Stoke 1 Coventry 3 - 03/11/2007
Stoke 1 Coventry 3 - 03/11/2007
Stoke City: Steve Simonsen, Andy Wilkinson, Stephen Wright (Jonathan Parkin 66), Danny Pugh (Carl Dickinson 90), Leon Cort, Ryan Shawcross, John Eustace, Liam Lawrence, Rory Delap, Richard Cresswell, Ricardo Fuller,
Subs not used: Russell Hoult, Vincent Pericard, Gaby Zakuani
Booked: John Eustace 25, Andy Wilkinson 83, Liam Lawrence 48, Stephen Wright 12, Ricardo Fuller 75
Goals: Liam Lawrence 72 (pen)
Coventry City: Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, David McNamee, Marcus Hall, Arjan De Zeeuw, Ben Turner, Jay Tabb, Isaac Osbourne, Michael Doyle, Robbie Simpson (Dele Adebola 37), Leon Best (Kevin Kyle 81), Michael Mifsud,
Subs not used: Elliott Ward, Stephen Hughes, Ellery Cairo
Booked: Leon Best 12, Ben Turner 31
Goals: Michael Mifsud 58, 79; Dele Adebola 63
Attendance: 13488
Referee: A Marriner
Teamtalk
Stoke suffered a second successive home defeat as Coventry leapfrogged them into seventh in the table with a lucky 3-1 win at The Britannia.
After a lifeless first half, the visitors took an undeserved two-goal lead through Michael Mifsud and Dele Adebola, and though Liam Lawrence pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, Mifsud's second ended hopes of a comeback.
Stoke went close inside the opening minute when Lawrence played a neat ball in behind the defence to find Ricardo Fuller, but his shot went over the crossbar.
On the half-hour mark, Robbie Simpson beat his marker for pace and fired a shot across the face of goal that drifted wide, but those exertions proved too great for Simpson, and he hobbled off shortly after to be replaced by Adebola.
With the game drifting towards a goalless first-half, debutant Danny Pugh looked to make an immediate impact, swinging a sweet left foot through a shot from 25 yards that edged wide.
On the stroke of half-time, Cresswell almost put his side in front when Lawrence swung the ball in and the striker's header hit the post, although he had already been flagged offside.
Stoke started the second period positively and had a penalty shout in the 47th minute when Fuller was clattered to the floor by Michael Doyle, but the referee gave nothing, to the chagrin of the Boothen End faithful.
In the 54th minute, Lawrence found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, and after firing wide with the whole goal to aim at, he will have been glad to have seen the offside flag raised again.
John Eustace curled a shot wide two minutes later as the Potters found an extra gear both on the pitch and in the stands, but they were suddenly and cruelly dealt a sucker blow when Coventry took the lead.
A mistake by Andy Wilkinson let in Adebola, who muscled off new signing Leon Cort to find himself and Mifsud two-on-one, before feeding his strike partner to finish coolly.
Stoke thought they had got themselves level immediately, Ryan Shawcross heading Pugh's cross goalwards at the far post, but the linesman ruled that the ball had not crossed the line before Konstantopoulos clawed it away.
And Stoke were still reeling from that decision as they went further behind.
A corner was not cleared properly and the ball found its way to Isaac Osbourne in acres of space. He swung in a cross and Adebola rose unmarked to head home.
Tony Pulis threw on striker Jon Parkin for full-back Wright and almost was made to rue that gamble as Coventry countered down the unguarded left, and Steve Simonsen was forced into a smart save to deny Doyle.
In the 70th minute, Stoke finally got a decision their way as the linesman waved for a penalty after another of Lawrence's bursting runs ended with the Irishman being brought down in the area by Ben Turner.
Lawrence raced to collect the ball and take the spot-kick himself, and he duly despatched it off the post.
Parkin almost got them level but could only direct Lawrence's cross into the side netting and Coventry made them pay with the best goal of the game.
Another defensive error gifted Doyle possession, who found Mifsud and the Maltese striker embarked on a super run which ended with an even better shot that whistled into the top corner.
Stoke resigned themselves to their fate in the final 10 minutes and the Coventry's fans chants of "we want four" came close to being realised in the dying minutes, but substitute Kevin Kyle's drilled shot was brilliantly turned away by Simonsen.
CCFC
The Sky Blues moved back to the verges of the play-off positions courtesy of a fine victory at the Britannia Stadium.
Michael Mifsud hit a brace either side of a Dele Adebola header to hand Iain Dowie's men their second victory in a row in the Coca Cola Championship.
