COVENTRY CITY U18'S 1-0 NEWCASTLE UNITED U18'S BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City U18's progressed through to The FA Academy League Final with a single goal victory over Newcastle United.
A crowd of over 700 who been admitted free into Highfield Road witnessed an opening period wrecked by stoppages.
The game was only five minutes old when Matty Pattinson picked up a head injury which delayed the game for five minutes and saw the midfielder eventually returned with his head bandaged a la Terry Butcher.
City's playmaker in chief Kevin Thornton was again in fine form, running the midfield for the Sky Blue cause whilst Rikki Bains and Stuart Wall kept a tight rein on the Geordie strike pairing.
Chances were at a premium and it was not until the 39th minute that the Newcastle goal was threatened when Paul McCrink swept over from five yards.
On the stroke of half-time,Coventry went even closer when a Liam Davis free kick was headed on to the left hand post by Ryan Lynch.
Jonny Tuffey had rarely touched the ball in the opening period but two minutes into the second half, he dived high to his left to push away Marc Walton's 22 yard effort.
The Sky Blues finally took the lead in the 63rd minute when Paul McCrink collected a through ball raced through and coolly slotted the ball under Toon keeper Ben Smith.
Craig Reid who has not been given a contract for next season but may stay at Highfield Road was brought on for the industrious Adam Leyfield.
As in keeping with Academy games this season, Liam Davis was always a threat and in the 68th minute he delivered a corner which Rikki Bains headed over.
Seven minutes later, Davis was involved again just failing to connect with a superb deep cross from Thornton.
Reid fired over with eleven minutes left as Peter Beardsley's team who had Pattinson carried off, started to get back into the match. In the final minute, Newcastle were prevented from taking the game into extra time when Ryan Lynch cleared off his own goal line from a Craig Baxter cross cum shot.
To large and well deserved cheers from an appreciative crowd, the final whistle came shortly after and gave the Sky Blues a well deserved placed in the final.
HT CCFC 0-0 NUFC FT CCFC 1-0 NUFC
ATT 700
GOAL Paul McCrink 63
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kevin Thornton and Vijay Sidhu tied the votes with nominations for Liam Davis,Rikki Bains,Jonny Tuffey and Paul McCrink
TEAM
Tuffey,Stringfellow,Lynch,Ogarro,Wall,Bains, Layfield (Reid 64),McCrink,Sidhu (Hall 89), Thornton,Davis SNU Turner,Belford,Hildreth
NEWCASTLE
Smith,Atkin,Deverdics (Marshall 83),Edgar,Farman,Huntingdon,Baxter,Pattinson (Critchlow 75),Finnigan (Doninger 75),Walton,Carroll SNU Forster,Cavener