Coventry 0 Watford 3 - 23/10/2007
Coventry 0 Watford 3 - 23/10/2007
Coventry City: Andy Marshall, Isaac Osbourne, Elliott Ward, Gary Borrowdale (Arjan De Zeeuw 26), Ben Turner, Stephen Hughes (Robbie Simpson 45), Michael Doyle, David McNamee, Julian Gray (Leon Best 72), Michael Mifsud, Kevin Kyle,
Subs not used: Jay Tabb, Dele Adebola
Booked: David McNamee 19, Ben Turner 81
Watford: Richard Lee, Jordan Stewart, Lloyd Doyley, Jay Demerit, Daniel Shittu, Adam Johnson, Tommy Smith (Jobi McAnuff 58), Gavin Mahon, John O'Toole, Darius Henderson (Tamas Priskin 76), Marlon King (Nathan Ellington 79),
Subs not used: Adrian Mariappa, Scott Loach
Booked: Jordan Stewart 40, Jay Demerit 38
Goals: Adam Johnson 30, Marlon King 42, Darius Henderson 46
Attendance: 17032
Referee: L Probert
Teamtalk
Marlon King scored one and created the other two as Championship leaders Watford cruised to a 3-0 victory over Coventry at the Ricoh Arena.
King set up Adam Johnson for the Hornets' first after half an hour before scoring his fourth goal in as many games to double the lead two minutes before the break, firing home Danny Shittu's flick-on from a Jordan Stewart free-kick.
The game was put beyond doubt just seconds into the second half when King laid on Darius Henderson, whose early shot appeared to catch City goalkeeper Andy Marshall off guard.
Sky Blues boss Iain Dowie made two changes to the side defeated by Plymouth on Saturday, recalling Kevin Kyle and David McNamee, while opposite number Adrian Boothroyd named an unchanged side as his side went in search of a fourth straight victory.
Stephen Hughes' well-struck free-kick in the third minute was as close as the home side came to making a breakthrough but even that fizzed comfortably over Richard Lee's crossbar.
King's usually reliable predatory instincts deserted him in the 20th minute when he wasted the first real opportunity of the game.
Having shrugged off Elliott Ward's challenge, King found himself clean through but shot straight at Marshall before his second effort cannoned off the outside of the right post for a goal kick. The leaders began to up the tempo and two minutes later only the superb reactions of Marshall denied John-Joe O'Toole from point-blank range before the ball was scrambled to safety.
Dowie had already been dealt a blow today when it was announced a transfer embargo had been placed on the club after they fell behind in repayments to Southampton for the transfer of Leon Best - who was named among the substitutes.
The sight of Gary Borrowdale being stretchered off in the 25th minute will hardly have helped his mood, with the left-back replaced by Arjan de Zeeuw.
And his day got even worse when on-loan Middlesbrough winger Johnson opened the scoring, popping up unmarked at the far post to drill King's lofted ball into the bottom-right corner.
The goal was no more than Watford deserved and it was no surprise when King made it two just before the break, swivelling to smash the ball beyond Marshall with a typically clinical finish.
Watford began the second half just as they finished the first, with King again instrumental, finding strike partner Henderson in space before he found the right corner.
With the game sewn up, Watford began to sit back and Coventry could count themselves unfortunate not to pull one back when Ben Turner's header was cleared off the line.
City substitute Robbie Simpson should have done better from Kyle's cross when he rose unchallenged in the 63rd minute but his header was well over the bar.
Shittu could have made it four down the other end moments later with a low shot from 25 yards and Hornets replacement Tamas Priskin was particularly wasteful when sent through in the 77th minute.
The Hornets' other two substitutes, Jobi McAnuff and Nathan Ellington almost combined to successful effect with five minutes left with the former West Brom striker narrowly missing the winger's ball across the face of goal.
Michael Mifsud wasted the best of three excellent late chances for City, capping a miserable night for Dowie's side.
CCFC
The Sky Blues tasted defeat for the second time in four days as Watford ran out deserved winners at the Ricoh Arena.
Clinical first-half strikes from Adam Johnson and Marlon King did the damage before Darius Henderson put the result beyond doubt seconds after the interval.
Kevin Kyle saw a header cleared off the line and Michael Mifsud fired narrowly wide but City were second best to a clinical performance from the Championship pacesetters.