Liam Lawrence replied for the home side from the penalty spot, but City were well worth the three points after a clinical second-half display which followed a first-half of few chances.
The visitors were forced into two changes from the side which went out of the Carling Cup against West Ham in midweek with Robbie Simpson and Dimi Konstantopoulos replacing injured Julian Gray and Andy Marshall respectively.
Ricardo Fuller blasted over and City captain Michael Doyle was forced to hack the ball off the line from a Richard Cresswell header as the hosts started brightly.
The Sky Blues' first effort of the game came in the ninth minute when Jay Tabb fired wide from the edge of the box while another long-range effort from the industrious midfielder ricocheted off three defenders before finding its way through to Stoke goalkeeper Steve Simonsen.
Leon Best looks for a way through the Stoke defence
But chances in either danger area were few and far between and City were forced into a change when Simpson pulled up lame after dragging a shot wide of post and Dele Adebola stepped into the breach.
Stoke midfielder Danny Pugh, signed just 24-hours before the game from Preston, then sent a powerful low shot flying narrowly wide before the Potters went closest to opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time when Cresswell's front-post header from Lawrence's right-wing cross crashed back off the crossbar.
But it was the Sky Blues who smashed open the deadlock in the 58th minute when Adebola out-muscled Leon Cort and the ball fell to Mifsud who smashed home an opportunist strike into the bottom corner from 14-yards.
A superb save from Konstantopoulos foiled Stoke from grabbing an immediate equalizer - the City 'keeper diving to his left to claw a Ryan Shawcross header off the line.
And it proved all the more important just four minutes later as City doubled their lead from another quick breakaway.
Isaac Osbourne picked up the ball 30-yards from goal and crossed into the danger zone for Adebola, who climbed above Simonsen to head into the net.
A superb stop from Simonsen then stopped Doyle putting the result beyond doubt when he parried away the City skipper's fierce drive after a fluent build up involving Leon Best.
But Stoke were handed a lifeline in the 71st minute when Ben Turner was adjudged to have felled Fuller in the area and Lawrence slotted the resultant penalty into the bottom corner despite a desperate hand from Konstantopoulos.
A Pugh cross flashed across the face of goal and Konstantopoulos saved from Fuller as the Potters piled on the pressure.
But a flash of brilliance from City's Maltese magician put the game to bed in the 79th minute.
Doyle's clever through-ball slipped-in Mifsud, who despite carrying the ball away from goal, hit a rocket of a shot into the roof of the net to leave Simonsen stunned.
He could have even completed a hat-trick soon after when he exchanged passes with Tabb before rifling the ball against the outside of the post.
The visitors were running riot and Doyle almost capped a superb individual performance when his long-ranger was saved by Simonsen in stoppage-time.
4thegame
Spring-heeled Michael Mifsud was denied a hat-trick by the woodwork as Coventry City bounced back in style from their midweek Carling Cup defeat by West Ham.
Stoke set off as if they really meant business as Ricardo Fuller fired narrowly over from a Liam Lawrence pass in the first minute.
But Coventry, who packed five across midfield, soon closed ranks and began to gain the upper hand in terms of possession.
Stoke began to work up a head of steam as half-time approached with debutant Danny Pugh volleying wide and Lawrence having an effort blocked.
And Coventry were fortunate two minutes after the break when Ben Turner's clumsy challenge on Fuller could have resulted in a penalty.
The contest was now opening up with Stoke looking menacing, but it was Coventry who took the lead against the run of play in the 58th minute.
A poor clearance by Andy Wilkinson and the strength of Dele Adebola, who held off Leon Cort, enabled Mifsud to place a right-foot shot past Steve Simonsen.
There was controversy a minute later when Stoke believed they had equalised.
Ryan Shawcross' header from a Lawrence corner appeared to cross the line before Dimitrios Konstantopoulos saved, but the linesman thought otherwise.
Coventry took a grip of the game in the 63rd minute when Adebola beat Stoke's ragged offside trap to head in Isaac Osbourne's cross.
And it took a brilliant save by Simonsen to deny the clean through Michael Doyle shortly afterwards.
Stoke were back in it 19 minutes from time when Lawrence put away a penalty after he was tripped by Turner.
But Coventry sealed an impressive victory ten minutes from time as Doyle released Mifsud, who sped clear to hammer the best goal of the game.
Mifsud smashed a shot against a post and it also took an excellent save from Simonsen to deny Jay Tabb as the visitors threatened to run riot in the closing stages.
