COVENTRY CITY 2-3 AET NEWCASTLE UNITED BY KEV MONKS
TEAM
Marshall, Hall,Ward,Dann,Fox, Beuzelin (Doyle 62), Gunnarsson,Tabb (Simpson 89), McKenzie (Gray 73),Morrison, Mifsud SNU Turner,Thornton,Clarke
NEWCASTLE
Given, Beye,Coloccini,Enrique,Milner,Geremi (Owen 74),Butt,Guthrie,N'Zogba, Guttierrez SNU Tozer,Donaldson, Ranger, Harper,Edgar,Taylor
HT CCFC 1-2 NUFC FT CCFC 2-2 NUFC ET1 CCFC 2-3 NUFC ET2 CCFC 2-3 NUFC ATT 19,249
REFEREE A.Bates Booked Hall,Fox
GOALS Scott Dann OG (20.45), James Milner (37), Clinton Morrison (45 +1),Scott Dann (90 +4),Michael Owen 96
MAN OF THE MATCH Votes for Scott Dann and Leon McKenzie
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STARTING FORMATION
Chris Coleman was without Freddie Eastwood and Keiran Westwood. Andy Marshall,Marcus Hall and Leon McKenzie started.
Newcastle fielded most of the team that beat Bolton with three changes made by former City trialist Kevin Keegan.
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WEATHER
A warmish night. It had been a cloudy day in Coventry.
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CITY SUPPORT
Not as many as was hoped but with the game on Sky and the problems of getting a ticket, this was probably about what could be expected.
Newcastle brought with them 3,000 supporters.
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Coventry City went out of the League Cup at the second round stage with a battling performance against Newcastle United at the Arena tonight.
Chris Coleman had to change the team which had lost to Bristol City on Saturday and opted to move Aron Gunnarsson into midfield with Marcus Hall coming in to the defence.
Roared on by a noisy crowd, City,attacking the Jewson Stand, played a 1-4-1-4 formation. They held the Premiership side for the best part of nineteen minutes with Michael Mifsud having the best effort with a low drive which Given saved.
The Geordies broke up the other end. James Milner got on the left and fired into the six yard box. Charles N'Zogbia was first to the ball. He clipped a shot which hit Scott Dann on his right foot and then his left and went into the net.
Newcastle relied on the patient build up with Nicky Butt completely controlling the midfield and forced Dann,Fox and Hall into some last ditch tackles and blocks.
In the 37th minute, James Milner, got the ball on the left, turned inside and curled the ball towards the goal. Andy Marshall was badly positioned and flapped at it and the ball curled into the bottom corner of the net.
Newcastle were in the driving seat but in stoppage time, City pulled one back. A long ball forward found Clinton Morrison. He tried to get the ball on his right but was blocked. Jay Tabb tried to get in a shot which again was blocked. This time the ball fell for Morrison to curl high into the net.
The goal lifted City and they were a lot better in the second half. They defended in numbers after Marshall had saved with his feet in the 49th minute and started to push forward through Leon McKenzie who was linking well with former team mate Clinton Morrison.
The improvement continued when Michael Doyle came on for Guilly Beuzelin,who again gave the City support little to get worked up about. In the 73rd minute, Julian Gray got a mixed reception from the City support when he came on for Leon McKenzie. Many around me felt that Michael Mifsud who was muscled out time and time again, should have been the man to go.
It looked like Newcastle were going to win the game and many supporters started to make their way out of the ground. Jay Tabb was replaced by Robbie Simpson just before the game went into stoppage time. In the fourth minute, City got a throw in on the Tesco Stand side. Aron Gunnarsson, threw one of the ball boys chair's away to create some room and launch another torpedo. It went into the penalty area. About seven yards out, there was Scott Dann to rise and head firmly into the net.
We went absolutely mental as all those leaving who had heard the goal raced back to the their seats. Some more City supporters left thinking the game went to a replay but it had to be finished on the night and extra time it was.
This was the first time that a City cup game at home had gone in to extra time in ages but six minutes into the first period, Newcastle scored again. A long ball went deep into the CT Stand end. Michael Mifsud may been impeded as the ball came forward and fell to Michael Owen. The England international ,who needed six security guards to get him out of the ground after the game, hit a shot with his right foot. Andy Marshall got a hand to it but the ball went into the net. Whether he was offside or not depended on your viewpoint but he should not have allowed that much space to even get in a shot.
City were a goal down but not down hearted and in the 102nd minute, Robbie Simpson hit a low drive which somehow Shay Given got to. The Sky Blues continued to press and just before the end of the first period, City went even closer to coming back for a third time when Eliiott Ward planted a header onto the crossbar.
As we moved into the final period of fifteen minutes, Robbie Simpson was the main man. In the 108th minute, his powerful drive just missed the far post and five minutes later, a low drive forced a good save from Given as Morrison raced in for any rebound.
City had given every thing they had and ran Newcastle all the way and can hold their heads high at just losing to a Premier League side.