Poor City Scrape A Point

Last updated : 29 October 2008 By Kev Monks at St Marys
SOUTHAMPTON 1-1 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS

Team
Westwood, Osbourne, Dann, Fox, Ward, Beuzelin, Doyle (Simpson 71), Gunnarsson, Mifsud, Morrison, Eastwood (Best 69) SNU Turner, Marshall, Hall

Southampton
Davis, James, Wotton, Cork, Skicel, Thomson (Smith 77), Schneiderlin, Euell, Surman (Wright-Phillips 93), Lallana (Pekhart 80), McGoldrick SNU Bialkowski, Gobern

HT SFC 0-0 CCFC FT SFC 1-1 CCFC
Att 14,226
Ref F.Graham Booked Schneirderlin, Wotton, James
Goals David McGoldrick (67), Clinton Morrison (75)

Man Of The Match Aron Gunnarsson took the votes from Scott Dann and Leon Best.
_______________
STARTING LINE UP
Chris Coleman made only one change from the side that had drawn with Derby with Clinton Morrison replacing Leon Best.
___________

Coventry City threw away their best ever chance of a first win at St Marys by being as equally poor as Southampton.

We had left Cov as the first snow of the autumn fell to the ground and had to contend with snow showers and heavy rain all the way down to this South Coast city.

There were 761 City supporters in the end that City attacked in the first half and it was the Sky Blue Army who were the noisier in a crowd of no more than 10,000 people actually watching the game.

Most of the noise from the Sky Blue support quickly changed to groans as City failed to listen to the instructions of their manager by failing to keep hold of the ball.

Had Southampton been their team of a few seasons ago, Coventry would have been three-nil down in the first half minutes as McGoldrick, Surnam and Cork all wasted gilt edge chances.

Eastwood hit one tame effort at Davis in the midst of the home side being allowed to control the play by the ineffective Doyle and Beuzelin.

In the 25th minute, City did get the ball in the net but Aron Gunnarsson was adjudged offside by the assistant on the Main Stand side, despite the fact that he looked onside when the ball was played.

Seven minutes later, the City support were on their feet once more as Clinton Morrison got thru and shot past the advancing Kelvin Davis. Unfortunately, the shot was not powerful enough and Paul Wooton cleared off the line.

With no City player willing to put their foot on the ball, Southampton continued to look the more dangerous of two very poor teams in a game that puts supporters off going to matches.

They had a bad miss in the 40th minute, just before Eastwood hit a shot that Davis got a hand to.

There were muted boos at the break as those assembled legged it to get a warming drink, much to the surprise of the staff in the catering kiosks in the away end.

Whatever, Chris Coleman said at the break had absolutely no effect as the home side played the ball round far too easily.

The Saints supporters to our right, had just voiced their displeasure at how poor their side was, when they took a 67th minute lead.

Southampton got the ball on the right and a cross went to the far post for David McGoldrick, who had all the time in the world to drive the ball past Westwood into the far corner of the net.

The coat wearing Chris Coleman had been pacing up and down all night, looking as frustrated as the City support was. He sent on Leon Best for a very quiet Eastwood. Best was booed on his entrance but by the home support not the City followers.

Coleman also threw on Robbie Simpson for the hapless Michael Doyle.

This gave the Sky Blues some shape and in the 75th minute, Leon Best knocked the ball on for Clinton Morrison who was inside the area. Kelvin Davis was a bit over to his right, so Morrison fired the ball just inside the left hand post to get City level.

Any hope that this would spur City on to get a winner quickly disappeared as Robbie Simpson failed to make anything from his two chances.

Danny Fox,who again did not live up to the high standards he had set last season, conceded another needless free kick in stoppage time but City cleared and got out with a point from a performance that would have seen them thrashed by most other sides in the Championship.