Stoke City: Steve Simonsen, Andy Wilkinson, Stephen Wright (Jonathan Parkin 66), Danny Pugh (Carl Dickinson 90), Leon Cort, Ryan Shawcross, John Eustace, Liam Lawrence, Rory Delap, Richard Cresswell, Ricardo Fuller,
Subs not used: Russell Hoult, Vincent Pericard, Gaby Zakuani
Booked: John Eustace 25, Andy Wilkinson 83, Liam Lawrence 48, Stephen Wright 12, Ricardo Fuller 75
Goals: Liam Lawrence 72 (pen)
Coventry City: Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, David McNamee, Marcus Hall, Arjan De Zeeuw, Ben Turner, Jay Tabb, Isaac Osbourne, Michael Doyle, Robbie Simpson (Dele Adebola 37), Leon Best (Kevin Kyle 81), Michael Mifsud,
Subs not used: Elliott Ward, Stephen Hughes, Ellery Cairo
Booked: Leon Best 12, Ben Turner 31
Goals: Michael Mifsud 58, 79; Dele Adebola 63
Attendance: 13488
Referee: A Marriner
Teamtalk
Stoke suffered a second successive home defeat as Coventry leapfrogged them into seventh in the table with a lucky 3-1 win at The Britannia.
After a lifeless first half, the visitors took an undeserved two-goal lead through Michael Mifsud and Dele Adebola, and though Liam Lawrence pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, Mifsud's second ended hopes of a comeback.
Stoke went close inside the opening minute when Lawrence played a neat ball in behind the defence to find Ricardo Fuller, but his shot went over the crossbar.
On the half-hour mark, Robbie Simpson beat his marker for pace and fired a shot across the face of goal that drifted wide, but those exertions proved too great for Simpson, and he hobbled off shortly after to be replaced by Adebola.
With the game drifting towards a goalless first-half, debutant Danny Pugh looked to make an immediate impact, swinging a sweet left foot through a shot from 25 yards that edged wide.
On the stroke of half-time, Cresswell almost put his side in front when Lawrence swung the ball in and the striker's header hit the post, although he had already been flagged offside.
Stoke started the second period positively and had a penalty shout in the 47th minute when Fuller was clattered to the floor by Michael Doyle, but the referee gave nothing, to the chagrin of the Boothen End faithful.
In the 54th minute, Lawrence found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, and after firing wide with the whole goal to aim at, he will have been glad to have seen the offside flag raised again.
John Eustace curled a shot wide two minutes later as the Potters found an extra gear both on the pitch and in the stands, but they were suddenly and cruelly dealt a sucker blow when Coventry took the lead.
A mistake by Andy Wilkinson let in Adebola, who muscled off new signing Leon Cort to find himself and Mifsud two-on-one, before feeding his strike partner to finish coolly.
Stoke thought they had got themselves level immediately, Ryan Shawcross heading Pugh's cross goalwards at the far post, but the linesman ruled that the ball had not crossed the line before Konstantopoulos clawed it away.
And Stoke were still reeling from that decision as they went further behind.
A corner was not cleared properly and the ball found its way to Isaac Osbourne in acres of space. He swung in a cross and Adebola rose unmarked to head home.
Tony Pulis threw on striker Jon Parkin for full-back Wright and almost was made to rue that gamble as Coventry countered down the unguarded left, and Steve Simonsen was forced into a smart save to deny Doyle.
In the 70th minute, Stoke finally got a decision their way as the linesman waved for a penalty after another of Lawrence's bursting runs ended with the Irishman being brought down in the area by Ben Turner.
Lawrence raced to collect the ball and take the spot-kick himself, and he duly despatched it off the post.
Parkin almost got them level but could only direct Lawrence's cross into the side netting and Coventry made them pay with the best goal of the game.
Another defensive error gifted Doyle possession, who found Mifsud and the Maltese striker embarked on a super run which ended with an even better shot that whistled into the top corner.
Stoke resigned themselves to their fate in the final 10 minutes and the Coventry's fans chants of "we want four" came close to being realised in the dying minutes, but substitute Kevin Kyle's drilled shot was brilliantly turned away by Simonsen.
CCFC
The Sky Blues moved back to the verges of the play-off positions courtesy of a fine victory at the Britannia Stadium.
Michael Mifsud hit a brace either side of a Dele Adebola header to hand Iain Dowie's men their second victory in a row in the Coca Cola Championship.
