BARNSLEY 1-2 COVENTRY CITY
City:Murphy, Adams, Webster, Willis, Christie, Moussa, Fleck, Daniels, Baker (C), L. Clarke, Slager (Barton 56). Subs: Burge (GK), Urquhart, Phillips, Haynes, Garner, Maund.
Barnsley: Steele (GK), Ramage, Kennedy, Cranie (C), M'voto, Dawson, Perkins (Scotland 77) O'Brien, Mellis, Cywka, O'Grady (Pedersen 66). Subs: Dibble (GK), Jennings, Nyatanga, McCourt, Etuhu.
HT BFC 1-0 CCFC FT BFC 1-2 CCFC ATT 7439
Goals Jim O'Brien 18, Franck Moussa 77, Leon Clarke 89
Referee C.Boyeson Booked Dawson, Clarke, Moussa, Wills
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Another super Coventry City comeback sees the Sky Blues in the FA Cup Fourth Round with a 2-1 win at Barnsley.
Well, FA Cup Third Round day and it was pouring with rain as the Sky Blue Army set off for Barnsley.
Personally, it was a bit of a night-mare as we had one car break down with its driver stuck in Coventry and having to miss the game and then wait for our other driver to detour from the Leicester area to come and get us to Oakwell.
Not arriving until 45 minutes before kick off meant that we missed out on the catching up with fellow supporters, which is a big part of any City away game and something more important since the club moved to Sixfields, but at least we were there to join in with an excellent turn out of City supporters with one from New York (in America, not the scene of our victory on New Year's Day), Hampshire, and Kent to name but a few places.
The 2632 of us saw Steven Pressley give a debut to Dutchman Denzel Slager and bring back John Fleck against a Barnsley side, which featured former Sky Blues Luke Steele and Martin Cranie.
City in their away kit, attacked the sparsely populated home end for the first half and Slager, wearing the number twelve shirt, was soon involved, keeping M'Voto on his toes with a couple of runs.
Barnsley had the first corner of the game in the eighth minute but Franck Moussa was straight to it and cleared.
City, thanks to Leon Clarke had their first corner that was headed away five minutes later and two minutes before Jim O'Brien volleyed wide from twenty yards following a corner.
Leon Clarke fired at Steele but The Tykes broke and an eighteenth minute ball went over to the left for Jim O'Brien to volley past Joe Murphy for the opening goal.
A goal up they might have been but the Championship side who have won on only three occasions this season were not allowed to increase their lead by a hard working City defence which had Jordan Willis and Andy Webster working well together.
The Tykes did go close when Murphy beat away a free kick and Cwyka hit his left hand post with a 26th minute stinging shot.
Recently, refereeing decisions seem to be a feature of City matches and this game was no exeception with the City fans fuming at the Yorkshire based referee Mr Boyeson, as Leon Clarke was booked for entering the field of play without permission and Moussa picked up a caution for a foul.
Joe Murphy came out and made a great clearance for a City side that trailed at the break that saw City supporters prevented from drinking alcohol on advice of Northampton police, who are now policing City matches.
City's first chance of the second half came in the 51st minute and saw Slager get in a twenty yarder that Steele had to use his body to smother.
Christie cut in for a tame shot at Steele as Daniels, Fleck and Moussa found room in the midfield to feed balls through.
Coventry clearly needed a fresh injection of purpose and that came when Steven Pressley switched Slager in the 56th minute for Adam Barton just before a City corner came to nothing.
Barton got straight in to steadying the midfield, whilst Franck Moussa went up front and this gave the Sky Blues an edge of a Barnsley side which seemed content to hang on to their one goal lead.
With Blair Adams having a stormer, getting in some cracking crosses to worry Cranie and co, the Sky Blues won a 68th minute corner through Moussa. Steele lost the ball and it fell for Leon Clarke who thumped the bar.
John Fleck fireed at Steele. City attacked again, just after Barnsley had brought on Jason Scotland and this time, Franck Moussa got free and sped towards goal. Steele came out but Moussa beat him with a delightful finish to get City back in the game and cause pandemonium in the away end.
Baker had an 81st minute free kick deflected for a corner and Adams won a corner as chants of "Go For It" and "City We Love You" boomed out of the away end.
The impetus was thoroughly with Coventry. The City support, were lifting the players who responded when Luke Steele fumbled a Christie shot in the 86th minute and the former City loanee keeper watched him fire wide from the loose ball.
There was just under two minutes to go when the away end went absolutely mental as Leon Clarke kept his cool after being sent on his way and stroked the ball past Steele on his right with consummate ease and skill to send the Sky Blues into the Fourth Round and 2,632 City supporters home very happy with another cracking last twenty minutes.
Match Report dedicated to the memory of young City supporter Dion Walker-Smith who died in a car crash before Christmas.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service