BARNSLEY 0-2 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Date 15/08/09 At Oakwell Championship match number 2
Team
Westwood, Wright, van Aanholt, Cranie (Grandison 71), Turner, Osbourne, Clingan, McIndoe, Gunnarsson, Morrison, Best (Jeffers 80). SNU Quirke, Clarke, Cain, Walker, Cameron
Barnsley
Steele, Hassell, Kozluk (sent off 58), Moore, Foster, Campbell-Ryce, De Silva, Butterfield (Sodje 80), Maken (Odejayi 66), Bogdanovic, (Hume 66), Hammill. SNU Preece, Devaney, El Haimour, Potter
HT BFC 0-1 CCFC FT BFC 0-2 CCFC ATT 12,552
Referee Steve Tanner Booked Kozluk x2, Butterfield, McIndoe
Goals Leon Best (8), Clinton Morrison (81)
Man Of The Match Sammy Clingan took the votes in an excellent team performance.
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How we love going to Oakwell. Coventry City constantly get victories to send them top of the league whilst Barnsley have players sent off. Today, it was more of the same as the super Sky Blues went to the top of the Championship with a 2-0 victory against a ten men Barnsley.
An easy journey to Oakwell, which is still a proper football ground where visitors can partake in a beer or have a cigarette in certain areas marshalled by friendly stewards, if you have not had your fill in any of the local licensed premises amongst friendly home supporters before entering the ground, ensued.
Around 1,000 City fans were in the away end at Oakwell to see new signing from Portmsouth - Martin Cranie starting at centre half.
Patrick van Aanholt also started with internationals Sammy Clingan, Keiren Westwood, Aron Gunnarsson and Leon Best back in the side after their midweek trips.
On a gorgeous sunny afternoon, the Sky Blue support was in fine voice as the game kicked off. By the eighth minute, they had plenty to sing about as a clever ball from Cranie, fell to the feet of Clinton Morrison. It was difficult to tell as the City support were at the other end, actually how far out Leon Best was when he took the free kick but what he did was to hit it with such a force that ex City keeper Luke Steele in the Barnsley goal, only reacted when the ball hit the back of the net.
The City fans went mad, thorougly enjoying another cracking goal from the Sky Blues and singing "We Are Top Of The League" and "We're Gonna Win The League"
Barnsley had one tactic which was to bang everything up to Danny Bogdanovic.
The competent Cranie, had not spent long with his new team-mates, but he soon had the back four organised along with Stephen Wright.
It was midfield where for a time, City in the first half, allowed Barnsley to play. Gunnarsson was pushing up too far and the Tykes were able to get in the likes of Jon Maken who fired wide in the 25th minute.
Michael McIndoe was responsible for City's set pieces when he was not tearing into the home defence. In the 33rd minute, his free kick flew just wide of the full stretch Steele and the far post.
The buy from Bristol City cut through the Barnsley defence four minutes later and he could have shot but opted to square it for Morrison who in turn passed it, flicked it on for Isaac Osbourne. Unfortunately, it was not a good shot and a goal kick was the outcome.
In the 44th minute, Stephen Wright made a brilliant diving header. Thankfully, it was away from his own goal and City were still ahead at the break.
City were straight at it as the second half started. A jinking run by van Aanholt, who again, showed class on the ball and good vision, earned a chorus of "sign him up" whilst "The Balls From The Falls" or Sammy Clingan to non-Northern Ireland supporters controlled everything in midfield. Clingan demonstrated that he can either play short passes to feet or was able to pick out players with ease and accuracy in a performance that shone out.
In the 52nd minute, Leon Best, made a surging run and cross. Morrison flew in to win a corner. The top scorer from last season was then involved, hooking over after Steele flapped.
Rob Kozluk was booked for a foul on Wright and in the 58th minute, he cynically hacked down Aron Gunnarsson. Mr Tanner had had enough and Kozluk was sent off.
More boos and jeers from the City support towards a Barnsley player came when Iain Hume came on eight minutes later. The "Leicester Reject", which was one of the politest things he was taunted with, stayed up the other end and saw little of the ball.
In the 68th minute, Martin Cranie went down. A stretcher was called for. Much to the home fans disgust, Cranie walked to the touchline with what looked like a hamstring injury but did not come back on.
Jermaine Grandison took his place in a City side which was now trying to pass its way to goal rather than shooting.
A 79th minute foul by Butterfield led to a booking for the youngster and a free kick for City. McIndoe took it and this won a corner which he eventually fired over from when it looked like he would score from inside the area.
Leon Best, who had taken another knock earlier on, was replaced with ten to go by Shaun Jeffers as City continued to look for a second goal, which would wrap up the victory.
It came just over a minute later, when a patient build up saw Isaac Osbourne cross from the right and Clinton Morrison dive in to score from a couple of feet out.
City boss Chris Coleman, who made a point of clapping all the City support before the game, has said about the team spirit and this was evident as every outfield player raced to celebrate with the striker who had hit his third goal in two games.
Barnsley won two corners and Shaun Jeffers wasted a good chance with only Steele to beat as the "We Are Top Of The League" chants boomed out of the away end.
In the dying seconds, Keiren Westwood finally had something to do when he cleared a Hume free kick off the line before we could celebrate an excellent City performance and a second consecutive victory of the new season.