COVENTRY CITY 2-1 DONCASTER ROVERS BY KEV MONKS
Date 28/09/10 At The Ricoh Arena
Sullivan, O'Connor, Friend, Martis (Dumbaya 23), M.Woods, Lockward, Hird, Oster (Wilson 85), Shiels (Stock 69), Sharp, Coppinger SNU Gary Woods, Hayter, Gillett, Webster.
Referee A.Penn. Booked Sharp, McSheffrey,
Goals Aron Gunnarsson (2), Billy Sharp (42), Gary McSheffrey (85)
Man Of The Match Aron Gunnarsson took the votes
Coventry City manager Aidy Boothroyd said on Saturday, after the Sky Blues 2-1 defeat to Preston, that City would play worse than they had done against Preston and beat teams and the Sky Blues did just that with a 2-1 victory against Doncaster Rovers.
Richard Keogh, also had a good game and two minutes later, he drove over from twenty yards.
What was City's problem was at times a lack of communication. Richard Wood and Keiren Westwood had already got in each-others way, when the defence were tackling each other and it was only through sheer luck that George Friend, who had been left unmarked in the 75th minute, blasted wide.
Team
Westwood, Keogh, Cranie, Wood, Turner, Clingan, Gunnarsson, Ward (McSheffrey 60), Carsley, King (Jutkiewicz 63), Platt SNU Ireland, Doyle, Baker, McIndoe, Cameron.
Doncaster
HT CCFC 1-1 DRFC FT CCFC 2-1 DRFC ATT 12,292
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The City boss, who, according to various rumours doing the rounds, is rumoured to be sharing the same agent as Marlon King, started with the striker in place of Lukas Jutkiewicz and brought Danny Ward back to the left side of midfield.
In front of the lowest ever crowd for a league game at the Ricoh Arena, City for the third game running got stuck into the opposition from the start.
Ninety seconds had only been played when the Sky Blues took the lead. Marlon King, in front of the Tescos Stand, knocked the ball back to Richard Keogh who delivered a telling cross for Danny Ward to knock down. The ball fell to the unmarked Aron Gunnarsson as the Doncaster defence stood appealing for offside and the Icelander, some nine yards out, thumped the ball past Sullivan before celebrating with the City support at the CT Stand end.
The goal lifted the City players and the City support. With Gunnarsson, who is now leaving his contract negotiations to his agent and was using a white towel to wipe the ball before starting his trade-mark throw-ins, showing glimpses of his old self with some good work in midfield, Danny Ward was another who worked hard in the opening period.
Ward made a couple of good runs down the left before Martin Woods had a bad miss at the other end.
Keiren Westwood, saved an 18th minute corner and three minutes later, a terrific twenty yarder from Ward was palmed down by Sullivan for a Sky Blues corner, which the loanee from Bolton took.
The former Watford and Hull man, again showed that he is still some way off getting to full competitive match fitness but had the presence to get himself in the right place in the 38th minute, to get in a shot on the turn from 22 yards which just went over the bar.
City looked comfortable with every player putting in a good shift but Doncaster, under Sean O'Driscoll are no mugs and out of nothing, they equalised three minutes before the break.
The ball came over from the right flank and fell for Billy Sharp who got past a City defender before drilling a low shot past Westwood, who had no chance, to delight the 523 supporters in the Jewson Stand.
"Everybody Needs Somebody" sang a Blues Brother tribute act in the centre circle at half-time and Aidy Boothroyd needed someone who could swing the game back in City's favour.
With the rain now coming down, Keiren Westwood, who gave his shirt to the City supporters he had been arguing with after the Leicester home game after the match, dived to his left to make a super save from Hird to concede the second of two corners.
On the hour mark, Boothroyd went for a like for like
change when he took off Ward and replaced him with Gary McSheffrey. Then three minutes later, with Neil Sullivan needing treatment after making a brave save, Marlon King, who had been walking round, was replaced by Lukas Jutkiewicz.
The changes breathed new life into what had been a very patchy performance from the Sky Blues in the second half.
The City support were starting to get restless as Westwood was forced into another excellent save four minutes later.
However, with five minutes of the match remaining, it was all smiles as Aron Gunnarsson got past a man on the right and delivered a cross to the far side of the area. There was Gary McSheffrey, who atoned for a poor shot by his standards a minute earlier, as he dived Keith Houchen-like to head past Sullivan. Such was the Coventry kid's joy that he took his shirt off and was cautioned for the celebration.
Five minutes of stoppage time were added but one good clearance from the hard working Martin Cranie and another Westwood stop meant that it was Coventry City who took all three points.