QUEENS PARK RANGERS 2-2 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Date 28/11/09 At Loftus Road Championship
Coventry
Westwood, Wright (sent off 84), Wood, Barnett, van Aanholt (Clarke 72), Bell (Eastwood 74), Cork, Gunnarsson (Madine 79), McIndoe, Morrison, Best SNU Ireland, McPake, Cranie,
QPR
Cerny, Leigertwood, F.Hall, Connolly, Borrowdale, Faurlin, Buzsaky, Taarabt (Reid 79), Watson, Routledge, Simpson
SNU Williams, Ramage, Pellicori, Agyemang, McWeeny, Gorkss
HT QPR 1-1 CCFC FT QPR 2-2 CCFC ATT 13,172
Goals Leon Best (15), Jay Simpson (34), Akos Buzsaky (68), Richard Wood (81)
Referee M Jones Booked Wood, van Aanholt, Cork, Westwood, Wright X2
Man Of The Match There were votes for Westwood, McIndoe, Best and Wood
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Coventry City's run of unbeaten games at Loftus Road stretched to five matches when the Sky Blues came back to snatch a point at Queens Park Rangers in a 2-2 draw.
We travelled down in the hope of City's first victory in two months and joined City supporters from Denmark, South Wales, London and the Home Counties, as well those who had also travelled from Coventry and Warwickshire in the lower tier of the School End.
We applauded the 2nd Battalion of Royal Fusiliers and sang the national anthem as an unchanged City side took to the field.
When the match kicked off, the first period was an end to end affair. The home side, who fielded the well abused Gary Borrowdale at left back found it too easy to attack the Sky Blues goal at the end where the City fans were housed.
But when Chris Coleman's charges did attack, the likes of Bell, McIndoe and Best meant that the Sky Blues were always a threat going forwards.
David Bell had been sending over crosses from the right flank and one cracking cross came in the 15th minute. However, this was from the left hand side and it was Patrick van Aanholt in his own half, who sent a long ball forwards to Leon Best on the far side of the area to rise and head home past the badly placed Cerny.
We celebrated royally this goal that had come out of the blue but then watched as the City defence struggled to cope with the pace of Routledge, Jay Simpson and a midfield led by Ben Watson and Akos Buzsaky.
A 21st minute City attack saw a Leon Best shot cleared off the line before Jay Simpson had the ball in the net only for the flag by the assistant on the main stand side to have been raised without his notice.
Both sides continued to attack. Keiren Westwood made a good save in the 28th minute before Leon Best got in two headers, one of which was saved and the other going not too far wide.
In the 34th minute, a long ball proved to curtail City's lead. It bypassed the defence and loanee from Arsenal, Jay Simpson, who has already been amongst the goals for the West Londoners, raced through and flicked the ball past the advancing City keeper into the net.
Both sides won corners. Richard Wood got booked for a foul, something that was not given by referee Mike Jones when Aron Gunnarsson, who had a pretty quiet game, was impeded in an incident that led to Westwood saving with his feet.
Simpson headed over before City in first half stoppage time, swung in a cross that was met by Richard Wood and the ball cleared off the line.
To the strains of Pigbag, City entered the pitch at a Loftus Road ground, which lends itself to atmosphere with its closeness to the pitch for the second half.
It seemed that it was Jim Magilton whose half-time team talk had the most effect on his players as QPR ripped the City defence apart early in the second half.
After Westwood had to save, forty seconds into the second period, Rangers attacked on four occasions. The fourth brought a shot from Adel Taarabt that curled onto the bar.
Taarabt continued to reek havoc before there were howls from the City support when Keiren Westwood was cautioned for time wasting. “Fastest booking for time wasting I have ever seen”, was just one of the comments made to me by City supporters who were urging the Sky Blues on.
Five minutes later, our wrath was reserved for the City defence when QPR took a 68th minute lead. Westwood made an initial save following a corner. The defence failed to clear and the ball fell to Akos Buzsaky on the left to hit a shot that deflected off Richard Wood and into the net.
"Come On City" was the cry from the Sky Blue Army as Jordan Clarke was sent on along with "Our Goal Machine" Freddy Eastwood. Carlisle's fifth best striker Gary Madine also got a run out as City went for it with four forwards on the pitch.
Loftus Road with it’s close proximity to the BBC at White City has been used for a number of television dramas and with nine minutes to go, the ground was to witness even more drama.
The changes implemented by a City boss, who has some fans, who have yet to suggest someone who can do a better job with the same resources from SISU, calling for his head, worked as in the 81st minute. City had a free kick on the right in front of the dug outs. The ball went towards Cerny's left hand post and there was Richard Wood to get in a header to send the ball into the bottom of the net.
The loanee from Sheffield Wednesday raced with a massive smile on his face the few feet to celebrate his first goal for Coventry with the jubilant City support.
Three minutes after the goal, City were down to ten men when Stephen Wright gave away a foul and in return received his second yellow card of the match and his second dismissal at Loftus Road in consecutive seasons. Wright who looked furious threw his captain's armband at the referee in disgust as he stormed off.
The hard working Leon Best got in a low drive before five minutes of stoppage time were announced.
Again, we urged City on to get a winner but it did not come and we went home a lot happier on a cold afternoon, than the home fans with a point apiece from a highly entertaining game which both sides could have won.