Cody Steps On The Gas

Last updated : 11 August 2012 By Kev Monks at Memorial Stadium

BRISTOL ROVERS 1-2 COVENTRY CITY

SAT AUG 11 At The Memorial Stadium, Bristol

City: Dunn, Clarke, Hussey, Brown ,Wood, Kilbane (O'Donovan 87), Barker, Barton (McSheffrey 46), Daniels (Jennings 46), McDonald (Elliott 61), Ball (Poloskei 61). SNU: Burge (GK), Malaga, Edjenguele.

Bristol Rovers: Turner, Smith, Paterson, Clarkson (Gill 77), Harrold (Ayinsah 57), Brown, Norburn (W. Brown 61) , Virgo, Clucas, Broghammer, Lund (Richards 70). Subs: Gough (GK), Baldvinsson, Staley.

Referee S.Hooper Assts D.Eaton & K.Johnson. Fourth Official Tim Wood.

HT BRFC 1-1 CCFC FT BRFC 1-2 CCFC ATT 1775 .
Goals Cody McDonald (22 & 47), Matt Harrold (39)
___________________
CITY SUPPORT: 172 City supporters braved the heavy traffic on the M5 to reach the Memorial Stadium..
_________________
CITY TEAM NEWS: Andy Thorn left trialists Steve Jennings and Peter Poloskei on the bench but started with Adam Barton in midfield.
_________________
WEATHER A lovely day of sunshine
_______________

Coventry City completed their pre-season with a 2-1 victory at Bristol Rovers.

For me, this game was my 2000th City first team game and a game I was glad to be at after a three and a quarter hour journey from Coventry.

I joined the City supporters, who were given the option to stand in the sunshine on the terrace to the left of the stand or sit in a stand behind the goal, in seeing the Sky Blues in Sky Blue, again playing a diamond 4-4-2 formation with Billy Daniels and Adam Barton in midfield against a Rovers side which featured former City loanees Adam Virgo and Iain Turner .

After Richard Wood had a fifth minute header ruled out for a foul on Paterson, the tall Barton who looked useful throughout the opening forty five minutes, showed what he could do with a twenty yarder which flashed not far wide.

Jordan Clarke has done well in pre-season and this afternoon, he was either making good defensive tackles or trying to get in crosses for Ball and McDonald, who started to threaten the Rovers goal.

McDonald just missed a Baker cross in the 15th minute and three minutes later, had a shot deflected for a corner. Then in the 22nd minute, he did everything right and dived low to head home a Hussey cross from the left and put the Sky Blues, playing in Sky Blue ahead.

Wood and Clarke had dealt with what few chances Mark McGhee's side created but in the 39th minute, Rovers won a corner and the City defence stood as Matt Harrold rose and was able to head home from four yards to draw the League Two side level.

At the interval, Thorn, Carsley and Shaw made changes. Trialist Steve Jennings was sent on along with Gary McSheffrey, replacing Barton and Daniels.

Both had been on the pitch for a minute and nineteen seconds when Cody McDonald got the ball on the left and finished with aplomb to put the Sky Blues back in front.

Chris Hussey, who had been interesting Millwall, fired in a rasping shot from 25 yards which Turner managed to fumble away for a corner.

As both sides made changes, with City giving an outing to trialist Peter Poloskei, who was announced as somebody else, much to our amusement and another game for fit again Stephen Elliott, McSheffrey smashed a 25 yard volley at Turner.

Rovers were creating too many chances, an overhead kick went over in the 69th minute, as did a couple of free kicks, one coming after a foul by City keeper Chris Dunn.

However, they could not find a way past and the Sky Blues left with a victory which sets them up for Tuesday night's League Cup trip to Dagenham & Redbridge and the League One game at Yeovil Town next Saturday.

 

 

 

 

Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM