NOTTS COUNTY 3-0 COVENTRY CITY
City: Murphy, Adams, Seaborne, Webster, Christie, Daniels (McGeouch 46), Thomas, Barton (Fleck 46), Baker (C), Moussa, Delfouneso. Subs: Burge, Garner, Willis, Clarke, Haynes.
Notts County:: Bialkowski, Freeman, Sheehan (c), Smith, Roberts, Mullins, Boucaud, Grealish, McGregor,(Appiah 78) Spencer, Campbell-Ryce. Subs: Spiess, Hollis, Thompson, Tempest, Showunmi, Fotheringham.
HT NCFC 2-0 CCFC FT NCFC 3-0 CCFC
ATT 8149
Goals Haydn Mullins 12, James Spencer 32, Alan Sheehan pen 86
Referee C.Berry
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Coventry City let down their travelling support after going down to a 3-0 defeat at Notts County thanks to their failure to retain possession.
Today was another show of strength from the City support under the mantra of "We're Coventry City, We'll Watch When We Want".
3,866 tickets had been sold for a match that was made all-ticket and the Sky Blue support was in fine voice as they made their way into a Meadow Lane ground for a League One fixture against Notts County.
Steven Pressley kept an unchanged team against a Magpies side that was without the injured former City loanees in Dean Leacock and Callum Ball.
There was a howling wind gusting around Meadow Lane as it started to fill with City supporters, many carrying "Why" banners as part of the protest organised by Keep Cov In Cov.
They saw former Sky Blue Brian Kilcline, a former Notts County player, introduced to the crowd and gave him a standing ovation before another former player in Tony Hateley, who died a week ago, was remembered with a minute’s applause.
City in their blue away kit, to "Sky Blue Army" chants, something far more tuneful than the drum banging away in the Kop Stand, had their first shot in the third minute when Nathan Delfounseo drilled wide of the Kop Stand goal from twenty yards in the third minute.
The Magpies won a free kick which sailed over the bar, whipped over a ninth minute cross which went for a throw and in the 12th minute, they took the lead when Campbell-Ryce crossed and Haydn Mullins rose to head past Murphy and a static City defence from five yards.
Danny Seaborne, again with a bandaged head, got in a couple of good headers before Billy Daniels got a ticking off from the referee, much to the annoyance of the fans in the main stand who wanted him cautioned.
A 22nd minute was half cleared by Blair Adams and the ball fell to Jack Grealish. Joe Murphy got down to his shot and then saved again from Boucaud before Campbell-Ryce fired over.
Baker, to the groans of the City support sent another cross wide, before being involved in a 27th minute move that saw Cyrus Christie, who won the Man Of The Match votes in our car, win a corner.
Manny Smith, who was marking Delfounseo, headed the flag kick away for a County side who looked better a better side than their League position suggests.
In the 32nd minute, County were gifted a second goal when Conor Thomas, joined the ranks of City players conceding possession and lost the ball, allowing Jimmy Spencer to rifle a shot past the diving Murphy on his left and into the net.
After the City fans had their say on this not unexpected second goal, the "Why" banners were held aloft and “SISU Out” chants rang round the ground.
Carl Baker was booked in the 37th minute as the police started filming City supporters. However, further up the Jimmy Sirrell Stand, one City support got onto the pitch and held up a "Why" banner. The referee did not see this and play continued with huge applause for the City supporter who was led away after making his point.
More giving the ball away led to Baker having to hack away before Spencer just missed the far post.
Just before the break, Christie went close but this was a poor first half from the Sky Blues who were booed off at the break.
Some City fans took that as their cue to head for the pub and missed Dylan McGeouch making his debut and John Fleck coming on for the second half.
Their decision to leave did not look a bad one as things did not get any better when the rain which has blighted this winter, started to come down, making a pitch which had markings from rugby matches clearly visible, churn up even worse.
City, who have rearranged their postponed match with Walsall for March 5th, dealt with a 52nd minute corner against a County side which had Roberts booked for a 59th minute handball and won a corner that sailed over everyone three minutes later.
Carl Baker drilled wide in the 65th minute only for County, to win two corners in quick succession and have another in the 80th minute.
With this being City’s worst away performance of the season, the City supporters were starting to head for home including City’s Commercial Manager who had been stood amongst the City support.
They had grown tired of seeing McGeouch spend most of his debut tracking back and John Fleck spending most of his time defending and when Blair Adams fouled Campbell-Ryce in the area and Alan Sheehan converted the resulting 86th minute penalty to make it 3-0. That was that and the away end promptly emptied.
City had a late corner, a stinging shot from Blair Adams and a header over from Seaborne but when the final whistle went, it was a blessed relief.