COVENTRY CITY U21's 1-2 LEEDS UNITED
City: Gott, Phillips, Haynes, Lawton, Urquhart, Barton, Garner, Daniels, Maund, Maddison (Quinn 60), Rankin. Subs Smith, Bromley, Stevenson, Finch.
Leeds: Cairns, Coker, Wootton, Bryan, Coyle (Parkin 65). Drury, Leninghan, Thompson, Dawson. Poleon, McDonald (Hutton 59). Subs Grimes, Parkin, Walters, Cook.
HT CCFC 1-2 LUFC
FT CCFC 1-2 LUFC
Goals Lewis Rankin 36, Afolabi Coker 39, Zak Thompson 45
____________________________________________________
Coventry City U21's battled away but their final game of 2013 ended in a 2-1 defeat.
Ian Foster fielded a pretty much as expected team with Billy Daniels captaining a young side and Adam Barton included in the starting line up on a wet and blustery afternoon at Sperrin Brewery Stadium at Nuneaton.
With Steven Pressley, Neil Macfarlane and Steve Ogrizovic joining the parents and supporters, Stuart Urquhart made a good block in the opening ninety seconds to deny Chris Dawson.
Alex Gott caught an Adam Drury cross before Leeds won their first corner in the seventh minute that was cleared but too far in front of James Maddison.
Simon Lenigham fired wide from a corner as the visitors continued to have the better of the opening exchanges.
Leeds won a second corner which Scott Wootton fired over and Dom Poleon made a great run into the area only to be stopped by Gott.
City countered through Ben Maund but the forward fired the wrong side of Cairns's left hand post in the 21st minute.
A great move brought City a corner four minutes later but that was cleared and Shaquille McDonald fired wide at the other end.
Lewis Rankin headed a Haynes cross wide on the half hour mark following a good move and some good persistence from City's left back.
In the 36th minute, a surging run from Haynes took City forward. They attacked again and this time the ball was fed to Lewis Rankin to stroke the ball home from twelve yards.
Leeds were level inside three minutes when defender Afolabi Coker jumped ahead of Alex Gott and and his header saw the ball loop into the net and on the stroke of half time, Leeds went in front when they were awarded a free kick and from twenty yards out, Zak Thompson scored by sending the ball high into the net.
Aaron Phillips had a shot pushed away by Cairns in the 53rd minute as the floodlights on a dark,wet and blowy afternoon, which made playing football difficult finally came on.
Ian Foster made a 60th minute switch bringing on Ryan Quinn for James Maddison in order to try and get his side back in the match.
They battled well against a Leeds side which had two corners and Poleon head over in the 66th minute.
The visitors won another corner four minutes later which Gott, who has been on the first team bench for the last two games, confidently dealt with.
In the 76th minute, a great move started by the hard working Ivor Lawton saw a lovely ball over to Ben Maund, who got in a shot at the keeper.
Louis Garner had a shot on goal late on but the strength of the wind and rain meant that there were no more goals and City U21's go into 2014 still looking for their first PDL League 2 North win this season.