Two Blunders Costs City Reserves

Last updated : 27 April 2005 By Kev Monks
WATFORD RESERVES 2-0 COVENTRY CITY RESERVES BY KEV MONKS

Two defensive blunders involving debutant keeper Kevin Pressman saw City Reserves crash to a 2-0 defeat at Watford.
For the first of two away games in three days, Alan Cork was forced to field a team, down to the bare bones. Keeper Kevin Pressman was given his debut as was Adie Williams who was recovering from injury, with the rest of the side made up of a number of the U18's side that had won at Norwich on Saturday to secure the league title.
It was the portly custodian who was at fault for the first goal which came in the ninth minute. Pressman called for a ball back from defender Stuart Wall who duly did so. However,Pressman completely missed the ball and Omari Coleman got a touch to it, just before it rolled into an empty net.
Now Nigel Gibbs had fielded a side that was on paper no better than the Sky Blues with only Sean Dyche who was recovering from a groin injury on show, but City were letting themselves with their passing and too often strikers Craig Reid and Vijay Sidhu were forced to come back and help the midfield.

In the 16th minute,a neat lay-off from Reid found Thornton who raced down the left only for his centre to be cleared.

It was at this point that Luton Town boss Mike Newall arrived in left hand part of the wooden Main stand at Vicarage Road. This was the fifth time this season that Newall has seen City Reserves. Who he was watching I don't know, but Sean Dyche at centre half for the Hornets was certainly catching the eye as was Anthony McNamee.

Kevin Pressman was relying on his handling and positioning as his kicks were long but without direction and in the 19th minute, he got down to a Coleman effort before diving to his right to push over an eight yard Joel Grant shot.

Another save from the non contract player was followed by Andy Gooding steering a free kick from the edge of the area into the arms of Hornets keeper Reece Kirk.

A 40th minute City corner came to nothing but two minutes later, Reid dragged Dyche out of position allowing Liam Nicell to powerfully strike a 22 yard shot that Kirk did well to save.

Adie Williams looked ok at the back but on the stroke of halftime. He tried his luck with a free kick from twenty yards but could only smack it straight into the wall.

Watford,made one change at the break and went further ahead seven minutes into the second half.

Andy Hall ,under pressure had the ball inside his own penalty area. Pressman again raced out and in came Omari Coleman who bounced into both players. This collision sent to the ball to the left on the six yard line.
Coleman easily beat Pressman to the ball and turned to send the ball back past the City keeper who was trying to recover his position and into the net from three yards.

The goal delighted the majority of the crowd of 201 which included a child who spent the entire game hiding under a blanket and a number of Village Idiots.

On the hour mark, Cork who only named three substitutes used two of them when Paul McCrink came on for Andy Hall and Rikki Bains replaced Ryan Lynch.

Craig Reid had spent most of the game,playing neat and tidy balls and it was not until the 66th minute when he had first chance of the match when he turned on the edge of the area but could not steer the ball past the diving Kirk.
With no service to the forwards, and the midfield bar Thornton and Nicell being ripped apart, this was depressing stuff for the fourteen City supporters who were getting colder by the minute and by now resigned themselves to watching City Reserves eleventh defeat of the season and the third defeat in a row.
With twenty minutes left, Pressman made a good diving save to catch a Grant header from a McNamee cross Watford had Jack Smith cautioned for scything down Vijay Sidhu who was clean through on the right flank.

City made their third change of the half with ten to go when Ben Turner came on for Stuart Wall.
With Andy Ferrell being replaced two minutes later, that made a total of six substitutions.
Given that thirty seconds per substitution is the norm for the amount of stoppage time plus a goal as well, it was a surprise that only a minute of added time was announced. Perhaps if Salisbury based referee Brendan Malone had been in charge of the game at Plymouth on Saturday, we'd all be a lot happier and defeats like this could be stomached easier.
HT WFC 1-0 CCFC FT WFC 2-0 CCFC
ATT 201
GOALS Omari Coleman (9,52)
BOOKED Jack Smith (72)
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kevin Thornton took the votes with Craig Reid also worth a mention.
CITY
Pressman,Hall (McCrink 60),Lynch (Bains 60), Gooding,Williams,Wall (Turner 80), Nicell,Thornton,Reid,Sidhu,Davis
WATFORD
Kirk,Osbourne,Mayo,Ferrell (Chapman 82), Smith,Dyche,Grant,Coleman (Norville 69),Bouazza (Diafutua 46),Diagouraga, McNamee SNU Hoad,Homand