WREXHAM AFC 4-1 COVENTRY CITY
TUE JULY 31 At Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
City: Murphy, Clarke, Edjenguele (Hussey 61), Brown, Malaga, Kilbane, Baker, Thomas, Fleck (Cazarine 63), McSheffrey (Roberts 57), Ball. Subs Dunn, Deegan
Wrexham: Mayebi (Coughlin 76), Walker, Ashton, Creighton , Hunt (Clarke 78) , Westwood, Harris (Colbeck 68) Wright (Ciesiewicz 76), Omerod (Hackney 72), Ogleby (Rushton 83), Keates
HT WFC 2-0 CCFC FT WFC 4-1 CCFC ATT 907 .
Referee Bryn Markham Jones
Goals Robert Ogleby (25), Neil Ashton (29 pen), Paul Keats (55), Jonny Hunt (71), Bruno Cazarine (90)
___________________
CITY SUPPORT:
Around thirty hardy souls made the trip up some windy roads to North Wales.
_________________
CITY TEAM NEWS:
Andy Thorn fielded the strongest team he could and a side completely changed from the one beaten at Nuneaton on Saturday.
_________________
WEATHER
The rain had stopped but it was a cloudy night.
_______________
Cut the 'this was only a pre-season game' lark, people spent money and time travelling to Wrexham to support Coventry City and were badly let down by a team devoid of ideas, determination and purpose, which crashed to a 4-1 defeat at the Racecourse Ground.
Right from the outset against Andy Morrell's side, which had to replace former City captain Stephen Wright before kick off, it was clear that the Conference side wanted this game more.
City fielding their strongest possible team started on the backfoot and it was only thanks to Jordan Clarke, one of the few City players who can come out of this match with any credit, making some good tackles and Kevin Malaga winning a couple of headers that it was not until the 25th minute that Wrexham took the lead.
A ball was played forward for former City youngster Robert Ogleby. The assistant referee on the empty Main Stand side put his flag up, so the City players stopped. There was no whistle from the referee so Ogleby, watched by a good number of family and friends raced through and beat Joe Murphy. The referee. then much to the disgust of the City defenders and the bench. gave the goal, which if it came off a City player as some of the supporters sat around us thought then it was the right decision.
There was no disagreement about Wrexham's second goal, three minutes later, which was awarded when Clarke had no alternative option other than impeding Hunt.
Up stepped Neil Ashton and he was able to beat Murphy who went the right way and double Wrexham's lead.
Mayebi in the Wrexham goal had an easy time of it when City did attack and was able to deal with efforts from Carl Baker, who, to his credit ran and battled and Gary McSheffrey on the other flank.
The home keeper's one faux pas of the night came in the 35th minute when he dropped a Ball shot for a corner which Malaga headed over. However, he soon regained his composure to deal with a tame effort from Baker after a good run by Conor Thomas.
Then, Wrexham went up the other end and former Blackpool and Southampton's Brett Omerod who struck a post in the 40th minute.
Wrexham could have been five goals up by half-time which saw Callum Ball replaced by Cody McDonald and in the 55th minute, the home fans in a crowd of 907 had another goal to cheer when Omerod slipped the ball through for Keats to neatly finish.
The mood amongst the City support dropped and it was probably a good job that the City bench was on the other side of the ground otherwise, Andy Thorn and his staff might have had to listen to a few home truths from the very riled supporters, who are clearly annoyed at what has happened to the team in recent years.
Thorn sent on Will Roberts for McSheffrey, Chris Hussey who did put in some decent crosses for Edjenguele who did not look comfortable at left back and trialist Bruno Cazarine for the out of sorts John Fleck.
Carl Baker had City's first shot of the half on target on the 68th minute but in the 71st minute, it was thank you and good night when Ogleby set up Jonny Hunt to score with a good finish, something that has been badly lacking from the City forwards in recent pre-season games.
In the last minute and after the likes of Ogleby had got the standing ovation he deserved, City did get on the scoresheet.
Chris Hussey got down the left, beat one defender and drove across the six yard box. The ball hit a combination of a defender and Bruno Cazarine and went into the net, prompting a few ironic cheers from the City fans who were still in the ground.
That was the last of the action and only Carl Baker clapped the City support on what was another miserable night of supporting the Sky Blues.