City's Run Of Form Holted

COVENTRY CITY 1-2 NORWICH CITY BY KEV MONKS

Date 18/12/10 At the Ricoh Arena

Twas the game before Christmas and there will not be any Coventry City supporters who will sending festive greetings the way of referee Chris Sarginson after a ten man Sky Blues went down to a 2-1 defeat to Norwich City.

City's groundsman John Ledwidge and his staff had done an excellent job in getting the game on and with the stewards drafted in at 11am to ensure exits were passable, the game went ahead even if a good number of the Sky Blue support from outside the City could not get to the game, something which made a mockery of the 15,230 official attendance.

There was around 12,000 in the ground who brave the snow which had been coming down in Coventry since mid-morning to welcome a City team that was without the suspended Lee Carsley onto the pitch.

They face a Norwich side which was without the suspended former City loanee Leon Barnett but included Elliott Ward, who probably won't be getting a Christmas drink off City Chairman Ray Ranson.

The Norwich fans in the end, Coventry attacked in the first half launched into the predictable and pretty boring "Marlon She Said No", giving a rise to a discussion that witty and amusing football chants are slowly becoming a thing of the past, every time King went down the Jewson Stand end.

Not that, it was very often as King and Platt were pretty quiet after the former Colchester man was denied a fifth minute penalty when he was sent crashing.

Norwich had come with the tactic that if they play-acted then, against a side now known to play ugly, they would get the decisions and it worked. Every time, a City player committed a foul, they were given a lecture by the referee but when a Canaries player did the same, they did not even get a second glance from the Staffordshire based match official.

In the seventh minute, Mr Sarginson was getting the verbals from the CT Standers when he completely missed a blatant Holt handball, which meant that Nathan Cameron, who for me had a steady game, cleared for a corner.

More abuse for the match official and his portly sidekick on the Tesco Stand side followed in the 12^th minute when Gary McSheffrey was given a forearm smash by Korey Smith, who only received a ticking off and then had the closest effort on goal with a drive from outside the area.

Marlon King then had a 19^th minute shot blocked. The ball fell to David Bell, who had been brought back in for Lee Carsley and his shot hit a Norwich player. There was a loud cry of handball but yet again, City did not get the decision.

In the 33^rd minute, the City fans mood changed from enraged to extremely livid when Aron Gunnarsson was red carded for winning the ball. The Icelander went in two footed but in view of everybody got the ball. However, with Henri Lansbury lying face down like he had been shot by a sniper, Mr Sarginson fell for it and sent off the bewildered Gunnarsson.

"You Don't know What You're Doing" sang two sides of the ground and again when Platt was cautioned four minutes before the break. So it came as no surprise that the referee was booed off at the interval.

The City management opted to bring on Martin Cranie at right midfield at half-time in place of David Bell and it was the former England U21 international who had City's second shot on goal when he fired a twenty yarder at John Ruddy.

Norwich won two corners before Richard Wood headed inches wide from a McSheffrey corner at the CT Stand end.

That livened up the City support who were getting colder by the minute and the Sky Blue Song boomed around the ground.

The next big chant was one from the "Singers Corner" when Westwood made a cracking save to concede a corner and was for the City board to find the money and sign up Keiren Westwood.

In the 64^th minute, Westwood could do nothing however, when there was a cross from the right and GRANT HOLT dived to head Norwich in front.

The City support continued to back the team and in the 72^nd minute, there was something to cheer when good work from Richard Keogh played in MARLON KING who lost his marker and thumped home a low drive from just inside the area.

There was "Marlon King" chants aplenty and then some boos when it was announced that he was being placed by Lukas Jutkiewicz. The number given to the fourth official must have been incorrect as eventually, Platt who had a quiet day by his standards, made way, just before Wes Hoolahan who had been on the pitch for only thirteen minutes was forced off.

King fired over twice before Westwood made another top notch save at the other end to push away for a corner. The Republic Of Ireland international palmed away that flag kick but it was not properly cleared and with three City defenders stood static, GRANT HOLT nipped in to fire into the net before celebrating with his team's fans.

Freddy Eastwood was sent on for James McPake as City pushed for an equaliser. A minute into stoppage time, he got free down the left and hit the post with such force that all the snow fell off the posts and crossbar.

That was it from the Sky Blues and the defeat meant that Norwich had won in Coventry for only the fourth time in their history.