COVENTRY CITY RESERVES 2-0 STOKE CITY RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
City
Ireland,Osbourne,Page,De Zeeuw,Griffiths,Cairo (Francis 60),S.Hughes,Brlecic (Simmons 72),Gray,Thornton,Adebola (Kyle 46). Subs Hildreth,Collett
Stoke
St Louis-Hamilton,Buxton,Shotton,Broomes,Dickinson,De Laet (Hazeley 75),Pullis,Wedderburn (Thorley 46),Demar Phillips,Parkin,Pericard
Subs Grocott,Ryan,J.Phillips,
Ref I.Scarr
Goals Cairo (65),Kyle (67)
Booked Griffiths
Att 121
Man Of The Match Aaron Griffiths
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Coventry City Reserves finished off 2007 with a home win over Stoke.
Steve Ogrizovic had the rare pleasure of fielding a very strong side for this game that had to be moved to the Ricoh due to the pitch at Liberty Way being frozen.
Stephen Hughes had his first start for the reserves since he was cast aside by Micky Adams last season and Isaac Osbourne was included whilst there were two trialists in Aaron Griffiths and Mario Brlecic who started with the reserve team regulars.
Stoke also had a reasonably strong side with John Parkin,Vincent Pericard,Anthony Pullis and Carl Dickinson all starting.
Frozen also were the supporters sat in the away section of the Jewson Stand. City, playing 4-5-1, attacked this end first.
Kevin Thornton,who played in an advanced role in midfield, skied across the face of the goal in the 6th minute with an Ellery Cairo cross over to Julian Gray being deflected for a tenth minute corner.
Marlon Broomes cleared an Adebola header before Stoke broke down the right and Danny Ireland was quick to make a smart 21st minute save.
The Stoke keeper was also busy,firstly blocking a Cairo shot and then pushing over a 26th minute free kick.
That was the last of the action in the first half and both sides made a change at the break.
Kevin Kyle came on for City and well in the air to get to a 47th minute Cairo cross.
The game needed a goal and like buses on Ball Hill,two arrived within two minutes.
The first came in the 65th minute when Stephen Hughes was first to react to a lose ball in the penalty area and banged it from close range. It was blocked on the line,although Hughes celebrated like he had scored (and was announced as the scorer) and to make sure, Ellery Cairo finished by thumping the ball into the ney anyway.
Two minutes later, Aaron Griffiths, who worked well all night, slipped the ball to Thornton. Some good work found Kevin Kyle who turned and driled the ball into the net.
There was no celebration from the Scot and it was not until the players headed back towards the centre circle that we knew that the ball had gone into the net.
Kyle continued to cause problems whilst Griffiths made a couple of runs as City kept things tight to win the game