City Reserves Share Points With Fulham

Last updated : 21 March 2005 By Kev Monks
COVENTRY CITY RESERVES 1-1 FULHAM RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City Reserves earned a 1-1 draw against Fulham at Nuneaton.

In the final game that City Reserves will play at Manor Park this season. Alan Cork with his side kick Darren Robinson were back in charge and named a City side that included Andy Whing,Andy Morrell,Eddy Johnson, Graham Barrett and Neil Wood. Also included was trialist Luke Webb whose father is Neil Webb, the former Nottingham Forest and England star.

Micky Adams was not in the crowd of 76 but Cyrille Regis and scouts from Millwall,Chelsea, Wycombe and Notts County were.
City who have released Anthony Barry, won a corner after only eighteen seconds of the game. Neil Wood took the kick and a lovely right footed volley from Graham Barrett on the edge of the area was pushed high into the air by Fulham keeper Richardo Batista.

Paul Nevin's side launched their first attack two minutes later but found Sean Cooney in their way and the defender who will not have his contract renewed at the end of the season, cleared the danger.

Cooney and Whing were leading City's back four well and this allowed the midfield to push forward. Two corners were won in the 19th minute and two minutes later, Batista flapped at a Pead free kick before his defence cleared.

When Fulham did get forward, Jonny Tuffey in the City goal was assertive and dealt with anything the West Londoners managed.
On the half hour mark, Neil Wood sent Graham Barrett free down the middle. The Irishman raced forward and Batista saved with his feet. Andy Morrell who spent the game swapping wings, dived in for the loose ball but only picked up a knock that required treatment for his trouble.

In the 39th minute, a sedentary game came to life, when a contretemp between Craig Pead and Michael Timlin saw both players given a long lecture by referee Rob Lewis and then cautioned.

When the game restarted, Sean Doherty sent Pead crashing to the ground. Pead got up and carried on his disagreement with Timlin.

From our vantage point, just to the left of the Main Stand and a couple of yards away from the Village Idiot who was making an unwelcome return, we could see that punches were thrown. Other players started to get involved. Malik Buari shoved Sean Cooney who flew back at him before being restrained by Andy Whing whilst the pushing and shoving continued.

Sean Doherty and Malik Buari were both cautioned for the offence which led to a City free kick.

It was one of the worst free kicks I have seen from City Reserves this season, Webb and Barrett peeled off the ball leaving Neil Wood to hit the ball straight into the wall with a very tame shot.

Wood did better taking a corner on the stroke of half-time and three minutes into stoppage time, Tuffey caught a McDermott header from a Doherty free kick.

The Sky Blues were on the attack straight from the restart and within five minutes were ahead. Andy Morrell did very well to flick the ball on for Graham Barrett at the far post to volley in from six yards.

The lead lasted for four minutes as a long ball from the Cottagers midfield found Matthew Collins on the right side of the penalty area. He controlled the ball before drilling the ball past the diving Tuffey.

Andy Whing joined the list of bookings in the 67th minute for a late sliding tackle on Timlin and three minutes later, Tuffey was in a good position to push the ball away following a corner.

The rain was by now coming down quite heavily, so myself and Dan who has given me a lift to every home reserve game and some Academy ones this season, opted to move to the safety of the stand and escape the clutches of the Village Idiot and the weather.

With six minutes left and both sides having settled for a draw, Robinson replaced Sean Cooney with Stuart Wall and three minutes later, sent on Craig Reid for Eddy Johnson and Liam Davis for Neil Wood. Johnson was well applauded as he left the pitch, but Wood who had not had one of his better games left to total silence before a few people decided to politely clap.

In stoppage time, defender Liam Nicell completed the list of cautions when he disputed a free kick given against him. To me, it was a harsh decision by a poor referee in what was a poor game.

HT CCFC 0-0 FFC FT CCFC 1-1 FFC
ATT 76
GOALS Graham Barrett (49)
Matthew Collins (53)
Booked Pead,Timlin,Doherty,Buari,Whing,Nicell
Man Of The Match - Jonny Tuffey
TEAM
Tuffey,Hall,Nicell,Pead,Cooney (Wall 84), Whing,Morrell,Webb,Johnson (Reid 87),Wood (Davis 87),Barrett SNU Ogarro,Sidhu
FULHAM
Batista,Lawless,Milsom,Buari,Watkins,McKinlay, Collins,McDermott,Ehui (L.Hall 75),Timlin, Doherty. SNU Davidson,Moncur,Kareem, Hudson