COVENTRY CITY U21's 1-2 CREWE ALEXANDRA
City: Burge, Dion Kelly-Evans, Devon Kelly-Evans, C.Thomas, Harries, Daniels. G.Thomas, Swanson (Spence 80), Tudgay, Maddison, Jackson (Stevenson 76). Subs: Richards, Barnett, Richards, Maycock
Crewe: Shearer, Ng, Kearns, Nolan. Stuart, Jones, Cooper, Guthrie, Saunders, Dalla Valle, Waters. Subs : Brown., Speed, Mullarkey.
HT CCFC 1-0 CAFC FT CCFC 1-2 CAFC
Goals Marcus Tudgay 20, Lauri Della Valle pen 65, 89
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Coventry City U21's were beaten 2-1 by Crewe Alexandra.
Darren Murray fielded a strong side for this game at Nuneaton Town and the Sky Blues were straight on the attack with James Maddison having a shot blocked in the opening seconds.
Crewe went straight up the other end with Dalla Valle firing over in front of the watching Steven Pressley, Neil MacFarlane and Steve Ogrizovic, plus Crewe boss Steve Davis and former players Ian Goodwin and Marcus Hall amongst a small crowd.
George Cooper fired at Lee Burge in the eighth minute as at the other end, Simeon Jackson and George Thomas worked well.
In the 13th minute, Conor Thomas played a great through ball to pick out Marcus Tudgay but former City keeper Scott Shearer was first to the ball.
Crewe relied on the counter-attack and one move in the seventeenth minute saw Lee Burge having to use his legs to block from . Another counter led to a free kick immediately afterwards which was easily cleared by City's back four.
The ball was switched over to Jackson who sent a long ball for for Marcus Tudgay to run on to and and slip powerfully past Shearer to give the Sky Blues a 20th minute lead.
Danny Swanson fired over and then drove wide following a good move on the half hour mark which involved Jackson who had switched to the left.
In the 36th minute, some persistence from James Maddison won City a corner but it was cleared to Billy Waters who was hacked down by the promptly cautioned Conor Thomas.
Jackson fired over and Maddison battled on the left to try and win a corner whilst Cooper fired at Burge who then grabbed an incoming cross and Swanson fired at Shearer.
City with Billy Daniels pulling strings in midfield, Jackson played a great ball through to Maddison who was thwarted by a great tackle from Anthony Stuart.
Billy Waters fired high and wide in the 53rd minute. City attacked. Tudgay got the ball over for Jackson who came in and saw his shot pushed away by Shearer when it looked like he would score.
George Cooper forced Burge to push round for a 55th minute corner,
City won a 59th minute corner that ended up cleared out to Waters who was tackled straight after by Cian Harries who had another solid game.
Callum Saunders, son of the watching Dean Saunders, cut in for a 61st minute shot which Dion Kelly-Evans blocked for a corner after it had hit the post. That had to be dealt with and yet again Harries stepped in and took charge.
Jackson smashed a 63rd minute shot over the home stand but a trip on Waters in the 65th minute gave Crewe a penalty which Lauri Dalla Valle stroked home.
Conor Thomas drove in a shot which Shearer got down to, forcing a corner but the one time Albion Rovers keeper caught the flag kick and helped his side create another chance at the other end.
With fifteen minutes left, Billy Daniels had the ball in the net following some good work from George Thomas. Cooper missed a sitter from a 78th minute corner before Danny Swanson replaced for the last ten minutes by Kyle Spence.
With City resorting to kicking balls out of the ground, they were unlikely to score, so with a minute left, Crewe attacked and a cross from the left was glanced home by the head of Lauri Della Valle from eight yards to send City to defeat.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service.