four? Or five?) hand-ball bya Hull defender in the area resulted in .... a foul given against Gray.

A quick Coventry break, which saw a fine pass from McKenzie pick out Gray, whose cross-come-shot was almost turned in by Mifsud at the far post, almost helped the home side take the lead, but his shot hit the side netting.

A Lehmann-esque slip from Duke almost gifted the home side victory, as Coventry discovered far to late that the opposition were possibly playing with a dodgy keeper (A surprise inclusion, as, according to the paper, Myhill, who had just signed a new contract days before, and was reportedly fit to play, was left out!).

Hull were temporarily reduced to nine men, though the home side failed to take advantage of this. Mifsud also failed to take advantage of the offside that should have been given against him, missing the ball from about six yards out, and with this (Non) effort, potential victory was turned into definite draw.

Team: Konstantopoulos, Osbourne, Ward, Hall, Borrowdale, Tabb (Mifsud 77), Doyle, M. Hughes (S. Hughes 46), Gray, McKenzie, Kyle (Adebola 74). SNU: Marshall,  Best.