City boss Iain Dowie made two changes for the visit of the high-flying Hornets with David McNamee replacing the injured Michael Hughes on the right of midfield and Kyle starting in attack ahead of Robbie Simpson.
Stephen Hughes flashed the game's first effort on goal wide from a long-range free-kick with just three minutes on the clock while a speculative volley John-Joe O'Toole from similar distance also whistled past the post at the other end soon after.
The Sky Blues had a combination of goalkeeper Andy Marshall and the post to thank for keeping the scores level as Watford went perilously close to breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute.
Hornets striker King robbed Elliott Ward for pace to reach a long ball over the top but Marshall spread himself well to block the initial shot with his legs before King sent the rebound crashing against the outside of the woodwork.
And Marshall had to be at his best again three minutes later as he reacted superbly to turn away O'Toole's low effort from point-blank range.
Gary Borrowdale was then forced to leave the action on a stretcher after emerging worse off in a challenge. Arjan de Zeeuw replaced the City full-back with Ben Turner swithing to Borrowdale's left-back berth.
But Watford continued to apply the pressure and they got their reward on the half hour when King latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the area and laid the ball off for Adam Johnson, on loan from Middlesbrough, to arrow a low effort beyond Marshall.
Julian Gray sent a cross fizzing across the face of goal as City launched their response and Kevin Kyle sent a header wide from an Isaac Osbourne cross.
However, they found themselves with a mountain to climb three minutes before the interval when the dangerous King latched onto a loose ball in the area and coolly fired into the net on the turn.
And to make matters worse, they added a third straight after the restart when King found Darius Henderson, who got in between de Zeeuw and Ward before unleashing a powerful drive which left Marshall with no chance.
Kyle then saw a header cleared off the line by O'Toole before crossing for Robbie Simpson, a half-time substitute for the injured Stephen Hughes, to head over as City looked for a route back into the match.
But Watford were still looking dangerous on the break with Danny Shittu sending a left-foot rocket from 20-yards flying narrowly wide of the top corner and Marshall racing off his line to smother the ball at the feet of Henderson with 20 minutes remaining.
Another excellent stop from Marshall then prevented Henderson's replacement, Tamas Priskin, grabbing a fourth goal as the Hungarian raced clear of the offside trap.
City continued to pose questions to the Hornets' backline in hope of a consolation as the largely ineffective Mifsud lashed narrowly wide from 25-yards before another substitute, Leon Best, scooped over at the back-post.
Best then forced Watford 'keeper Richard Lee into his first notable save of the match in the 88th minute and there was still time for Mifsud to drag a shot wide.
But a goal didn't come and consequently, the Sky Blues slip into the bottom half of the Championship table.
4thegame
Leaders Watford stretched their unbeaten run to nine matches with an easy victory at under-par Coventry City.
Watford showed their attacking intent from the start and missed two great chances within three minutes to take the lead.
Coventry's Elliott Ward nearly paid for his moment of indecision in the 19th minute when Marlon King dispossessed the centre-half. When King's shot was saved by keeper Andy Marshall, his follow up strike from close range rebounded off the woodwork.
Marshall was again the home team's saviour when Tommy Smith knocked over a right-wing cross which fell to John-Joe O'Toole and the midfielder's header from 6 yards forced a fantastic save from the keeper.
Sky Blues boss Iain Dowie was forced to bring on Arjan De Zeeuw in the 25th minute when Gary Borrowdale left the field on a stretcher following a collision inside the box.
The visitors made their chances count by taking the lead on the half-hour mark. Coventry's 19 year old defender Ben Turner slipped and King pounced to deliver a right-wing cross which fell to Adam Johnson. The on-loan Middlesbrough midfielder let fly with a superb 16-yard strike which gave the keeper no chance.
The Championship leaders doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute. King turned smartly inbetween two Coventry defenders to unleash a firm left-footed shot from close range.
Watford stretched their lead 50 seconds into the second-half when Gavin Mahon's pass was touched on by King to Darius Henderson and the striker's volley flew past the helpless Marshall.
The home team finally came close to scoring in the 55th minute when David McNamee's goal-bound header was cleared off the line by O'Toole.
Watford should have added a fourth when substitute Tamas Priskin broke clear but with only the keeper to beat, the Hungarian's low effort was saved by an overworked Marshall.
