City Fall To League Leaders

Last updated : 10 December 2009 By Kev Monks at Ricoh Arena

COVENTRY CITY 0-2 NEWCASTLE UNITED  BY KEV MONKS
Date 09/12/09 At Ricoh Arena        Championship

Coventry
Westwood, Clarke (Grandison 20), Cranie, Barnett, van Aanholt, Eastwood, Cork (Madine 84), Gunnarsson (Bell 84), McIndoe, Best, Morrison SNU Ireland, Hussey, Jeffers, McPake

Newcastle
Harper, Coloccini, Enrique, Pancrate (R.Taylor 75), Butt, Smith, Guttieriez, Lovenkrands (30 Ranger), Ameobi (Harewood 63), S.Taylor SNU Kadar, Krul, Guthrie, Khizanishvilli
 
HT CCFC 0-1 NUFC  FT  CCFC 0-2 NUFC  ATT 21,688
Goals Shola Amoebi (45), Nile Ranger (81)
Referee G.Hegley  Booked Cork
Man Of The Match Freddy Eastwood took the votes
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Coventry City are now ten matches with a win after a spirited performance saw them beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United.

The biggest crowd of the season, which saw City supporters from Kent, Cambridgeshire, South Wales and Northern Ireland file into the Ricoh Arena to hear the Sky Blue Song played on a trumpet before giving the 1st Battalion Of the Fusiliers a standing ovation as they provided a guard of honour. 

Chris Coleman, who had promised plenty of effort from his team after the disappointment that was Scunthorpe, had Patrick van Aanholt back in a defence that was minus Richard Wood.

This game on a dry night could have gone either way and certainly Chris Hughton, who knows all about City team’s being the under-dogs from his appearance in the 1987 FA Cup Final, prepared his team accordingly with
Newcastle playing the patient build-up game in the first half with Jonas Guitierriez able to drag the City team over to his left hand side of the pitch whilst Nicky Butt controlled the midfield.

The visitors had kept the City defence busy and in the 18th minute, Jordan Clarke, injured his ankle clearing for a corner. The youngster received treatment but was not able to continue and was replaced by Jermaine Grandison with Martin Cranie dispatched to right back.

City continued to defend and looked to counter-attack. Leon Best had a shot blocked in the 27th minute before Leon Barnett, who was good in the air but struggled when the ball was on the deck, tugged the shirt of Lovenkrands and as the last man, was lucky to get away without a card from referee Grant Hegley.

The City fans roared to life with a Sky Blue Army chant. Then in the 37th minute, Leon Best got the ball on the left hand side of the area and his left foot shot hit the bar and when the ball came back in with a cross from the right, Michael McIndoe got in a header that bounced off the bar.

Just as we were getting to the half-time interval, Shola Ameobi got the ball inside the area and turned before firing a shot that beat the red shirted Keiren Westwood on his near post to give Newcastle the lead.

City continued in the same determined manner in the second half. Leon Best drove a shot at Harper and then sent a 56th minute free kick not far wide of the goal.

On the hour mark, the lively Freddy Eastwood, was denied a goal when he got to a McIndoe cross and hit a drive which looked like it was going into before a Newcastle defender got in the way.

Hughton made a double change with the well abused Marlon Harewood coming on just before Eastwood was denied by Harper as City continued to press.

Leon Best had a header from a Cranie cross with fifteen minutes left. But with six minutes to go, it was game over as Nile Ranger scored. The move started down the left. Marlon Harewood got the ball and delivered a cross. Keiren Westwood came out of his goal and uncharacteristically flapped at the cross that fell for the unmarked Nile Ranger to bang into the net before racing over to celebrate with 3,937 delighted Geordies.

Quite a few City fans headed for home as  “You’re Getting Sacked In The Morning”, directed at Chris Coleman, boomed out of the away end.

David Bell and Gary Madine were introduced but the game that had seen a better performance from City was over and the points were going home with the league leaders.