COVENTRY CITY 0-1 LEYTON ORIENT
City: Burge, Willis, Pennington, Martin, Stokes, Ward, Fleck, O'Brien (Haynes 81) Odelusi, Samuel (G.Thomas 10), Nouble. Subs: Charles-Cook, Thomas, Barton, Phillips.
Leyton Orient: Cisak, Cuthbert, Baudry, Lowry, Clarke, Wright, Bartley, Dagnall (Omozusi 84), Henderson, Taylor (Hedges 59), McAnuff (James 67). Subs: Wood, James, Simpson, Plasmati.
HT CCFC 0-0 LOFC
FT CCFC 0-1 LOFC
ATT 8,010
Goals Josh White 77
Referee D.Bond
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Coventry City are still looking for their first home win under Tony Mowbray after losing 1-0 to Leyton Orient.
Having won at Peterborough United, the Sky Blues took on Leyton Orient in a game that had been twice rearranged. The first game was for Easter Saturday at Sixfields but this was soon switched to Good Friday. However, when City returned to the Ricoh Arena, they discovered the stadium and it's other facilities were booked out for the Insomnia Gaming Festival which takes place over Easter and the game had to be played on a Wednesday night instead.
For some this suited and for others it didn't and there was only 8,010 tickets sold for a game described by Orient boss Fabio Laverni as a 'six pointer'.
Marcus Tudgay was out with a hamstring injury and in came Samni Odelusi on a pitch that had been cut in circles, making it not look as bad as it had in previous games.
Jim O'Brien had the first chance of the match with a volley from twenty yards out in the third minute for a City side which had Odelusi head away a fifth minute corner.
Two minutes later and the physio Dave Hart was on treating Dominic Samuel who had a knock on his right ankle on a rainy night.
He got up but two minutes later he was down again and George Thomas, the only striker on the bench, came on.
Orient wasted a free kick before City had a free kick in the 17th minute and the O's had another corner which Burge saved from a Dagnall header.
Panic in the City defence gave the visitors two corners before Nouble was booked in the 34th minute.
Orient looked pretty with Darius Henderson doing some neat flicks but they were not offering much against an equally unthreatening City team.
A 38th minute corner for the visitors came to nothing. City countered and O'Brien flicked narrowly wide.
Two minutes before the break and a City corner came back to the half way line and eventually, the ball fell to Nouble to win another corner.
Just before the break, Lee Burge made a great save to see City go in at the break level.
With Steve Froggatt and Claus Jorgensen both watching on for local radio, Jim O'Brien had the first chance of the second half dipping for a corner.
Grant Ward took the corner and got it back and cut inside and on his right foot curled it onto the left hand post of Alex Cisak, who hit the deck and stopped play just when City were on the attack.
In the 51st minute, O'Brien pumped a ball in which fell for George Thomas on the right. He hit a great shot but it was hacked off the line by a defender.
Ward had a curler two minutes later pushed over for a corner that was headed onto the roof of the net by Arron Martin, causing even more frantic arm flapping from the Orient manager.
Fleck and Nouble combined to win a 64th minute corner that Ward took and had punched off the line by Cisak.
City were playing with commitment and drive. Odelusi, Fleck, Stokes, Nouble, Thomas, O'Brien and Ward were proving to be a handful for an Orient side that was under the cosh.
Lloyd James came on for Jobi McAnuff, who had been a late replacement for Dean Cox and the O's won a 76th minute corner.
That was cleared but a poor back header saw the ball knocked over to Josh White who fired low past Burge.
Ryan Haynes and Blair Turgott were sent on but City were unable to conjure up a goal and went down to defeat.