NUNEATON TOWN 2-2 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS

SAT JULY 16^TH AT TRITON COMMUNITY STADIUM, NUNEATON

TEAM: Murphy, Keogh, Hussey, Clingan, Cranie, Christie, Bell, Baker, Jutkiewicz, Eastwood, McSheffrey

2^ND HALF: Dunn, Hussey (Phillips 55), Christie, Cameron, Wood, Thomas, Bigirimana, Ruffles, Wilson, Jeffers, O’Donovan.

NUNEATON

Alcock (trialist 46), Armson, Nisevic (Miller 51), Noon, Dean, Albrighton, Belcher (Hopewell 74), Walker, Smith (Glover), Moore (Burns 60), Hinton (Lavery 68)

HT NTFC 1-0 CCFC FT NTFC 2-2 CCFC ATT 1,440

REFEREE Eddie Smart. Assistants S.Postin, C.Allen

GOALS Lee Smith (30), Roy O’Donovan (67 & 88), Danny Glover (91)

Coventry City kicked off their 2011 pre-season campaign with a 2-2 draw at Nuneaton Town.

Whiilst there have been grey clouds over the Ricoh Arena during the close season, the sun was out as Andy Thorn named two sides for the Sky Blues opening pre-season game.

The City support, which was at least a third of the 1440 crowd, who had ignored the temptations of the beer festival next door or not been put off by the £10 admission which presumably paid for the extra police and stewards and one that included Gary Hoffman and Joe Elliott on the terrace behind the goal, saw Thorn give a start to new keeper Joe Murphy and youngster Cyrus Christie in what could be described as a more experienced side for the opening forty five minutes.

Neither side had mounted an attack by the time, the noisy City support had launched into a “Sack The Board” chant, aimed at the members of the Board including Onye Igwe who were in the hospitality area to the left of the City support with 83 seconds gone.

It was back to the “Sky Blue Song” et all when first Gary McSheffrey, playing at the front of City’s diamond formation, sent over a cross and then Carl Baker fired over at the far post from a long ball.

Sammy Clingan and Chris Hussey were encouraging their team-mates to pass the ball and they put together a couple of good passes before Clingan got the ball in the thirteenth minute and clipped it onto the bar from the edge of the area before it was cleared away.

Former Sky Blue Mark Noon and Adam Walker worked hard in Nuneaton’s midfield and that firstly led to them winning a corner in the 26^th minute when a Sam Belcher shot was deflected and then on the half hour mark, a through ball by Noon fell to the feet of Lee Smith who steadied himself before driving a low shot past Murphy, who had only had a couple of kicks up until this points, and into the net.

McSheffrey went up the other end and had the ball in the net but his effort was ruled out for offside. Nuneaton went up the other end through Walker whose curled shot was deflected for the first of two corners.

With Jutkiewicz and Eastwood having to rely on scraps and the home fans taking cover thanks to a thunderstorm, it was up to the other players to create chances. Baker had a shot saved by Alcock and then Eastwood got to the rebound but saw his shot deflected for a 35^th minute corner.

Chris Hussey suffered the same fate before Baker won a corner and Jutkiewicz missed from six yards as City trailed at the break.

Only Hussey and Cyrus Christie who had done a good job in the back four alongside Martin Cranie and Richard Wood stayed on and the youngsters as well as Richard Wood and Roy Donovan, got into Nuneaton from the start.

The second half was only thirteen seconds old when Roy O’Donovan got the ball on the right and slammed into the side netting before City put Nuneaton’s sub trialist keeper in a fetching shade of pink under pressure.

Conor Thomas absolutely bossed the midfield and had more freedom than the first half team had enjoyed in which to pick out players with pinpoint passes.

He was backed up by Arron Phillips, son of Dave for those who don’t know, who came on in the 55^th minute for Hussey.

Richard Wood and Nathan Cameron also controlled the defence but could only watch when new keeper Chris Dunn, who joined City from Northampton made a hash of a clearance and was lucky that the ball bounced off a Nuneaton striker and out for a 56^th minute goal kick.

Phillips provided another attacking option down the right for the Sky Blues and he was involved in Shaun Jeffers having a shot and just before the hour mark making a great tackle and then playing a one –two with Jeffers for a curler, which went wide.

The pressure from City continued with O’Donovan setting up Josh Rufffles to fire a twenty yarder over, the home keeper having to push away a Bigirimana free kick before City levelled in the 67^th minute.

Conor Thomas delivered a inch perfect ball to Roy O’Donovan who from the edge of the area, thumped the ball into the net. The goal saw two City ‘fans’ on the pitch in jubilation and they made it back into the terrace which had already produced a Sky Blue flare, to see a Callum Wilson cross dealt with and O’Donovan firing over.

With two minutes of normal time remaining, there was another pitch invasion from the away end as Thomas again fed Roy O’Donovan who cut inside the area before driving into the net.

The City supporters taunted the home fans that they had messed up a one goal lead but with the last kick of the match, a long ball picked out Danny Glover and he easily beat Dunn to see the match finish in a 2-2 draw.