March To The Arch Unlikely After Poor Month

Coventry City's unlikely challenge for a top six place is now just that: unlikely! A previous fine run of form, which had a fair few believing that the 'March To The Arch' (As some called it) was on, has more than likely ended after to many winnable games were drawn or lost....

v Peterboro (a) W1-0

This is the sort of match the Coventry City of old would have lost, against a side adrift at the bottom of the table (Albeit a side that had won their last two home fixtures), while we were on a fine run of form. Test passed! The only goal of the game - in front of almost 4,000 travelling supporters - came half-way through the first half, with Cranie's punt up-field seeing Stead beat Morgan in the battle for the ball, and shoot past the highly-rated Joe Lewis in the Peterboro goal. Sammy Clingan, who cleared one Peterboro chance off the line, and who seems to be the difference between a good and a bad Coventry performance, was replaced at half-time (Due to a virus), though for (Almost) once, this did not end up meaning a draw or defeat. This result sent Coventry to eighth in the table, with the previously unlikely challenge for the top six in sight....

TEAM: Westwood, Wright, Hall, Cranie, McPake, McIndoe, Clingan (Deegan 46), Gunnarsson, Baker, Stead, Morrison (Sears 86). SNU: Konstantopolous, Wynter, Hussey, Grandison, Eastwood.

v  Plymouth (h) D1-1

Having defeated the side at the bottom of the table previously, you couldn't ask for a better next fixture than the side second from bottom of the table, at home. With that in mind, test two failed. A better than might have been anticipated (Pre-decent run) gate turned up to see Michael McIndoe's first goal for the club rescue a point for Coventry City after a Plymouth goal just before half-time had given the away side the lead (Thanks, in part, to a fairly rare Westwood error). Wright and Gunnarsson were replaced at half-time by Hall and Deegan, which, probably along with a half-time rollocking, saw an improved display after the break. A Stead effort on 72 minutes went agonisingly across the face of the goal, while both sides failed to take late chances to snatch all three points, with Freddie Eastwood just failing to take all three points for the second time this season against Plymouth.

TEAM: Westwood, Wright (Hall 46), Cranie, Wood, McPake, McIndoe, Clingan, Gunnarsson (Deegan 46), Baker, Stead, Morrison (Eastwood 89). SNU: Konstantopolous, Grandison, Bell, Sears.

v Cardiff (h) L1-2

Cardiff had lost their last four away Championship fixtures, managing to score only once, so this would have seemed like an ideal time to play them. With a little help from poor match officials, it wasn't. For nine whole first half minutes though, the dream was on: Coventry City were actually in the top six of the Championship. Clinton Morrison gave Coventry City the lead after half-an-hour, before Cardiff's Chris Burke, who proved he was not only a 'Burke by name', equalised for the away side. Prior to those goals, Jay Bothroyd, already fairly disliked by home supporters, saw his popularity fall even further when he clearly dived in a bid to win a penalty (Which thankfully wasn't given). Cardiff looked the more ilkely to score in the early stages of the second half, before Eastwood came on for Stead (Who seems to be being withdrawn a little to often in his time so far at Coventry City). The match officials then gifted Cardiff sixth place, by awarding an 89th minute penalty that nobody in the known universe that has seen it has agreed should have been one. To add insult to injury (If the fact the goal was scored by The Championhip's top scorer, Peter Whittingham, who Coventry City told to 'sod off' (I'm parapharasing here) as a youngster wasn't bad enough), soon after, Coventry City had a far clearer shout for a penalty ignored by the match officials, while Bell also hit the bar very late on, and the game was lost.

