COVENTRY CITY U21'S 2-2 CREWE ALEXANDRA U21'S
City: Burge, Phillips, Christie, Henderson, Cameron, Malaga, Roberts, Finch (Maund 84), O'Donovan, Rankin (Lawton 62), Baker-Richardson. SNU Fagan, Fletcher, Garner
Crewe: Garrett, Bateman (Wilson 80), Turton, Nolan, Ray, Guthrie, Daniels (Moores 71), Waters, Clayton (Gorman 72), Moore, Colclough.
HT CCFC 1-1 CAFC FT CCFC 2-2 CAFC
Booked Henderson
Goals Roy O'Donovan (10 & 93), Ryan Colclough (32 & 85)
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Coventry City U21's picked up their first point of the Barclays U21 Premier League Division 2 North season when Roy O'Donovan snatched a last gasp equalised.
Lee Carsley again included Kevin Malaga, Roy O'Donovan, Nathan Cameron and Cyrus Christie in a game that only went ahead due to the good work of the groundstaff at the Alan Higgs Centre. due to it not having stopped raining for twenty four hours.
The referee who wore the same colour black as the Crewe team and City keeper Lee Burge ordered an early kick off and with supporters still coming in, the Sky Blues took the lead in the tenth minute.
Will Roberts won the first of two corners and when the second one came in, there was Roy O'Donovan to get in a diving flick header to send the ball past Garrett and into the net from six yards.
Seven minutes later and O'Donovan was through on goal but this time he fired over. It was all City who were now being watched by new manager Mark Robins and coach Steve Taylor and in the 27th minute, O'Donovan hit the bar from six yards after working his way into the area.
Against the run of play and with the rain getting worse, Crewe drew level in the 32nd minute when a right wing cross was not dealt with by the City defence well led by Cameron and Ryan Colclough was able to slip the ball past Lee Burge from seven yards.
The pitch was holding up well so the second half started by the referee who had changed his top along with the assistants to yellow ones and saw Will Roberts driving wide from a 54th minute corner.
Crewe started to have the chances. Burge saved from Waters on the hour mark and then pushed over a shot from Moore five minutes later for a corner.
City had sent on Ivor Lawton in midfield and Crewe made two changes before first, the hard working Courtney Baker-Richardson got in a shot on target and Burge had to dive to his right to push away a Billy Waters shot for a corner.
With nine minutes to go of what was an entertaining game, played in a good spirit between two sides committed to playing decent football, both sides hit the bar. George Ray got in a header which hit the bar before Burge could grab it and then City broke and Will Roberts at the other end struck the woodwork.
Nathan Cameron went on a surging run and forced Garratt to save with his feet and in the 85th minute, City won a corner and up rose Kevin Malaga, who did well, even if his body language at times suggested to some of the City support that he would rather be elsewhere, to get in a header which Garratt managed to parry one handed.
Straight from that attempt on goal, Crewe went up the other end through substitute Liam Wilson, who picked out Ryan Colclough on the far side of the area. Colclough got the ball on his right and beat Burge to put Crewe in front.
Unlike, the first team, heads did not go down. the industrious Joe Henderson headed over and in the third minute of time, added on. Ben Maund sent Roy O'Donovan on goal with only Garratt to beat.
O'Donovan duly obliged, sticking the ball past Garrett on his left hand side and Coventry City U21's were on the board with their first point of the season.