WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2-4 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
TEAM Konstantopolous,McNamee,Ward,Turner,Borrowdale,M.Hughes.Doyle (Osbourne 87),Tabb, Best (Adebola 85),Mifsud,McKenzie (Gray 81) SNU Marshall,Cairo
West Brom Kiely, Hoefkins,Robinson (sent off 70),Barnett,Koren,Greening,Bednar,Teixeira (Pele 70),Cesar (Hodgkiss 46),Brunt, Gera (McDonald 46) SNU Beattie,Steele
HT WBAFC 0-2 CCFC FT WBAFC 2-4 CCFC ATT 20 641. Goals Leon Best (5 & 83), Michael Mifsud (11 & 85),Roman Bednar (51),Chris Brunt (63)
Ref M.Clattenburg Booked Greening,Robinson X2, Kiely,Mifsud
Man Of The Match - Leon Best took the votes with nominations for Michael Mifsud, David McNamee and Leon McKenzie. ________________________________________
STARTING FORMATION
Iain Dowie made changes to the side had lost at home to Sheffield United on Saturday. Out went Stephen Hughes,Arjan De Zeeuw,Dele Adebola and Julian Gray and in came Eliott Ward,Michael Hughes,Leon Best and Michael Mifsud.
He opted for a 4-3-3 formation
Best McKenzie Mifsud
Tabb Doyle M.Hughes
Borrowdale Turner Ward McNamee
Dimi
West Brom boss Tony Mowbray included former Sky blue Dean Kiely in goal and had Luke Steele on the bench.
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GROUND
I've always liked The Hawthorns as a ground. Three good stands and it is the easiest ground in the Championship to get to.
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CITY SUPPORTERS
Not the biggest following we have ever had at West Brom but it was still a good turn out for a night game in the run-up to Christmas. _____________________________________
Football is indeed a strange game and City proved this theory winning 4-2 against a West Brom side they normally lose to.
With all the "Will Ranson flash the cash?" or "Will we end up in administration?" talk dominating proceedings, it was nice to get to a game and concentrate purely on events on the pitch.
Right from the first whistle by Mark Clattenburg, the City players showed that they wanted to make this a memorable night against a West Brom side that BBC Midlands were expecting to be top of the league.
We'd just past the five minute mark when the City support which looked to be around the 1,000 mark and included supporters from Northern Ireland, were dancing around in celebration of a goal for the Sky Blues.
Ben Turner banged the ball forwards. As Dean Kiely came out, in came Leon Best who flicked the ball over the keeper and into the empty net.
"We're Gonna Win 4-0" was the cry from the Coventry support and six minutes after the goal, City added a second.
This time, Leon McKenzie did very well on the left. The former Norwich striker, collected the ball from Tabb, got round the back of the Baggies defence and centred. In the middle of the goal was Michael Mifsud. City's top scorer bent down and got his head to the ball to send it past Kiely from closeish range.
The home fans berated their players as we went ballistic. Such was their fury, that one fan in the home end next to us was ejected.
When West Brom did attack, they found City's defence in fine form. Ben Turner had probably his best ever game for City with Elliott Ward solid as a rock. David McNamee who had recovered from a hamstring strain, got in plenty of tackles. One superbly timed intervention in the 24th minute conceded a corner.
Corner taker for the Baggies was Jonathan Greening and he was ritually abused every time he took a corner in front of the end where the City support was housed.
The Michael's Mifsud and Doyle both had chances and another great block by Ward conceded a corner as City went into the half-time break for the first time in twelve games having scored.
Tony Mowbray made a double change at the break and his side started to get all the 50/50 decisions. In the 51st minute and on a pitch strooned with litter, they pulled one back. A ball form the right was played across the pitch to Paul Robinson on the left. He advanced and centred for Roman Bednar who jumped to head home from six yards.
Twelve minutes later, Chris Brunt equalised. The Northern Irishman, formerly with Sheffield Wednesday, tore down the right. It looked from our vantage point that he had taken the ball out of play on the wing but there was nothing from the linesman. He got in a low shot which was particularly not well hit. Down went City's Greek keeper but the ball slipped under him and into the net.
There were a few chants calling for Andy Marshall but in the 70th minute, these turned to ones of "Off,Off,Off" as Mifsud legged it down the right. Across came Robinson who had been cautioned in the 62nd minute and sent the Maltese international flying. Out came the red card and Robinson,after making a finger pointing protest in the face of the referee, the left back trooped off the field of play.
Now Mr Clattenburg had incured the wrath of the City support already for some of his decisions but in the 76th minute, blood pressure levels surged towards boiling point when Dean Kiely came racing out and took down Mifsud.
From where he was taken, Mifsud would certainly have scored but Mr Clattenburg consulted his assistant on the Main Stand side and only produced a yellow card.
The keeper who resides in Coventry and still has family here, may have got away with this but in the 83rd minute and Julian Gray on for Leon McKenzie, he was picking the ball out of the net for the third time in the game.
Jay Tabb, who again ran himself into the ground, rescued the ball and laid it inside for Leon Best. Kiely came out to narrow the angle but Best was not going to be denied and he lifted the ball over the keeper and into the net from eight yards.
Stewards were now flying everywhere and just over two minutes later, so were we as City added a fourth. Elliott Ward made an absolute blinding run and played the ball to Leon Best who got to the ball before Kiely and squared it for the unmarked Michael Mifsud to stroke into an empty net.
Our celebrations took their toll. One supporter, who was supposed to be coming with me to Port Vale for City Reserves game, had to be taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle whilst another (not me this time, I had a one back in the car after the game) suffered two fits.
The home supporters streamed out as Leon Best and Michael Doyle were replaced to standing ovations. The ovations and cheers including a few "Boing,Boing's" to mock the Baggies continued long after the final whistle brought another welcome three points.