COVENTRY CITY 4-1 BARNSLEY BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City put in a superb first half performance to see off Barnsley and earn their biggest win of the season.
It was a victory that deserved to be shared with friends and it was a pleasure to catch up with some of them before the game and others once I had got into the ground.
With sunny weather to match, City made sure the sun was in the eyes of Nick Colgan, the Barnsley keeper by attacking the CT Stand first.
I say attack but it was more like lay siege as this was an opening period which brought three goals for an unchanged City side and a strong of chances.
Michael Mifsud who thrilled the Ricoh crowd with his performance against Wolves was in equally fine fettle. Inside the opening twenty four minutes,the Maltese falcon had raced through only to see an 11th minute shot bounce off the foot of both posts and caused numerous problems for a Tykes side which contained former Sky Blue Martin Devaney and had Cov kid Danny Nardiello on the bench.
One raid on goal was stopped by a great block from Neil Austin with a shot fired over in the 19th minute from a long ball forward.
City finally took the lead in the 26th minute when the ball was knocked into Jay Tabb. The Irishman on St Patrick's Day got the ball on the edge of the area and hit a left footed shot which Colgan got a hand to but could not prevent from going in to the net.
I had just said to a mate from Northern Ireland how Michael Mifsud had deserved a goal for his performances in the last two games when six minutes after the first goal, Marcus Hall delivered a superb ball from the left and Mifsud finished from six yards out as Colgan dived the wrong way.
It was all City. Michael Doyle who alongside Stephen Hughes had played well in a strong midfield almost added a third in the 33rd minute but Colgan grabbed the ball right on the line.
The third goal arrived in the 37th minute when a long ball from Isaac Osbourne found Michael Mifsud on the right. Mifsud attacked and sent the ball sideways for Dele Adebola who smashed the ball into the net.
Surprisingly,Barnsley boss Simon Davey did not make any changes at the break and waited until the 52nd minute to do a make double substitution with Martin Devaney being replaced.
But by then,the game was over as a contest when Dele Adebola made the most of the visiting defenders not being able to deal with a long ball banged straight into the mixer. He beat off his markers before thumping the ball into the net.
Davey sent on Danny Nardiello the son of former Sky Blue Don whilst Iain Dowie waited until the 71st minute to make a change when Chris Birchall came on for Isaac Osbourne and four minutes later, Leon McKenzie came on for Jay Tabb.
The foot was off the gas and this allowed Kyel Reid to force Andy Marshall into a stunning 77th minute save to concede a corner.
Danny Nardiello took the corner but for once the City defence were not tight on their markers and Bobby Hassell headed in for a consolation goal.
Michael Mifsud left to a standing ovation in the 85th minute when Colin Cameron was introduced and the rest of the team got one for a superb team performance when referee Mr Russell blew the final whistle.
HT CCFC 3-0 BFC FT CCFC 4-1 BFC
ATT 21,609
GOALS Jay Tabb (26),Michael Mifsud (32),Dele Adebola (37 & 49),Bobby Hassell (78)
Referee M.Russell Booked Peter Rajczi
Team
Marshall,Hall,Ward,Hawkins,Virgo,Hughes,Doyle,Osbourne (Birchall 71),Tabb (McKenzie 75),Adebola,Mifsud (Cameron 85) SNU Steele,Page
Barnsley
Colgan,Austin (Hassell 52),P.Reid,Nyatanga, Heckingbottom, Devaney (K.Reid 52),Togwell (Nardiello 58),Howard,Ferenczi,Rajczi,McCann
SNU Lucas, Eckersley