From Premier League Beaters To Carpet Beaters as City Lose At Exeter

Last updated : 13 January 2018 By CNS Sport
Exeter City 1-0 Coventry City 
 
Coventry City: Burge Willis, Grimmer,. Stokes, Davies. Doyle. Maguire-Drew (Stevenson 82), Bayliss, Shipley. (Barrett 77), Biamou.(Ponticelli 68), McNulty. Subs; O'Brien. Beavon, McDonald. Haynes,. 
 
Exeter City: Pym,  Sweeney. Archibald-Henville. James, Tilton, Hadley, Holmes (Boateng 79).. Stockley, Seaborne (Woodman 46),, Moxey., Taylor. Subs: Jones, Woodman, Simpson, McAlinden. Jay, Wilson,
 
Goals Ryan Harley 7 

Att  4,219

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Coventry City turned from Premier League beaters into carpet beaters with a 1-0 defeat away to Exeter City.                       
 
An easy trip down the M5 and then into the supporters club at St James' Park and it was time to see if the Sky Blues could put in the same sort of performance that they did in the FA Cup against Stoke City.
 
Mark Robins, who has called for fans to back the team, named the same team bar the keepers for a game where tickets were restricted due to building work and meant that City supporters wanting to take in a new ground, had to go into the home areas, whilst, the Grecians fielded former Sky Blue Danny Seaborne and had former striker Robbie Simpson on the bench.
 
The City support, which given as 339 although stewards said it was nearer 400,, in the left hand side of the main stand stood and watched as City went a goal down in seven minutes when Lee Burge came rushing out of his goal, tried to clear. Jordan Willis and Tom Davies stood there and as Burge tried to get back in his goal. Ryan Harley drilled it into the empty net.
 
City won a corner in the 12th minute, it was scrambled away and City had another corner which was cleared far too easily and eventually it fell for Stockley to rifle a twenty yarder just wide of Burge's left hand post.
 
Stockley ran through in the 16th minute but thankfully a great block from Jack Grimmer saved the day.
 
Marc McNulty went up the other end and had a shot beaten away for a corner before Stokes had a shot saved.
 
Shipley had an effort saved and McGuire-Drew fired at Pym.
 
Biamou, who again took plenty of stick from the home defence,  fired over as a repetitive drum beat boomed out of the terrace behind the goal.
 
A free kick by McGuire-Drew came to nothing as City reverted back to 4-4-2.
 
McNulty played in Biamou in the 43rd minute but his shot was tame. McNulty attacked again and drove wide.
 
Burge saved from a free kick but City went in at half time losing.
 
Exeter replaced Seaborne at the break and had to defend a Grimmer shot\cross on to the roof of the bar when play restarted following Chis Stokes taking a knock.
 
McNulty had City's next chance in the 54th minute with a shot that was blocked and led to another corner.
 
Doyle had a shot blocked before the home side had  a 57th minute corner and another on the hour mark of a drab game which City were struggling to cope with the offside trap and some City supporters in the home area rushing down the front to have have a verbal go at Mark Robins. 
 
Shipley turned and McNulty fired over to win a 64th minute corner. That again failed to produce anything to worry Pym in the goal in front a building site where the terrace used to be.
 
A 25 yarder from Michael Doyle was saved and so Mark Robins went for a change bringing on Jordan Ponticelli in the 68th minute as the dizzle continued to come down.
 
Robins made his second change in the 77th minute giving Reading U23's Josh Barrett his debut.
 
Ponticelli had a back header from a Doyle free kick saved before Robins made his final change sending on Ben Stevenson.
 
The City support which had been pretty quiet throughout groaned as Stevenson blasted over and a Chris Stokes cross went wide.
 
Ponticelli sent a shot onto the bar that won a corner and then he won two more in the five minutes that were added on.
 
But yet again, City were not good enough and it was another defeat on the road.