Coventry City 0-1 Mansfield Town
City: Burge. Grimmer (Davies 74). Willis, McDonald Haynes, Doyle, Kelly, Vincenti (Biamou 64), Jones, McNulty. Ponticelli. Subs: O'Brien, Davies. Stokes, Stevenson, Shipley, Beavon.
Mansfield Town; Logan, Bennett, Hunt, White, Diamond, Anderson (Atkinson 83). MacDonald , Byrom, Hamilton. Rose (Butcher 92), Hemmings (Digby 94). Subs: Olejnik, Spencer, Sterling-James.
Goals Alex MacDonald 83
Att 8,410
Coventry City were beaten 1-0 at home by Mansfield Town.
On Armistice Day and the closest home game to the anniversary of the Coventry Blitz, the Sky Blues took on Mansfield Town in a League Two fixture at the Ricoh Arena.
For the first home league game against Mansfield since the last 1950's, Mark Robins fielded the team which won at Luton and playing a loose 4-3-3 formation, City attacked the end where the 1500 Mansfield fans plus a lot of police were housed and were soon on the attack winning two corners inside the opening two minutes that were both hacked away by the Stags defence.
Jordan Willis made a couple of good headers away before Jordan Ponticelli had a good shot blocked six yards out in the ninth minute.
City attacked again with a Marc McNulty pile driver from twenty yards going just over.
Jones got in a shot and City won a corner whilst Mansfield had Hemmings drill wide and then a free kick which was flicked on forcing Burge to push over for a corner.
Burge then saved from a 21st minute toe-poke before Danny Rose got up and curled a shot on to Burge's right hand post, giving the scouts watching him something to write about.
Former Leicester City U23's keeper Conrad Logan, made a good stop from McNulty, who was working well up from with Ponticelli.
On the half hour mark, Rod McDonald was booked for a foul which gave the Stags a free kick on the edge of the area
That was cleared and a 38th minute tame Grimmer shot was dealt with before Jordan Ponticelli superbly volleyed in, only only for Natalie Aspinall to have her flag up,
Hemmings got in a shot before the City support were calling for action following a heavy tackle on Vincenti which brought a caution and a free kick which came to nothing again.
The second half started with a booking for Jack Grimmer who then stood off as CJ Hamilton got down the left and flashed a 49th minute shot across the goal.
Mansfield were playing some direct football but it was working with a Haydon White shot dipping just over the bar in the 51st minute.
As the Mansfield fans increased their noise level, there was activity under the scoreboard, with a number of Sky blue flares thrown. As the police piled in, there was a massive chorus of the Sky Blue Song but it failed to life City and in the 64th minute, Mansfield should have had a penalty but they had Rose booked instead.
A change was needed and Max Biamou was sent on for the final twenty five minutes in place of Peter Vincenti who had tried on the right wing but not achieved a great deal in the second half.
Hemmings flashed a shot wide which was followed by a corner for City with twenty minutes left. The flag kick came over and Jack Grimmer was involved in clash of heads and was too groggy to continue and was replaced by Tom Davies.
Hemmings headed a 78th minute corner off the line and then Jones was booked for complaining, probably not as much as those who had £25 to watch what was another poor game.
That was the closest City came to a goal but in the 83rd minute, the game finally got a goal.
It fell to the visitors who had Alex MacDonald get the ball and smash it with aplomb into the net from 25 yards to send City to a home defeat.