TEAM: Westwood, Wright, Cranie, McPake, Wood, McIndoe (Bell 46), Gunnarsson, Deegan, Baker, Stead (Eastwood 71), Morrison (Sears 84). SNU: Konstantopolous, Hall, Barnett, Grandison.

v Leicester (a) D2-2

A woeful first half, giving a performance that embarrassed those from the right end of the M69, looked to finally end any hopes of over-taking our local rivals in the race for a top six finish, thanks in part to a second Leicester 'goal' that was given, despite (Fairly) clearly not crossing the line (Add this to the Cardiff 'penalty', and, if as some say, 'these things even themselves out over a season', we're due a lot of dodgy decisions going our way in the remaining fixtures). Chris Coleman was clearly fuming after 45 minutes of this third rate display, with his half-time team-talk (Or team-scream!) obviously having the desired effect, with a totally different XI clawing back a two-nil deficit. McPake's quality finish on 54 minutes started the fight-back, and Deegan's second goal for the club on 87 minutes brought about an unlikely draw (With a queue of Coventry City players inside the six yard box waiting for the tap-in). Such was Coventry City's second half dominance, that they should have won the fixture by the time the final whistle was blown, though typically of said side, they did try and concede a very late goal in an attempt to lose the match, with Westwood once again coming to the rescue late on. Worth noting that even at two-nil down, the noise and support given by the travelling Coventry City supporters was superb.

TEAM: Westwood, Wright, Cranie, McPake, Wood, Bell (Gunnarsson 56), Deegan, Clingan, Baker (Sears 75), Morrison, Stead (Eastwood 66). SNU: Konstantopolous, Hall, Hussey, Barnett. 

v WBA (a) L0-1

Once again a not-so-good first half was followed by a far better second half. On-loan Stephen Reid scored the games only goal after 21 minutes, nipping in at the far post when the away sides defence failed to defend a corner. A Koren effort soon after looked to have crossed the line despite Westwood's efforts, but said luck that evens itself out over a season came to the fore as neither the referee or his assistants ruled that it had done so. A much improved display in the second half saw Coventry City go close on a number of occasions, with Stead missing a chance from a couple of yards out, Richard Wood playing as a striker for the last few minutes, and a Morrison effort with the last kick of the game hitting Carson's post. Once again the lack of a cutting edge in front of goal (With Coventry City managing to score more than one goal in a game only twice in fourteen matches), proved to be the away sides downfall.

TEAM: Westwood, Wright (Hussey 80), Cranie, McPake, Wood, Bell (Sears 66), Deegan, Clingan, Baker, Eastwood, Stead (Morrison 76). SNU: Konstantopolous, Hall, Barnett, Gunnarsson.

v Sheffield Wednesday (h) D1-1

A truly dire first forty-five minutes (Again), saw Chris Coleman - usually accused of making substitutions to late - make all three changes at the half-time break. Marcus Hall's efforts were evidence, if it were needed, that this should be his last season at Coventry City, with his attempt to kick a SW players head off as close as he got to any of their players in his time on the pitch. Replacement Hussey looked a far better option at left-back. Wednesday did manage to get the ball in the net in the first 45 minutes, though the whistle had long since gone (Not that it was heard by the muppets celebrating in the away section). McPake saw a decent header go just over the bar early on in the second half, while poor decision making, a feature for the home side throughout the match, saw Morrison's goal disallowed for offside soon after. The home supoprters, who had been very quiet throughout the first half (Possibly through being asleep), made plenty of noise as the performance improved, but were quietened when Varney siezed on Bell's failure to clear the ball about four times, and scored with embarrasing ease. Former Wednesday player Richard Wood equalised after 78 minutes with a header that saw Grant in the Wednesday goal, and one of his defenders, get in each others way. Despite being booed throughout by away fans, Wood still opted not to celebrate. The game finished 1-1, and with only three points taken from the last fifteen being on offer being more relegation form than the form of a play-off contenders, a top six finish is now virtually impossible.

TEAM: Westwood, Cranie, Hall (Hussey 46), McPake, Wood, Sears, Deegan, Clingan, Baker, Eastwood (Morisson 46), Stead (Bell 46). SNU: Konstantopolous, Barnett, Grandison, Gunnarsson.