Super City See Off Stoke

Last updated : 06 January 2018 By CNS Sport
Coventry City 2-1 Stoke City 
 
Coventry City:   O'Brien (GK); Grimmer, Willis, Davies, Stokes; Maguire-Drew, (Stevenson 62), Doyle (C), Bayliss, Shipley (Haynes 84); McNulty, Biamou. Subs: Burge (GK); Hyam,  Maycock, Finn, Ponticelli
 
Stoke City  Butland (GK); Allen, Wimmer, Zouma, Cameron (Crouch 51), Sobhi, Ireland (Choup-Moting 72), Adam, (Shaqiri 75),  Edwards, Biram-Diouf, Berahino. Subs   Grant (GK); Souttar, Afellay, Fletcher.
 
Goals Jordan Willis 22, Charlie Adam 53 pen, Jack Grimmer 68
 
Att  14,199
 
Coventry City pulled off the shock many were expecting with a 2-1 win over Stoke City.
 
The first Saturday in January and Coventry City were in FA Cup Third Round action.
 
The draw had thrown up a home tie against Stoke City and set up a game between two sides who need wins in their respective divisions, rather than more Cup matches 
 
Stoke's precarious league position with manager Mark Hughes, facing collecting his P4, attracted the media and was even the Radio 5 live game, something City had not been for a while.
 
Mark Robins who had played with Hughes at Manchester United, made two changes with Liam O'Brien in goal and a debut for loanee Jordan Maguire-Drew on a cold afternoon at the Ricoh Arena for a game which saw Stoke fielding a pretty strong side with a number of internationals like Jack Butland and Charlie Adam.
 
The Sky Blues attacked the end where the 3,500+ supporters from a city which has missed out being the City Of Culture 2021 were housed and they and the home support provided an atmosphere with Mark being told in no uncertain terms that he was getting sacked in the morning.
 
Many had complained about the price of the match tickets but those able to get a ticket and get into the ground, either before or just after kick off, for once had value for money. 
 
Stoke had Charlie Adam as their playmaker in midfield and City had Tom Bayliss working hard in midfield which was bypassed in the tenth minute as Jordan Willis cleared a couple of yards off the line.
 
Two minutes later and City were awarded a corner. it went back to Chris Stokes who picked out Maguire-Drew for a shot that was blocked and cleared upfield.
 
Maguire-Drew played a good ball to McNulty but when he got it back he fired high over the bar in the 17th minute.
 
In the 21st minute, Stoke should have scored when a lovely weighted ball from Adam fell for Stephen Ireland who drove wide of O'Brien"s right hand ball.
 
City went up the other and a deflected Biamou shot won City a corner. That came in and there was Jordan Willis to powerfully head the ball into the net on Butland's left hand side.
 
Another good ball in by Adam was nodded down and wide by Diouf.
 
Berahino sent a tame shot at O'Brien and McNulty fired wide as Hughes paced around his technical area whilst Mark Robins, who had not been at the JSB Party on Thursday, stood encouraging his team which was full of players giving their all.
 
Diouf headed over and then McNulty got in on the right and sent the ball across the area and did it again second later from a pass by Max Biamou, who had another fine game, in front of the Stoke fans, a couple of which held a loft a ''Hughes Out" banner
 
Had either efforts gone in it would have given the Sky Blues even more confidence to take into the second half which started with Tom Bayliss needing treatment.
 
Bayliss stayed on but Stoke sent on Peter Crouch. He had been on for less than minute when Stoke were awarded a penalty and Charlie Adam stepped up to easily beat O'Brien.
 
Thee game continued whilst in the away end, some of Stoke's hooligans got under the netting and tried to get at the City fans to their right, only to be stopped by a mass of stewards and police.
 
Stoke, headed over a 57th minute corner as their fans threatened a pitch invasion and had a shot go just wide as the stench of a red smoke bomb hung in the air.
 
With police restoring some sort of order in the away end, Ben  Stevenson came on for Maguire-Drew.  
 
Stoke might have had a penalty but Mr Atkinson went for offside instead.
 
A 67th minute corner for Stoke was dealt with and City attacked. The ball was played to Jack Grimmer who hit a twenty yarder which beat Butland and went into the net.
 
The City support went ballistic as the Hughes Out banner reappeared and the Stoke fans made it known they were not happy with a team which replaced Adam with Shaqiri for the last fifteen minutes.
 
Good defending by City gave Stoke two corners and more excellent defending with Jordan Willis and Tom Davies flying in to block everything allowed the City defence to block four more efforts in the 78th minute.
 
Five minutes later and City had to make three clearances after an O'Brien flap but they got away with it, something which had the visiting supporters realising it was not their day with the strike force they had up front looking very poor..
 
Jordan Shipley, who ran himself into the ground and played some neat one-twos with Biamou, was replaced by Liam O'Brien just before Diouf missed with a closed range header and O'Brien tipped over a Crouch volley.
 
As four minutes was added, play was held up by a red smoke bomb.
 
Stoke had one more chance with a late corner but Coventry City held firm and dealt with the problem to book their place in Round Four with an historic win.