City Start With A Draw At Nuneaton

Last updated : 12 July 2015 By Covsupport News Service
NUNEATON TOWN  0-0 COVENTRY CITY
 
City: First Half: Charles-Cook, Phillips, Willis, Martin, Haynes, O'Brien, Finch, Fleck, Ruben Lameiras, Maddison, Tudgay.
 
Second Half: Charles-Cook, Devon Kelly-Evans, Harries, Lawton, Stokes, C.Thomas, Ricketts, G,Thomas (Stevenson 80), Vincelot, Swanson, Ngankam
 
Nuneaton: First Half Rowley, Clifton, Reid, Byrne, Maguire, Lane (Hicks 18), Dawes, Keane, Duffy, Williams, Hoban, Subs: Harewood, Taylor, Delaney, Bothwell.
 
Nuneaton: Second Half: Fondop, Smith, Keane, Grocott, Pepe, King, Yafai, Bobes-Gilroy, Diop (Harewood 67), Dyer (Delaney 70), Opoku.

HT NTFC 0-0  CCFC
FT NFTC 0-0   CCFC
ATT 1 502
Goals None
Referee: Carl Henry. Assts Mark Weatherhall, Justin Jacobs,
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Coventry City kicked off their pre-season campaign with a at Nuneaton Town
 
Wearing the U21's shirts and black shorts, City took to the field for the first half with a trialist up front with Marcus Tudgay.
 
Prior to kick off a sizeable City support including a number from London, were taunting Nuneaton that they had more fans than them and it certainly looked like there was probably more City supporters in the four stands in this ground which will host Conference North football this season.
 
City attacked the end where the City support was for the first half. Both sides had early attacks which came to nothing before Cladiu Hoban drilled a shot wide on the left.
 
Former Tottenham player Ruben Lameiras wearing the number 12 shirt for City showed that he was prepared to battle even if his first touch was initially not brilliant.
 
Kevin Wilson's side won two corners in the seventh minute before his side won a free kick that was headed over the bar two minutes later.
Tony Mowbray, in a white polo shirt, watched on as Maddison had a shot saved by Rowley's feet and then the Trialist did the same.
 
Nuneaton went up the other end and Charles-Cook got down to push a long range shot from James Reid away to his left.
 
Ryan Haynes swung over a 20th minute cross and three minutes later was involved as City won a corner that was headed over by Tudgay.
Hoban banged over a cross which was watched out by the City defence led by Arron Martin. 
 
Charles-Cook saved on the half hout mark as the City support in the middle of the away end started throwing caps in an act of boredo.
What they needed was a goal and it nearly came in the 32nd minute when Rowley saved from Maddison and Ruben Lameiras to concede two corners the second was headed wide by Aaron Phillips.
 
Jim O'Brien fired in the side netting before the lively Maddison was hacked down on the edge of the area. 
 
Maddison took a great kick which went over the wall and bounced down before being cleared for a corner.
 
Tudgay missed with a free header and O'Brien fired at Rowley but there were no goals at the break. 
 
Both sides made complete changes at the break with debuts for Romain Vincelot and Sam Ricketts for City.
 
City who will play away to Portsmouth on July 21st, had to concede a 59th minute corner that was confidently dealt with by Ivor Lawton.
 
Chris Stokes broke and won a corner on the hour mark in a tepid game which struggled to keep the attention of many of those present.
 
George Thomas had a shot saved in the 66th minute before setting up the second trialist in Roussel Ngankem a former German U19 international, who looked nowhere near as good as the first one, for a shot which he blasted wide.
 
In the 71st minute, Kevin Wilson sent on new signing Marlon Harewood, who was immediately beaten in the air by Harries and then beaten to the ball by Charles-Cook and told by the City support that he was no longer famous.
 
With fifteen minutes to go, there was a clash of heads between Conor Thomas and Cian Harries. Thomas came off worse and had to be replaced by Ben Stevenson.
 
Dawes fired wide for Nuneaton,  Swanson fired wide and Harewood sent a free kick over, before this game which the players and coaches will take more from than the 1502 supporters who attended, thankfully ended.