Dele Delight For Sky Blues

Last updated : 22 April 2006 By Kev Monks
STOKE CITY 0-1 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS

A late goal from Dele Adebola gave City their second consecutive away victory.

For this trip to the Britannia Stadium,Micky Adams gave a start to Kevin Thornton and brought back Stuart Giddings for his first start in sixteen months.

Against his old club,Marcus Hall looked confident playing at centre-half alongside Matt Heath and for most of the first half had Mamady Sidibe in his back pocket.

It was Stoke, whose managerial fall-out still rumbles on,who had the early play.Marton Fulop who again had a fine game worthy of a contract for next season,made a double save in the sixth minute when he got down to a Brammer flick and then parried from Paul Gallacher.

Apart from one McSheffrey chance following a through ball from the capable Don Hutchison,Stoke had the play winning three corners in a five minute spell before Darel Russel sent two efforts over.

Kevin Thornton was as lively as ever,switching wings and switching the play to take City forward.

Calls for Dele Adebola to be introduced from the noisy City support were finally heard in the 63rd minute when the Nigerian replaced Don Hutchison.

Adebola had been on for fifteen minutes when he rose with Stoke keeper Steve Simonsen and nodded the ball towards the goal. Unfortunately,Michael Duberry got back and cleared off the line.

The header deserved a goal and with six minutes to go,it was Dele Adebola who broke the deadlock. The striker did well on the left, kept his cool and stroked the ball under Simonsen and into the net,sending the City support who have spent £530 match tickets for all the away games this season into a frenzy.

Ben Turner was given his debut and went up front, a position he has played a number of times for the reserves as City controlled the game and recorded their fourth away league victory of the season.

HT SCFC 0-0 CCFC
FT SCFC 0-1 CCFC
ATT 13,385

Goal Dele Adebola 84

Booked Brammer

Team
Fulop,Whing,Hall,Heath,Giddings,Doyle,Hughes,Thornton,Hutchison (Adebola 63),John (Turner 88),McSheffrey (Morrell 79) SNU Osbourne,Williams

Stoke City
Simonsen,Hoefkens,Dickinson,Duberry, Hill,Rooney, Brammer (Henry 46),Sidibe,Gallagher,Patterson,Russel SNu Kopteff,Broomes