CARDIFF CITY  2-0  COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS

Date 20/10/09 At The Cardiff City Stadium   Championship  

Coventry
Westwood, Cranie, Wright, Turner, van Aanholt (Hussey 67), Osbourne, Cork, McIndoe, Eastwood, Best (Bell 64), Morrison SNU Konstantopolous, Madine, Grandison, Clarke
 
Cardiff
Marshall, Kennedy, Matthew, Hudson, Gerrard, Whittingham, Burke, Ledley, McPhail, Chopra, Bothroyd SNU Enckleman, Rae, Gyepes, Quinn, Taiwo, Feeney, McCormack
 
HT CCFC 1-0 CCFC FT CCFC 2-0 CCFC ATT 19,038
Goals Anthony Gerrard (4), Peter Whittingham (58 pen)
Referee Mike Russell
Booked Turner, Bothroyd, Cork, Wright, van Aanholt
Man Of The Match The young City mascot from Gloucester, who looked good before kick off and applauded the City support well.
 _______________________

Coventry City badly let 350 City supporters, who took the time and effort to get to the new Cardiff City Stadium to see a Sky Blues side give Cardiff an easy 2-0 victory.
 
A couple of coach loads (one of which suffered a tyre blow out on the way back), a number of cars, plus City fans from Gloucestershire, South Wales, Bristol, Kent and ambridgeshire all made their way into the sanitised new home of the Bluebirds.
 
Very much resembling the Ricoh Arena, the away fans are housed in the scoreboard corner and they saw a City team, which had two changes from the one that had failed at Hillsborough on Saturday.
 
Martin Cranie was back in defence with Freddie Eastwood on the left whilst new loanees Chris Hussey and Gary Madine on the bench.
 
Chris Coleman, who was roundly abused by the home fans, told his players not to concede early on.  However, four minutes in and his words, on a rainy night, crumbled to dust as Cardiff took the lead thanks to a fine header from former Walsall man Anthony Gerrard heading home unchalleged a cross from the left.
 
Leon Best, who had little to no service for most of the match, was denied by David Marshall who dived to beat away his eighth minute shot.
 
Three minutes later, Clinton Morrison who spent a lot of time out of the game on the right flank, played in Best who hit the side netting.
 
Apart from one rare attack by Jack Cork, all the play was up the other end.
 
Thanks to City's midfield not retaining possession, Cardiff who included former Sky Blue Jay Bothroyd launched attack after attack.
 
Keiren Westwood got to a Bothroyd poke in the 15th minute. Whittiingham was having too much freedom on the right. He sent one into the side netting and was a constant threat.
 
Then in the 32nd minute, Whittingham was clear through and Ben Turner had no choice but to bring him down. Thankfully, he was not directly on goal and Turner escaped with a caution.
 
Michael McIndoe playing in the centre of midfield struggled and in the 32nd minute, it was only a tackle by van Aanholt that prevented Cardiff from going further in front. The loanee gave McIndoe the same short thrift that some of the City support, were putting in his direction.
 
Westwood saved from Whittingham as we went into the break, very unhappy at the Sky Blues latest display of ineptitude.
 
Apart from a shot from Cork from 25 yards and one from Eastwood which was straight at the keeper late on, City never looked like getting back into the match.
 
In the 57th minute, the game was well and truly over when some woeful defending from Stephen Wright following a Turner howler saw a penalty conceded.
 
Treacle Towner Peter Whittingham scored from the resulting spot kick.
 
Had this been a boxing bout, this contest would have been stopped to save the punishment that the excuse for a defence and the furious City support were suffering.
 
But the misery continued as Leon Best went off with what looked like a hamstring injury. David Bell was sent on but without any match practice, only made up the numbers.
 
In the 67th minute, Chris Hussey was given his debut. Clearly not used to not getting the ball when he called for it, Hussey's waving and gesturing kept the Cardiff fans, who are no longer the intimidating 12th man they were at Ninian Park, to our right amused and they were cheering every time the loanee from AFC Wimbledon got the ball.
 
Bell and McIndoe had half hearted attempts, which were easily dealt before there were calls for Coleman to sort it out as we trudged depressed at having wasted another day watching a not good enough Coventry City, out of the stadium and made our way home.

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