COVENTRY CITY 0-1 LEICESTER CITY
SAT AUG 06 At Ricoh Arena, Coventry
TEAM: Murphy, Keogh, Cranie, Hussey, Christie (Wood 78), Clingan, Baker (sent off 38), Bell, Bigirimana, McSheffrey (O'Donovan 78), Jutkiewicz. SNU Dunn, McPake, Thomas
Leicester: Schmeichel, Peltier (King 64), Konchelsky, Mills, Bamba, Vassell (sent off 10), Wellens, Abe, Danns, Fernandes, Nugent (Gallagher 77). SNU Weale, Dyer, St Ledger.
HT CCFC 0-0 LCFC FT CCFC 0-1 LCFC ATT 21,102
REFEREE Darren Deadman Assistants Simon Barrow & Neil Hair. Fourth Official P.Hobday
BOOKINGS Hussey, O'Donovan, Mills, Wellens, Fernandes, Gallagher
GOAL Lee Peltier (51)
MAN OF THE MATCH Gael Bigirimana took the votes
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REPORT BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City lost their first opening day game since they were beaten 3-1 at home by Middlesbrough in the season they were relegated from the Premier League when they lost 1-0 at home to Leicester City this lunchtime.
With no money forthcoming from the current board for new players bar two keepers as the boardroom battle lingers on, the mood in Coventry amongst the Sky Blue support over the summer, was like the weather this morning, pretty gloomy,
With Leicester having no such problems and coming thnrough a close season where they had spent money like there was no tomorrow, many City supporters who were present at the Ricoh Arena, resplendent in their new home shirts, were not confident about getting a result.
Now call it blind faith or stupidity but I went into the game thinking the Sky Blues could get something out of the match, having not lost a game on the opening day since we came into this division and that we had drawn most of the recent matches against Leicester.
Andy Thorn started with youngsters Gael Bigirimana and Cyrus Christie and gave a debut to Joe Murphy in goal in a team playing a 4-2-2-2 formation whilst the suit wearing Sven Goran Erikkson fielded former Sky Blues Matty Mills and had Kasper Schmeichel in goal.
The noise from the 21,102 crowd which included Warwickshire and England cricketer Ian Bell and the 6,200 strong Leicester family. was good as Leicester kicked off the first half.
The opening exchanges were a bit frenetic but the game really came to life in the tenth minute when Darius Vassell lunged at Richard Keogh and referee Mr Deadman who had refereed the Sky Blues last game of last season at Norwich, pulled a red card out of his pocket and the visitors were down to ten men.
There was a pitch incursion but rather than any humans invading the field of play, it was a squirrel who made a neat dash towards the CT Stand which Leicester attacked in the opening forty five minutes to huge cheers.
With Cyrus Christie making some good runs up the right flank and Hussey getting up the left to get in a cross which Schmeichel fumbled away, the Sky Blues played some decent football.
In midifeld for the Sky Blues, Gael Bigirimana was having a stormer. The third year Academy player was playing some neat balls and always trying to get City going forward. Unfortunately today, a lot of his effort was wasted due to the Sky Blues lacking up front.
Had I been in charge of a team that was playing against Kasper Scmeichel, my orders would have been to really test the keeper whose last Coventry appearance was in the nightmare that was Charlton in 2007. However, we had to wait until Baker sent a right footed shot wide before David Bell, who somehow has wangled himself a four year deal, sent a rasping 36th minute shot which Schmeichel pushed over for a corner.
Now Leicester had been appealing every decision and Sol Bamba had got in the face of the referee on more than once occasion and when Carl Baker fouled Richie Wellens in the 38th minute, the Leicester player rolled round the deck like and Mr Deadman produced a red card in the face of Baker who had his say at the antics of Wellens as he was shepherded away from the melee.
In the 42nd minute, Neil Danns crossed from the right and as Richard Keogh stood watching, David Nugent volleyed a tame effort which hit Murphy's left hand post before the fourth choice Republic Of Ireland keeper grabbed the loose ball.
This season, Lukas Jutkiewicz, who has been the subject of links with a move to Burnley and his home town club Southampton, is going to have to step up to the plate and start finding the net more frequently this term than he did last season but when his chance came in the 43rd minute, he curled wide.
Leicester, who looked a good way off a team capable of winning the division on this performance, came at City at the start of the second half and after Danns had missed a long ball and Nugent had missed, the visitors took the lead in the 51st minute when a free kick was headed home by Lee Peltier from six yards.
That really was game over as apart from a tame effort when Jutkiewicz got through in the 57th minute and Clingan firing at Schmeichel in the 70th minute, the Sky Blues lacked the wherewithal of a striker or front two who knew where the goal was.
Thorn sent on Richard Wood and Roy O'Donovan, who got booked when things got heated late on along with Hussey and four Leicester players, for Christie and McSheffrey, but City's 2011/2012 season started with a defeat.