Single Goal For City As They Beat Barnet

Last updated : 10 March 2018 By CNS Sport
Coventry City 1-0  Barnet 
 
City: Burge, Grimmer,. Hyam. McDonald, Haynes, Kelly. Doyle, Bayliss, McNulty. Reid (Barrett 61), Clarke-Harris (Biamou 84), Subs; O'Brien. Devon Kelly-Evans. Stokes. Willis. Ponticelli  
 
Barnet Legge, Santos, Watson, Coulthirst (Taylor 76), Weston, Tutonda, Izquierdo (Nicholson 76), Vilhete, Nicholls, Sweeney. Akinde (Akinola 76),Subs: Ross, Clough, Plavotic, Briggs.
 
Att 7,127 
 
Goals Jonson Clarke-Harris 74
 
Coventry City huffed and puffed and beat Barnet 1-0 with a goal from Jonson Clarke-Harris.
 
With the weather more like what we expect for March, wet instead of snow the Sky Blues took on Barnet in a League Two fixture at the Ricoh Arena at the end of a busy week.
 
Having announced their season ticket prices, City finally got round to confirming that they had re-signed former captain Carl Baker.
 
With international clearance still not through for Baker, the Sky Blues fielded a changed team on another soggy Saturday against the North Londoners who played a 4-4-2 formation.
 
It was Graham Westley's side which had the first chance in the opening seconds and one which had clearly come to play football.
 
The Bees, won a corner in the ninth minute which went to Lee Burge who quickly sent Kyel Reid on a run. Legge in the Barnet goal caught that.
 
Watson wasted a good chance, volleying wide before Marc McNulty got in and danced round a defence only for Legge to block his 14th minute effort.
 
McNulty, who worked hard all game, drove wide from twenty yards seconds later. Barnet went and won a corner as a minute applause rang round the ground for a Barnet supporter sadly no longer with us.
 
Watson fired across the goal again and Weston fired high into the North Stand.
 
The rain got heavier blowing into the stands as Reid whipped in another cross that was easily cleared. 
 
Haynes sent a cross well wide to groans. Barnet went up the other end and Coulthirst got in a shot that Burge had to tip past the post for a corner which was followed in the 41st minute by Nicholls getting in a shot that won another corner.
 
Akinde fired at Burge as the City support became disgruntled at yet another first half without a goal and again struggling against a team bottom of the table.
 
Barnet should have taken the lead into the opening seconds of the second half with Burge making a great save.
 
McNulty then won City a corner which Liam Kelly took. It was cleared up the other end and the Bees wasted another good chance to take the lead and try and preserve their Football League status.
 
The question of whether it is right to play Tom Bayliss on the right side of midfield when he is out of position again appeared not to work for a City side which brought on Josh Barrett for the last half an hour in place of Kyel Reid.
 
McNulty won City a 65th minute corner and had a header bounce over the bar three minutes later.
 
The City support was getting restless and there were groans as Barrett blasted well wide and City tried in the 73rd minute to walk the ball into the net.
 
A minute later and the ball was in the net when McNulty was involved and Jonson Clarke-Harris tapped in to the net.
 
His goal celebration saw him removing his shirt and was booked by a referee who had made it very clear all afternoon that he was in charge.
 
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Barnet made a triple change and City threw on Max Biamou for the final six minutes for a game which saw Barnet get a corner, a shot flashed wide and four minutes added on as CIty took another win.