PRESTON NORTH END 1-0 COVENTRY CITY
City: Burge, Willis, Webster (G.Thomas 84), Martin, Pennington, Barton, O'Brien, Fleck, Samuel, Williams, Nouble (Tudgay 61), Subs: Charles-Cook, C.Thomas, Jackson, Turgott, Haynes, G.Thomas.
Preston: Johnstone, Wiseman, Clarke, Huntingdon, Woods (Brownhill 17), Laird, Kilkenny (Garner 66), Johnson, Humphry, Gallagher (Walsh 66), Davies. Subs: Stuckmann, Wright, Reid, Ebanks-Blake.
HT PNE 1-0 CCFC FT PNE 1-0 CCFC ATT 13,363
Goals Kevin Davies 20
Referee M.Brown
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Coventry City are still looking for their first league win at Preston after a 1-0 defeat.
After a 2-2 draw against Rochdale and at the end of a week, where Luke Williams had been brought in on loan from Middlesbrough and Blair Turgott had joined until the end of the season, City set off for Deepdale a ground where they have not won a league game.
On a cloudy day, the M6 was pretty quiet and the 569 City supporters including a good few from London and Kent were able to get to the home of Preston North End without too much fuss and we arrived to see a City team with four changes start.
Backed by a noisy City support, City, in their yellow third kit, playing 4-4-2 ish had Jim O'Brien doing a holding job in the midfield along with Adam Barton, playing against his former club, for which there was a new song saying that he was initially not very good but now he's alright.
The opening exchanges were tentative on a sunny and not too unpleasant afternoon.
Preston were the first side to win a corner in the 14th minute which Burge caught with ease and three minutes later, Pennington won a corner that ended up in the side netting.
But in the 20th minute, Preston took the lead when Kevin Davies beat Lee Burge in the air to head home a neat ball from Paul Gallagher.
Humphry wasted a good chance in the 26th minute for the Lillywhites blasting high and wide.
City countered through Samuel who won a corner which led to a thrown for a City team which looked unbalanced with Nouble again on the left wing.
As one City fan, who insisted in telling everyone he was from Henley Road was ejected. Gallagher whipped in a cross which Burge got a hand to, to push over for a corner.
City started to have a bit more of the play but far too often, players were running into blind alleys or playing the ball across the back four side sidewards rather than up the field.
Preston, earned a 44th minute corner and in came Brownhill with a header that Burge pushed over for a corner the other side.
The talk amongst the City support at half-time was that the Sky Blues were too negative especially across the back and there was no change early in the second half.
The talk amongst the City support at half-time was that the Sky Blues were too negative especially across the back and there was no change early in the second half.
Chants of "You're nothing special, we lose every week", and one that translated to the City support being fed up of how poor the team are, started to come out of the Bill Shankly Kop, as a header from Pennington at Johnstone received ironic cheers for being the first chance on target for the Sky Blues in the game.
The City support were shouting for the ball to go forward but when it did, Nouble missed an absolute sitter from close range from a Williams 57th minute cross.
Nouble fired wide before we had a situation in the 59th minute, where Jim O'Brien over-ruled Steven Pressley over taking off Williams. The loanee stayed on and two minutes later, Frank Nouble who had taken a knock, which O'Brien had seen but not Pressley, was replaced.
That was it for the City supporters and the chants were now Jim O'Brien's Sky Blue Army, which were joined in far more vigourously than anything that had been shouted for the current City boss, who was unable to field Samni Odelusi due to a tight hamstring.
With Dominic Samuel far better on his right foot than his left, City were looking to play the ball around but it was often a case of clear it rather than pass it.
With Dominic Samuel far better on his right foot than his left, City were looking to play the ball around but it was often a case of clear it rather than pass it.
Brownhill sent a free kick straight at Burge and Pennington shot at Johnstone,
In the 76th minute, Barton had a twenty yarder beaten away by Johnstone and a minute later. City won a corner. As the referee missed an arm round Pennington, the ball was cleared and Tudgay came in with a tame header.
Clarke gifted City a corner with ten minutes left before George Thomas was sent on for Andy Webster, much to the delight of those who were unhappy with the latest performance from the Scot.
Jim O'Brien had a shot deflected for a corner and Fleck made a great tackle
Samuel curled over in stoppage time and then Fleck got the ball twenty odd yards out. He hit a cracking shot but it hit Johnstone's left hand post and City remained a team which again could not find the net and were beaten at Deepdale yet again.