Coventry City 4 - Burnley 0

Last updated : 13 March 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Three first-half goals sealed the win, but the Sky Blues were rampant and could have scored eight but for some second-half heroics from Burnley keeper Brian Jensen.

The visitors did not have a single effort on target throughout the 90 minutes.

The opening stages lacked any quality from either side, with Coventry in particular resorting to a series of long balls.

The tactic paid off, though, after just ten minutes when Gary McSheffrey latched onto a Steve Staunton ball over the top.

The striker hit the byline and pulled the ball back for Julian Joachim who bundled over from close range.

On 33 minutes the duo almost doubled the lead by reversing roles, but McSheffrey could not convert Joachim's cross.

McSheffrey did score seconds later though when Bjarni Gudjonsson's excellent deep cross found his team-mate in space and he headed in from a yard out.

Burnley could not handle the pace of Coventry's front two, and the result was put beyond doubt on 38 minutes when Joachim, racing onto another Staunton long ball, was felled by keeper Jensen.

Jensen was booked for the foul and McSheffrey stepped up to convert the penalty calmly.

Coventry turned on the style after the break and started to run rings around the hapless Burnley defence.

McSheffrey almost grabbed a hat-trick on 55 minutes when he raced through the defence and forced a good save from Jensen.

Joachim could also have grabbed another two inside two minutes, first when Jensen came to the rescue in another one on one, then when the former Aston Villa man rattled the post from a tight angle.

Jensen continued to make up for his woeful first half with a top-drawer fingertip save from Gudjonsson's rasping 20-yard drive.

Substitute and crowd favourite Mo Konjic completed the Sky Blues' perfect day with a 77th minute header from Gudjonsson's cross.