Team
Konstantopolus,Osbourne,Ward,De Zeeuw,Hall (Dann 80),Tabb,S.Hughes (M.Hughes 46),Doyle,Gray,Best,Simpson (Mifsud 60) SNU Marshall,Davis
PRESTON
Lonergan,Sedgewick,Hawley Ormerod 79),Brown,Carter,St Ledger,Chilvers,Whaley (Mellor 86),Hill,Jones SNU Chaplow,Mawene, Szamotoluski
Ref Mike Pike. Booked De Zeeuw
Att 11,857 Goal St Ledger (20)
Least Worst Player - Leon Best
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STARTING UP LINE
Iain Dowie made two changes from the side which beat Barnsley.
Marcus Hall was back into defence with Robbie Simpson replacing Michael Mifsud.
Simpson Best
Gray Doyle S.Hughes Tabb
Hall De Zeeuw Ward Osbourne
Konstantopolous
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CITY SUPPORT
Not a massive turn out, but a good one. Supporters travelled from Gloucester,Kent and Malta.
One coach (not the one that Joe Elliott was on), broke down at Junction 13 and finally arrived 35 minutes into the first half.
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GROUND
An impressive ground which will be further improved when the Main Stand is finished.
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Coventry City remain deep in the mire after a 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Preston North End.
Unlike one of the coaches,we arrived in plenty of time to see Iain Dowie name a side with Marcus Hall back in defence and Robbie Simpson in for Michael Mifsud.
On what was the warmest day of the year, the Sky Blues never looked like finally breaking the hoodoo of never having won at Deepdale and were sluggish from the start.
Granted the pitch was not in a good state but City spent most of the first half on the back foot,having to make some good tackles to concede a number of corners.
Leon Best was the best chance of a goal and he played a neat one two with Michael Doyle for a thirteen minute shot which earned a corner.
It was a corner that saw City concede what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 20th minute. Marcus Hall, who played 62 minutes for the reserves on Tuesday, made a great tackle to deny Whaley.
When the flag kick came over, up rose Hall at the far post. However, Sean St Ledger rose higher to nod the ball off the City defender and past the badly placed Sky Blues keeper into the corner of the net.
Alan Irvine's side continued to control the play,attacking down either flank at will,whilst all City could muster was a tame low 34th minute drive from Isaac Osbourne.
In the 43rd minute,a neat move by Brown played in Whaley. His shot from fourteen yards was pushed away by the diving Dimi for a corner.
Not surprisingly,City were booed off at the break and Dowie went for a change at the break replacing Stephen Hughes with Michael Hughes.
Four minutes in and Leon Best hit a shot on the turn from the edge of the area but Lonergan was equal to it,diving high to his left to push away for a corner.
That was City's best chance of the match. Dowie sent on Michael Mifsud for the lightweight and mostly out of his depth Robbie Simpson.
Mifsud again flattered to deceive, with an inability to work out the offside trap ala Darren Huckerby. Granted,a couple of times, he was onside but with the referee Mr Pike,sometimes being a stupid boy, he didnt get a decision go his way.
The City support who deserve a lot better, tried to rally the troops with an eight minute chant of "Twist And Shout" whilst others became more interested in how Coventry Sphinx were faring in the FA Vase than this turgid affair being served up before us.
With ten to go, Scott Dann,whose fee for his move from Walsall was £200k or £750k rising to £1m depending on who you believe, got another run out.
Dowie used him as a makeshift attacker but Preston, who were in the bottom three at the start of play, controlled the rest of the game.
The final whistle was met by a series of boos and a chorus of "We're Sh#t and We're Sick Of It." which sums up how many of us who paid good money to watch this garbage felt.