SOLIHULL MOORS 2-1 COVENTRY CITY RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
TEAM
Ireland,McNamee,Page,De Zeeuw (Grandison 78),Page,Francis,Cairo,Hildreth,M.Hughes (Ashraf 70),Gray (Cain 58),Thornton,Kyle SNU Burgess,Robinson
Solihull
Ghent,Follett,Faulds,Collins,Streete,Downing,Morrison, Middleton,Anderson,Jakab,Motteram SNU Sanders,Davidson,Midworth,Moore,St Paul
Referee Stuart Attwell
Att 200
Goals Julian Gray (25),Dale Anderson (75 & 78)
Booked De Zeeuw,McNamee
Man Of The Match - David McNamee for his first half display.
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Coventry City crashed out of the Birmingham Senior Cup tonight with a 2-1 defeat at Solihull Moors.
Steve Ogrizovic named a strong side for the game against a Solihull side which merged with Moor Green from the Conference North at the end of last season. Julian Gray returned from injury and replaced Donovan Simmonds from the side which had beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 last week whilst Arjan De Zeeuw came in for Ellery Cairo.
Around two hundred supporters including at least seventy from Coventry had ignored the heavy rain which started in Coventry around 3pm and was still going on as the game kicked off.
The rain meant that Iain Dowie and Tim Flowers watched the game from the Corporate area above the Main Stand and the dug-outs were not the place to be as they were flooded.
In the opening period, the Sky Blues created chances and worked hard. Kevin Kyle was the first City player to have a goal on goal when he headed over from a Cairo cross in the sixth minute.
Nightboat was enjoying plenty of freedom on the right and the Dutchman slipped the ball inside for Kyle to hit a shot which went across the goal and was deflected for a corner six minutes later.
Kyle nodded over the bar from the resulting corner but in the 25th minute,the Scot turned provider crossing from the right for Julian Gray to head home from five yards for the first goal of the game.
Supporting Cairo on the right was David McNamee who cantered in the 32nd minute for Kyle who saw his toe poke get stuck in the surface water, a couple of feet in front of the goal, and keeper Matthew Ghent was able to pounce on it.
Kevin Thornton was also involved quite a lot and won a corner two minutes later which he played in McNamee who crossed for De Zeeuw to get in a header which Ghent dived to his left to save.
At half-time,we enjoyed a drink at Terry's tea bar, just up from the Main Stand. The proprietor of this emporium is a Coventry supporter and his stall proudly displayed a sign saying "CCFC Will Never Die".
What City had in their tea at the break must have had some effect as City were sluggish all the way through the second half. Bob Faulkner's side attacked straight away with Dale Anderson being allowed room and time to fire into the side netting in the first minute of the second period.
The good natured banter between the City support and the home fans (a mix of Birmingham and Villa) stood on the terrace behind the goal City were defending continued.
But it was the home supporters support which was boosting their team rather than ours.
Darren Middleton was far too often allowed to get in shots thankfully, most sailed over the roof of the terrace but it was an indicator of the slackness of marking which was creeping into City's game.
Julian Gray was replaced in the 58th minute by Ashley Cain and seconds later,a bad kick out by Danny Ireland let Dale Anderson in. Thankfully this time the chance was not taken.
Michael Hughes became the second City player to be substituted when he was exchanged for Reis Ashraf in the 70th minute.
Five minutes later, the game changed. A mistake by Robert Page let in Dale Anderson right in front of goal. Danny Ireland failed to cut down the angle as Anderson stroked the ball into the net.
Three minutes later and after De Zeeuw had been substituted, another catastrophic mistake by the Aussie misfit let Anderson get a second and winning goal.
Ireland went down to get a loose ball as Page watched on. Under no pressure, the ball slipped put of his grasp and fell for Dale Anderson to take a step to his left and tap the ball into the empty net.
The Solihull fans mocked and jeered as the City support vented their spleen at the keeper who lacks many of the aspects that we have associated with City keepers in the past.
Frustrations at this embarrassing defeat boiled over. Firstly,manager Steve Ogrizovic was told to sort it out and then new acting Chairman Joe Elliott was given the same message and there were calls for Ireland to be repatriated.
Our hope of sending the game in extra time came in the 92nd minute with a corner but a clearance on the line meant that at the first attempt, the defending Birmingham Senior Cup Champions had allowed themselves to be dumped out of the competition.