HALESOWEN TOWN 1-0 COVENTRY CITY
City: Richards, Phillips (Whitcombe 57), Dion Kelly-Evans (Sambou 46), Bromley, Maycock, Barnett, Daniels, Barton, Albini, Shipley (Spence 85) Devon Kelly Evans. Subs: Harries, Addai
Halesowen: Whitcombe, Green, Griffiths, Forde (Bragoli 14), Hull, Tift (Tonks 66), Robinson, Thompson-Brown (Turner 70), Christie, Haseley, Lait, Subs Charlton, Sargeant
HT HTFC 0-0 CCFC
FT HTFC 1-0 CCFC
ATT 252
Goals Ben Haseley 61
Referee P.Hobday
---------------------------
Coventry City are out of the Birmingham Senior Cup after a 1-0 defeat at Halesowen Town.
After years of paying the £3.5k fee along with Aston Villa, Coventry City decided to enter a competition they have won three times and were drawn away to Northern Premier League side Halesowen Town.
The competition rules stated that teams should field strong sides and with the first team on a three game losing streak and the U18's going great guns at the top of their league, one could argue that City who have six first teamers inured and one suspended, fielding a side with a number of U18's players, was their strongest available team.
We endured a nightmare journey with a ton of traffic in Cov, on the A45 and on the M6 which was closed for a short while and missed the kick off by about five minutes on a well appointed ground where against a side which included City and Sphinx striker Iyseden Christie, City in white shirts and blue shorts were kept busy after Town had hit the bar early on and fired wide in the 15th minute through Iyseden Christie.
Two more corners for The Yeltz followed before Dion Kelly Evans and Adam Barton had shots blocked.
With Steve Waggott joining Steven Pressley and Steve Ogrizovic in the crowd, Halesowen won two corners in the 32nd minute and had Haseley force Richards into a save.
Jason Farndon made a break at half time, bringing on Bassala Sambou for Dion Kelly-Evans in a City side which was forced to defend a 49th minute corner.
As the handful of City fans in a crowd of 252 belted out the 'Sky Blue Song', The Yeltz won a corner and Jacob Whitcombe came on for Aaron Phillips.
This was always going to be a one goal game and it came in the 61st minute when Iyseden Christie, looking well offside crossed for Ben Haseley to bundle home for eight yards.
City had Sambou head wide in the 75th minute in a rare attack before Haseley drilled wide at the other end.
Sky Blues keeper Jake Richards did well with ten minutes left to push away a Christie shot from the left and was on his line as Halesowen won two corners and then another in the 84th minute.
Kyle Spence was sent on for the last five minutes for Jordan Shipley who had worked hard along with Callum Maycoock, Billy Daniels, Adam Barton and Kyle Barnett.
City had another attack late on but it did not bring about an equalising goal and this test against experienced Non-League players for a young Sky Blues team was over.