WATFORD 2-3 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Date 29/09/09 At Vicarage Road Championship
Team
Westwood, Clarke (Cranie 68), Wright, Ward, van Aanholt, Clingan,Cork, McIndoe (Eastwood 72), Gunnarsson (Osbourne 85), Best, Morrison SNU Konstantopolous,Walker, Cain, Jeffers
Watford
Loach, Mariappa , Cowie (Lansbury 56), Graham, Doyley, Harley, Bennett, Hoskins (Henderson 70), Cleverley, Eustace, Hodson (Oshodi 76). SNU Lee, Severin, Bryan, Sordell
HT WFC 2-1 CCFC FT WFC 2-3 CCFC
ATT 13,034
Goals Sammy Clingan (13), Tom Cleverley (20), Will Hoskins (37), Leon Best (65 & (84)
Referee A. Marriner
Man Of The Match Keiren Westwood took the votes in our car. _______________________
Coventry City came back to beat Watford 3-2 in a highly entertaining game.
At a three sided Vicarage Road on a pleasant night and no hold ups on the M1, there was an excellent turn out of City supporters in the away end. This included many southern based supporters including some from South Wales.
There was plenty of noise from the 750 strong Sky Blue Army as City attacked the end where we were in the first half.
The team showed three changes with the injured Ben Turner and Marcus Hall replaced by Elliott Ward and Patrick van Aanholt. Issac Osbourne, who started on Saturday was replaced by Aron Gunnarsson.
The Icelander injured his arm early on but played on and showed some of the form that took him to the hearts of the City support last season.
Gunnarsson was not alone in what was a battling performance from the Sky Blues. Against a team which had only lost once and one that included former Sky Blue John Eustace, who was booed by some of the travelling support, City could have been down in the opening seconds when the 'Golden Boys' as the announcer called them won two corners before Will Hoskins headed over.
Cork went close with a header before McIndoe got in a 3rd minute shot from the right side of the area which Roche got a touch to push away.
Jordan Clarke, who looked good going forwards, just missed the far post.
The way City have been playing of late, you do fancy them to score and in the 13th minute, Coventry did just that. The ball fell to Sammy Clingan, twenty yards out. His low drive was perfectly measured and it went into the bottom of the net.
Watford keeper Scott Loach chucked a wobbler, claiming his line of vision was impaired as Clinton Morrison and a couple of other City players tried to get out of the path of the ball.
The goal stood but with Elliott Ward and Stephen Wright at sixes and sevens and the midfield not stopping through balls, Watford won two corners and then equalised when Tom Cleverley volleyed home on the edge of the six yard box in the 20th minute.
If you were a neutral, you would have loved this game as two sides who could attack but had frail defences, gave their supporters some nervous moments.
Loach made a good stop in the 31st minute after Morrison dived in to a drive from the right by Clarke.
But in the 37th minute, City had the ball inside the Watford penalty area. It was cleared upfield and Will Hoskins got on the right to give Westwood no chance.
The Republic of Ireland international may not have got to that one but two minutes before the interval, a mistake by Ward let Watford in. The ball was squared by Cowie but somehow Westwood pulled off a tremendous save to save a certain goal from Hoskins.
The Watford fans were howling at their strikers who by now should have wrapped up a victory when thirty seconds after the restart, Danny Graham was left totally unmarked to volley over the bar.
City kept battling away, always looking a threat on the break and after Ward had made a superb tackle to deny Graham and with Freddie Eastwood warming up to come on.
City got a throw in, on the side of the three stands put together, which is now closed to spectators. Gunnarsson’s throw fell for McIndoe whose volley was blocked and gave City a corner.
The ball eventually came out to the right after a six yard box scramble for Sammy Clingan. The Ulsterman centred to the far post and there was Leon Best who headed into the net and sent the City support into a frenzy.
Best had another header saved before Martin Cranie came on in place of Jordan Clarke to try and add some more strength to the City defence.
Four minutes after that change, Coleman made another. To chants of “Here Comes Our Goal Machine” from some of the City fans at the back of the stand, Freddie Eastwood came on for Michael McIndoe.
In the 74th minute, Keiren Westwood was at his best when a Liam Henderson cross caught Stephen Wright’s leg and somehow, Westwood kept it out with lightening reactions.
Four minutes later, the Coventry keeper who was receiving all the plaudits from the City fans made another cracking save from a header.
Eastwood forced Loach into a save and in the 84th minute, the home keeper was picking the ball out of the net for the third time in the match when a Clingan cross was helped on by Ward and Leon Best got a leg to send the ball into the net.
It was pandemonium in the away end as this goal was duly celebrated by a very happy Sky Blue support.
Isaac Osbourne was sent on but Watford continued to attack. Westwood had to make two more saves with even Clinton Morrison getting back to making a cracking intervention.
The game went into stoppage time and Martin Cranie cleared off the line before a terrible miss from Liam Henderson.
Then much to our relief, referee Andre Marriner, who had little to do apart from let this highly entertaining affair flow, blew the final whistle to herald a well deserved victory for Coventry City.