Coventry City: Andy Marshall, Isaac Osbourne, Elliott Ward, Gary Borrowdale (Arjan De Zeeuw 26), Ben Turner, Stephen Hughes (Robbie Simpson 45), Michael Doyle, David McNamee, Julian Gray (Leon Best 72), Michael Mifsud, Kevin Kyle,
Subs not used: Jay Tabb, Dele Adebola
Booked: David McNamee 19, Ben Turner 81
Watford: Richard Lee, Jordan Stewart, Lloyd Doyley, Jay Demerit, Daniel Shittu, Adam Johnson, Tommy Smith (Jobi McAnuff 58), Gavin Mahon, John O'Toole, Darius Henderson (Tamas Priskin 76), Marlon King (Nathan Ellington 79),
Subs not used: Adrian Mariappa, Scott Loach
Booked: Jordan Stewart 40, Jay Demerit 38
Goals: Adam Johnson 30, Marlon King 42, Darius Henderson 46
Attendance: 17032
Referee: L Probert
Teamtalk
Marlon King scored one and created the other two as Championship leaders Watford cruised to a 3-0 victory over Coventry at the Ricoh Arena.
King set up Adam Johnson for the Hornets' first after half an hour before scoring his fourth goal in as many games to double the lead two minutes before the break, firing home Danny Shittu's flick-on from a Jordan Stewart free-kick.
The game was put beyond doubt just seconds into the second half when King laid on Darius Henderson, whose early shot appeared to catch City goalkeeper Andy Marshall off guard.
Sky Blues boss Iain Dowie made two changes to the side defeated by Plymouth on Saturday, recalling Kevin Kyle and David McNamee, while opposite number Adrian Boothroyd named an unchanged side as his side went in search of a fourth straight victory.
Stephen Hughes' well-struck free-kick in the third minute was as close as the home side came to making a breakthrough but even that fizzed comfortably over Richard Lee's crossbar.
King's usually reliable predatory instincts deserted him in the 20th minute when he wasted the first real opportunity of the game.
Having shrugged off Elliott Ward's challenge, King found himself clean through but shot straight at Marshall before his second effort cannoned off the outside of the right post for a goal kick. The leaders began to up the tempo and two minutes later only the superb reactions of Marshall denied John-Joe O'Toole from point-blank range before the ball was scrambled to safety.
Dowie had already been dealt a blow today when it was announced a transfer embargo had been placed on the club after they fell behind in repayments to Southampton for the transfer of Leon Best - who was named among the substitutes.
The sight of Gary Borrowdale being stretchered off in the 25th minute will hardly have helped his mood, with the left-back replaced by Arjan de Zeeuw.
And his day got even worse when on-loan Middlesbrough winger Johnson opened the scoring, popping up unmarked at the far post to drill King's lofted ball into the bottom-right corner.
The goal was no more than Watford deserved and it was no surprise when King made it two just before the break, swivelling to smash the ball beyond Marshall with a typically clinical finish.
Watford began the second half just as they finished the first, with King again instrumental, finding strike partner Henderson in space before he found the right corner.
With the game sewn up, Watford began to sit back and Coventry could count themselves unfortunate not to pull one back when Ben Turner's header was cleared off the line.
City substitute Robbie Simpson should have done better from Kyle's cross when he rose unchallenged in the 63rd minute but his header was well over the bar.
Shittu could have made it four down the other end moments later with a low shot from 25 yards and Hornets replacement Tamas Priskin was particularly wasteful when sent through in the 77th minute.
The Hornets' other two substitutes, Jobi McAnuff and Nathan Ellington almost combined to successful effect with five minutes left with the former West Brom striker narrowly missing the winger's ball across the face of goal.
Michael Mifsud wasted the best of three excellent late chances for City, capping a miserable night for Dowie's side.
CCFC
The Sky Blues tasted defeat for the second time in four days as Watford ran out deserved winners at the Ricoh Arena.
Clinical first-half strikes from Adam Johnson and Marlon King did the damage before Darius Henderson put the result beyond doubt seconds after the interval.
Kevin Kyle saw a header cleared off the line and Michael Mifsud fired narrowly wide but City were second best to a clinical performance from the Championship pacesetters.
