COVENTRY CITY RESERVES 1-1 HEREFORD UNITED RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City Reserves drew in a friendly this afternoon against Hereford United at the Alan Higgs Centre.
With Stephen Wright and Ben Turner not being included, Frankie Bunn named eight of the U18's team which had lost at Aston Villla on Saturday and fielded Guilly Beuzelin,Robbie Simpson and Dimi Konstantopolous in goal.
On a rainy afternoon at the Alan Higgs Centre, the Sky Blues enjoyed the early play, winning two corners and Matty West dragging a shot wide from the edge of the area in the eighth minute.
Much of the play centred around the middle third with Sean Fraser and Beuzelin both heavily involved. It was the Frenchman who had City's best chance of the half when his 22nd minute speculative thirty five yard lob just missed the crossbar by a couple of inches.
The League One side,whose players were older and more experienced than the Sky Blues, started to worry the City defence.
Centre Forward Nick Chadwick fired just wide in the 28th minute and a shot from the visitors number eleven had to be deflected for a 35th minute corner. This led to the ball being sprayed across the pitch for Hereford's number six to get into the six yard box and fire a shot which Konstantopolous managed to block with his legs.
Less than thirty seconds before the end of the first half, Hereford took the lead. The vistors had earned themselves a corner. This was sent deep to the far side of the penalty area before being sent back for Nick Chadwick to backheel the ball into the net from three yards.
City's Greek keeper was replaced at the break by Andy Marshall, as those watching the game were joined by Chris Coleman and Steve Kean and within three minutes of the restart, the Sky Blues were level. Joel Grandison,who played on the right wing got the goal,when he turned inside the area to collect a precision pass from Matty West and slip the ball under Craig Samson.
One goal almost became two,a minute later, when Sean Jeffers got through only to be denied by Sansom with his legs.
With Robbie Simpson having to do a lot of donkey work to help out the midfield, Hereford again started to display signs of wanting a winning goal.
They were denied what looked a penalty when Hereford's number eight was brought down by subsititute Jamie Greenway in the 65th minute before Marshall saved on his left four minutes later.
It was the City keeper who was now far the busier in the last fifteen minutes of the match. Twice, Hereford had gone close before Marshall denied Chadwick's volley and then got down to save an 84th minute low volley from Hereford's number seven who had got on the end of an excellent left wing cross for a substitute.
That was the last of the action and both sides settled for a well deserved draw.
City
Konstantopolos (Marshall 46),Cain,Hollist (Greenway 62),Fraser, Jones, Cameron,Grandison,Beuzelin,West,Simpson,Jeffers.
HT CCFC 0-1 HUFC FT CCFC 1-1 HUFC
Goals Nick Chadwick (44), Joel Grandison (48)
Coventry City Reserves drew in a friendly this afternoon against Hereford United at the Alan Higgs Centre.
With Stephen Wright and Ben Turner not being included, Frankie Bunn named eight of the U18's team which had lost at Aston Villla on Saturday and fielded Guilly Beuzelin,Robbie Simpson and Dimi Konstantopolous in goal.
On a rainy afternoon at the Alan Higgs Centre, the Sky Blues enjoyed the early play, winning two corners and Matty West dragging a shot wide from the edge of the area in the eighth minute.
Much of the play centred around the middle third with Sean Fraser and Beuzelin both heavily involved. It was the Frenchman who had City's best chance of the half when his 22nd minute speculative thirty five yard lob just missed the crossbar by a couple of inches.
The League One side,whose players were older and more experienced than the Sky Blues, started to worry the City defence.
Centre Forward Nick Chadwick fired just wide in the 28th minute and a shot from the visitors number eleven had to be deflected for a 35th minute corner. This led to the ball being sprayed across the pitch for Hereford's number six to get into the six yard box and fire a shot which Konstantopolous managed to block with his legs.
Less than thirty seconds before the end of the first half, Hereford took the lead. The vistors had earned themselves a corner. This was sent deep to the far side of the penalty area before being sent back for Nick Chadwick to backheel the ball into the net from three yards.
City's Greek keeper was replaced at the break by Andy Marshall, as those watching the game were joined by Chris Coleman and Steve Kean and within three minutes of the restart, the Sky Blues were level. Joel Grandison,who played on the right wing got the goal,when he turned inside the area to collect a precision pass from Matty West and slip the ball under Craig Samson.
One goal almost became two,a minute later, when Sean Jeffers got through only to be denied by Sansom with his legs.
With Robbie Simpson having to do a lot of donkey work to help out the midfield, Hereford again started to display signs of wanting a winning goal.
They were denied what looked a penalty when Hereford's number eight was brought down by subsititute Jamie Greenway in the 65th minute before Marshall saved on his left four minutes later.
It was the City keeper who was now far the busier in the last fifteen minutes of the match. Twice, Hereford had gone close before Marshall denied Chadwick's volley and then got down to save an 84th minute low volley from Hereford's number seven who had got on the end of an excellent left wing cross for a substitute.
That was the last of the action and both sides settled for a well deserved draw.
City
Konstantopolos (Marshall 46),Cain,Hollist (Greenway 62),Fraser, Jones, Cameron,Grandison,Beuzelin,West,Simpson,Jeffers.
HT CCFC 0-1 HUFC FT CCFC 1-1 HUFC
Goals Nick Chadwick (44), Joel Grandison (48)