COVENTRY CITY NOTTINGHAM FOREST BY KEV MONKS
Date 01/03/11 At Ricoh Arena
Team
Westwood, Keogh, Cranie, Wood, O'Halloran, Gunnarsson, Baker, McSheffrey (Jutkiewicz 66), Cameron (Clarke 46), King, Eastwood (Platt 66). SNU Ireland, Bell, Clingan, O'Donovan
Forest
Camp, Morgan, Konchesky, Gunter, Chambers, Cohen, Anderson, Tudgay, McGugan (Adebola 65), Moussi (McKenna 36), Earnshaw (Lynch 77). SNU McLeary, McGoldrick, Smith, Majewski
HT CCFC 1-2 NFFC FT CCFC 1-2 NFFC ATT 14,641
Referee A.D'Urso Booked None
Man Of The Match Marlon King
For the third game running Coventry City threw away a lead and this caused a home defeat against Nottingham Forest.
The second to last home Tuesday game of the season, came following the throwing away of a two goal lead at Birmingham City in front of a big City following and a lack of incoming players on Transfer Deadline Day to lift spirits, although to be fair to Aidy Boothroyd, he had been saying for a good few weeks that he was going to bring in players on loan rather than use the transfer window. It was also a school night and a cold night after the sunshine in Coventry had disappeared and it did not take a genius to work out that the Ricoh Arena was not going to be packed with City supporters tonight.
There was 12,500 City fans officially recorded as being in the ground along with 2,132 Forest fans and they saw the Sky Blues have to make a late change to the announced starting line up when Sammy Clingan pulled up injured.
With no midfielders on the bench and Conor Thomas packed off to Liverpool, Martin Cranie moved into midfield, whilst Nathan Cameron slotted into Cranie's centre half role.
Back up front was Freddy Eastwood who partnered Marlon King up front.
Forest took the threat of King, who had scored in his last two games, seriously, and put two defenders on him as the match got underway with the Sky Blues facing the Jewson Stand for the opening half.
Both sides deployed the offside trap after McSheffrey had gone close with a third minute free kick.
City won three corners against a Forest side whose first real effort came in the 23rd minute when Guy Moussi got on the end of a free kick and toe-poked the ball straight at Keiren Westwood.
Then the game burst into life. McSheffrey sent over a cross from the left to Marlon King on the edge of the six-yard box. His header was touched by Camp and then Eastwood and MARLON KING got in to fire in to the net from three yards.
The lead was to last a mere five minutes as Forest got the ball through LEWIS MCGUGAN, some twenty five yards out. McGugan hit a hopeful shot that did not have enough power but for some reason, Keiren Westwood dived away from the ball and it went into the net to draw Forest level.
City were guilty of some woeful defending two minutes later, when a ball was played through to the unmarked Paul Anderson who thankfully fired just past Westwood's right hand post.
In the 35th minute, Forest attacked once again. This time, it was Guy Moussi who went on a surging run down the right. Moussi pulled a hamstring as he ran towards the byline in front of Block 28 in the CT Stand but he was still able to hook the ball across for ROBERT EARNSHAW to volley home from twelve yards.
Moussi was replaced by Paul McKenna straight away as Forest decided that their goal-scoring was now done for the evening and they concentrated on grinding out a result to lift them into the automatic promotion spots.
City, who were booed off, had to replace the injured Nathan Cameron at the break and sent on Jordan Clarke, but lacking any leadership on the pitch, there seemed no-one apart from Marlon King, who according to rumours is attracting interest about his services for next season, who was interested in City actually getting something out of the game.
King did very well to get in a good shot on the turn in the 55th minute and seconds later, he provided a wonderful cross to Eastwood at the far post to get in a header that sent the ball earthbound rather than goal-bound before it was cleared.
Dele Adebola came on to good applause and chants of "Oooh Adebola" from the Singing Corner but there were some boos heard from the Tescos Stand when Lukas Jutkiewicz and Clive Platt replaced McSheffrey and Eastwood in the 66th minute.
Marlon King got shoved out wide and he went very quiet as Jutkiewicz had a tame effort in the 78th minute and slammed a Platt knock-down in the side netting seconds later.
Many of the City support were by now heading for home. Some had even gone at half-time and stoppage time poor efforts from Platt, Gunnarsson and Jutkiewicz meant that City run of not winning a league match since December 4th continued.