City boss Iain Dowie made two changes for the visit of the high-flying Hornets with David McNamee replacing the injured Michael Hughes on the right of midfield and Kyle starting in attack ahead of Robbie Simpson.
Stephen Hughes flashed the game's first effort on goal wide from a long-range free-kick with just three minutes on the clock while a speculative volley John-Joe O'Toole from similar distance also whistled past the post at the other end soon after.
The Sky Blues had a combination of goalkeeper Andy Marshall and the post to thank for keeping the scores level as Watford went perilously close to breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute.
Hornets striker King robbed Elliott Ward for pace to reach a long ball over the top but Marshall spread himself well to block the initial shot with his legs before King sent the rebound crashing against the outside of the woodwork.
And Marshall had to be at his best again three minutes later as he reacted superbly to turn away O'Toole's low effort from point-blank range.
Gary Borrowdale was then forced to leave the action on a stretcher after emerging worse off in a challenge. Arjan de Zeeuw replaced the City full-back with Ben Turner swithing to Borrowdale's left-back berth.
But Watford continued to apply the pressure and they got their reward on the half hour when King latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the area and laid the ball off for Adam Johnson, on loan from Middlesbrough, to arrow a low effort beyond Marshall.
Julian Gray sent a cross fizzing across the face of goal as City launched their response and Kevin Kyle sent a header wide from an Isaac Osbourne cross.
However, they found themselves with a mountain to climb three minutes before the interval when the dangerous King latched onto a loose ball in the area and coolly fired into the net on the turn.
And to make matters worse, they added a third straight after the restart when King found Darius Henderson, who got in between de Zeeuw and Ward before unleashing a powerful drive which left Marshall with no chance.
Kyle then saw a header cleared off the line by O'Toole before crossing for Robbie Simpson, a half-time substitute for the injured Stephen Hughes, to head over as City looked for a route back into the match.
But Watford were still looking dangerous on the break with Danny Shittu sending a left-foot rocket from 20-yards flying narrowly wide of the top corner and Marshall racing off his line to smother the ball at the feet of Henderson with 20 minutes remaining.
Another excellent stop from Marshall then prevented Henderson's replacement, Tamas Priskin, grabbing a fourth goal as the Hungarian raced clear of the offside trap.
City continued to pose questions to the Hornets' backline in hope of a consolation as the largely ineffective Mifsud lashed narrowly wide from 25-yards before another substitute, Leon Best, scooped over at the back-post.
Best then forced Watford 'keeper Richard Lee into his first notable save of the match in the 88th minute and there was still time for Mifsud to drag a shot wide.
But a goal didn't come and consequently, the Sky Blues slip into the bottom half of the Championship table.
4thegame
Leaders Watford stretched their unbeaten run to nine matches with an easy victory at under-par Coventry City.
Watford showed their attacking intent from the start and missed two great chances within three minutes to take the lead.
Coventry's Elliott Ward nearly paid for his moment of indecision in the 19th minute when Marlon King dispossessed the centre-half. When King's shot was saved by keeper Andy Marshall, his follow up strike from close range rebounded off the woodwork.
Marshall was again the home team's saviour when Tommy Smith knocked over a right-wing cross which fell to John-Joe O'Toole and the midfielder's header from 6 yards forced a fantastic save from the keeper.
Sky Blues boss Iain Dowie was forced to bring on Arjan De Zeeuw in the 25th minute when Gary Borrowdale left the field on a stretcher following a collision inside the box.
The visitors made their chances count by taking the lead on the half-hour mark. Coventry's 19 year old defender Ben Turner slipped and King pounced to deliver a right-wing cross which fell to Adam Johnson. The on-loan Middlesbrough midfielder let fly with a superb 16-yard strike which gave the keeper no chance.
The Championship leaders doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute. King turned smartly inbetween two Coventry defenders to unleash a firm left-footed shot from close range.
Watford stretched their lead 50 seconds into the second-half when Gavin Mahon's pass was touched on by King to Darius Henderson and the striker's volley flew past the helpless Marshall.
The home team finally came close to scoring in the 55th minute when David McNamee's goal-bound header was cleared off the line by O'Toole.
Watford should have added a fourth when substitute Tamas Priskin broke clear but with only the keeper to beat, the Hungarian's low effort was saved by an overworked Marshall.
posted by SkyBlueSnowy at 10:04 pm
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