COVENTRY CITY 2-3 LEEDS UNITED BY KEV MONKS
Date 06/11/10 At The Ricoh Arena
Team
Westwood, Keogh, Cranie (Baker 84), Wood, Turner, Clingan, Gunnarsson, Carsley, McSheffrey, Platt (King 30), Jutkiewiciz SNU Ireland, McPake, Doyle, Clarke, O'Donovan
Leeds
Brown, Connolly, Collins, Gradel (Hughes 69), Kilkenny (Somma 83), Howson, Faye (Johnson 61), Becchio, Snodgrass, McCartney, O'Brien
SNU Bruce, Sam, Nunez, Higgs
HT CCFC 0-2 LUFC FT CCFC 2-3 LUFC ATT 28, 184
Goals Jon Howson (4) Robert Snodgrass (39), Lukas Jutkiewicz (51), Max Gradel (pen 61), Ben Turner 63
Referee Keith Stroud Booked Carsley, Brown, Collins, Becchio, Faye
Man Of The Match Ben Turner took the votes with nominations for Martin Cranie and Gary McSheffrey
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The big worry ahead of Coventry City's home game against Leeds United was that now the Sky Blues had enticed back those who don't visit the Ricoh Arena as often as others, could they avoid doing what they have done on eight out of nine occasions since the Sky Blues were moved to the Ricoh Arena in 2005 and not get beaten.
The answer was no as Leeds United were allowed to leave Coventry with a 3-2 victory after a poor first half showing from the Sky Blues.
Manager Aidy Boothroyd was able to name an unchanged side for the fifth consecutive game on a sunny but cold afternoon and had stated in the morning's press about how diffilcult it would be to keep the fourth place in the Championship table that had been attained with a 1-0 victory at Sheffield United last week.
Although, City used the game as part of the Poppy Day promotion and there was a guard of standard bearers to welcome the players onto the pitch plus good applause for the families of the local soldiers who had lost their lives in Afghanistan last year, there was no minute's silence that had been agreed with the club's supporters to mark the 70th anniversary of the Blitz and other events and shows the lack of respect that certain non Coventry people in the club have to our city.
The Leeds fans whose number totalled over six thousand, three hundred were in fine voice and they had plenty to cheer when a mistake allowed Robert Snodgrass to knock the ball over for JON HOWSON to score in front of the away fans from close range.
City, attacking the CT Stand end in the first half, were struggling to find any rythmn although Aron Gunnarsson was sending over some good crosses and Clive Platt was winning everything in the air, the Sky Blues lacked any of the cohesion that they have shown in recent games.
They were not helped by some strange refereeing decisions including one in the 13th minute where Leeds much to the disgust of the Tescos Stand got a free kick when it looked either a Leeds throw or a City free kick.
Ben Turner, for me had a fine game and was a threat from corners. He forced Brown in to a 16th minute save from a corner, which led to a deflected Gary McSheffrey shot also producing a corner.
The Leeds fans appealed for a 27th minute penalty, which was not given before they were in their element when Clive Platt limped on and Marlon King came on.
"She Said No", sang the visiting fans, amongst other ditties, whilst City continued to play the high ball uptowards King and Jutkiewicz.
It was a tactic that was clearly not working as the Leeds defence dealt with all the high balls and in the 39th minute, it was head in hands time for the Coventry support in a record attendance for a home league game at the Ricoh Arena when ROBERT SNODGRASS was left with all the time in the world to send a stunning drive from 25 yards out high into the net.
As we entered stoppage time, City were awarded a free kick after a shirt pull by Neil Collins. Lee Carlsey who had spent much of the first half trying to chase players instead of getting on the ball and stopping Leeds from dictating the play, sent the kick into the wall and it went for a corner which was grabbed by Brown off the line, seconds after a Wood effort had been hacked away.
LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ was a player many City supporters would have replaced at half-time but six minutes into the second half, he got City back in the match when he scored his first goal of the season from open play with a header from a McSheffrey long ball over to the left hand side of the area.
The noise level and effort of the City players raised and the City fans were going mad when the industrious Gary McSheffrey who had a media spat with Leeds boss Simon Grayson in the week, fired the ball into the net only for the assistant on the Main Stand side to have his flag raised and the goal was ruled out for offside.
This was a great game for the neutral and in the 61st minute, it got worse for the Sky Blues supporters when Max Gradel went into the area and over the leg of Richard Keogh, who, today did not have one of his better games. Soft it may have been, but the City fans would have been if fuming if that had not been awarded at the other end. Anyhow, MAX GRADEL got up and beat Keiren Westwood to put his side 3-1 up.
City went up the other end and within two minutes, they had reduced Leeds winning margin to one goal when BEN "Back Of The Net" TURNER got the ball inside the area and thumped it home.
Turner may be in goal-scoring form this season but there has been no dereliction of his main duty and but in the 66th minute, he made the save of the day when Becchio got round Westwood and hit the ball towards the goal. Suddenly out of nowhere, Ben Turner got back and in colliding with the right hand post, he brilliantly cleared for a corner.
Leeds, who have been better away from home this season, according to a very good Leeds supporting mate that I had the pleasure of a pre-game swally with, were content to waste as much time as possible with keeper Brown who had replaced former City loanee Kasper Schmeichel the main culprit.
Marlon King who probably only had half a dozen touches of the ball wasted a good chance with nine minutes left and McSheffrey and Jutkiewciz also had chances saved but City yet again, were beaten at home in front of crowd over 25,000.