Liam Lawrence replied for the home side from the penalty spot, but City were well worth the three points after a clinical second-half display which followed a first-half of few chances.
The visitors were forced into two changes from the side which went out of the Carling Cup against West Ham in midweek with Robbie Simpson and Dimi Konstantopoulos replacing injured Julian Gray and Andy Marshall respectively.
Ricardo Fuller blasted over and City captain Michael Doyle was forced to hack the ball off the line from a Richard Cresswell header as the hosts started brightly.
The Sky Blues' first effort of the game came in the ninth minute when Jay Tabb fired wide from the edge of the box while another long-range effort from the industrious midfielder ricocheted off three defenders before finding its way through to Stoke goalkeeper Steve Simonsen.
Leon Best looks for a way through the Stoke defence
But chances in either danger area were few and far between and City were forced into a change when Simpson pulled up lame after dragging a shot wide of post and Dele Adebola stepped into the breach.
Stoke midfielder Danny Pugh, signed just 24-hours before the game from Preston, then sent a powerful low shot flying narrowly wide before the Potters went closest to opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time when Cresswell's front-post header from Lawrence's right-wing cross crashed back off the crossbar.
But it was the Sky Blues who smashed open the deadlock in the 58th minute when Adebola out-muscled Leon Cort and the ball fell to Mifsud who smashed home an opportunist strike into the bottom corner from 14-yards.
A superb save from Konstantopoulos foiled Stoke from grabbing an immediate equalizer - the City 'keeper diving to his left to claw a Ryan Shawcross header off the line.
And it proved all the more important just four minutes later as City doubled their lead from another quick breakaway.
Isaac Osbourne picked up the ball 30-yards from goal and crossed into the danger zone for Adebola, who climbed above Simonsen to head into the net.
A superb stop from Simonsen then stopped Doyle putting the result beyond doubt when he parried away the City skipper's fierce drive after a fluent build up involving Leon Best.
But Stoke were handed a lifeline in the 71st minute when Ben Turner was adjudged to have felled Fuller in the area and Lawrence slotted the resultant penalty into the bottom corner despite a desperate hand from Konstantopoulos.
A Pugh cross flashed across the face of goal and Konstantopoulos saved from Fuller as the Potters piled on the pressure.
But a flash of brilliance from City's Maltese magician put the game to bed in the 79th minute.
Doyle's clever through-ball slipped-in Mifsud, who despite carrying the ball away from goal, hit a rocket of a shot into the roof of the net to leave Simonsen stunned.
He could have even completed a hat-trick soon after when he exchanged passes with Tabb before rifling the ball against the outside of the post.
The visitors were running riot and Doyle almost capped a superb individual performance when his long-ranger was saved by Simonsen in stoppage-time.
4thegame
Spring-heeled Michael Mifsud was denied a hat-trick by the woodwork as Coventry City bounced back in style from their midweek Carling Cup defeat by West Ham.
Stoke set off as if they really meant business as Ricardo Fuller fired narrowly over from a Liam Lawrence pass in the first minute.
But Coventry, who packed five across midfield, soon closed ranks and began to gain the upper hand in terms of possession.
Stoke began to work up a head of steam as half-time approached with debutant Danny Pugh volleying wide and Lawrence having an effort blocked.
And Coventry were fortunate two minutes after the break when Ben Turner's clumsy challenge on Fuller could have resulted in a penalty.
The contest was now opening up with Stoke looking menacing, but it was Coventry who took the lead against the run of play in the 58th minute.
A poor clearance by Andy Wilkinson and the strength of Dele Adebola, who held off Leon Cort, enabled Mifsud to place a right-foot shot past Steve Simonsen.
There was controversy a minute later when Stoke believed they had equalised.
Ryan Shawcross' header from a Lawrence corner appeared to cross the line before Dimitrios Konstantopoulos saved, but the linesman thought otherwise.
Coventry took a grip of the game in the 63rd minute when Adebola beat Stoke's ragged offside trap to head in Isaac Osbourne's cross.
And it took a brilliant save by Simonsen to deny the clean through Michael Doyle shortly afterwards.
Stoke were back in it 19 minutes from time when Lawrence put away a penalty after he was tripped by Turner.
But Coventry sealed an impressive victory ten minutes from time as Doyle released Mifsud, who sped clear to hammer the best goal of the game.
Mifsud smashed a shot against a post and it also took an excellent save from Simonsen to deny Jay Tabb as the visitors threatened to run riot in the closing stages.
posted by SkyBlueSnowy at 8:39 pm
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