Coventry 0 West Brom 5 - FA Cup 5th Rnd - 16/02/2008
Coventry 0 West Brom 5 - FA Cup 5th Rnd - 16/02/2008
Coventry: Andy Marshall, Isaac Osbourne, Elliot Ward, Arjan De Zeeuw (Chris Birchall 75), Marcus Hall, Robbie Simpson (Kevin Thornton 75), Michael Hughes, Michael Doyle, Jay Tabb, Michael Mifsud, Leon Best
Subs not used: Dimi Konstantopoulos, Julian Gray, Gary Borrowdale
Sent off: Michael Doyle (48)
West Brom: Dean Kiely, Hoefkens, Leon Barnett, Martin Albrechtsen, Paul Robinson, Andrade Filipe Teixeira (Do-Heon Kim 74), James Morrison, Pedro Pele, Chris Brunt, Zoltan Gera (Craig Beattie 79), Roman Bednar (Ishmael Miller 70)
Subs not used: Michal Danek, Kevin Phillips
Booked: Leon Barnett
Goals: Chris Brunt 12, Roman Bednar 59, 69 pen, Ishmael Miller 76, Zoltab Gera 78
Attendance: 28,163
Referee: M Halsey
Teamtalk
West Brom eased into the FA Cup sixth round with a 5-0 win over midlands rivals Coventry in front of a record crowd at the Ricoh Arena.
The Baggies held a slender lead at the break courtesy of Chris Brunt's 12th-minute opener, but Michael Doyle was shown a straight red card at the start of the second half and that allowed Albion to assume total control.
Tony Mowbray's side plundered four second-half goals with Roman Bednar helping himself to two (59, 69 pen) and substitute Ishmael Miller scoring his first goal (76) since returning from a hamstring injury.
Zoltan Gera completed the rout (78) with a classy finish as Albion went one better than the 4-0 win they enjoyed at the Ricoh Arena in the Championship in November.
Coventry have spent much of the season drifting between mid-table obscurity and flirting with relegation. Sacking Iain Dowie as manager was the latest chapter in a period of instability at the club.
Dowie's dismissal following the collapse of a potential takeover and the club being placed under a transfer embargo, before Ray Ranson's Sisu consortium saved the Sky Blues from financial ruin with an 11th-hour bid to buy the club in December.
In contrast, West Brom this week rewarded manager Mowbray with a new three-and-a-half-year contract.
Brunt broke the deadlock in the 12th minute following a sustained spell of early Albion pressure.
Bednar crossed from the right-hand side and the Northern Ireland international, arriving at the far post, stooped to head the ball back across goal into the bottom corner from 12 yards out.
West Brom flew out of the blocks and created three good chances before Brunt opened the scoring.
Brunt's left-wing cross was headed wide by Gera in the sixth minute.
Soon afterwards Carl Hoefkens showed deft skill to flick the ball between Marcus Hall's legs and get to the byline. His low cross was met by Bednar at the far post but the Czech striker did not get a clean strike on the ball, and under pressure from a City defender he dragged his shot wide from 12 yards out.
In the ninth minute another dangerous ball into the box, this time from Gera, had to be headed out for a corner at the far post by Isaac Osbourne as Brunt closed in behind him.
Albion's early pressure was rewarded when Brunt headed home, but Coventry almost replied immediately.
Michael Mifsud did brilliantly to chase down a hopeful punt forward by Robbie Simpson, getting in between two Baggies defenders to draw a foul.
Michael Hughes' free-kick hit the defensive wall and ricocheted around the penalty area before Elliott Ward got the ball under control and teed up Michael Doyle 25 yards out, but his low shot whistled narrowly wide.
Coventry responded well to falling behind and continued to probe away.
They came close to equalising again just after the half-hour mark when a lofted ball into the box by Hall was headed powerfully over the crossbar by Leon Best.
However, the hosts were fortunate not to find themselves two goals behind soon after when Brunt's driven free-kick from down by the corner deflected off Hughes and on to the crossbar.
From the second of the two resulting corners Martin Albrechtsen looped a header wide.
Doyle's sending off baffled most of the 28,163 inside the Ricoh Arena but replays showed that the City captain did have a vicious swing at Gera with his foot as the Hungarian threatened to leave him in his wake on the right wing.
Coventry continued to contribute to their own demise and a howler by Andy Marshall just before the hour-mark presented Bednar with possibly the simplest goal he will score this season.
The Sky Blues goalkeeper kicked a back-pass straight to Bednar inside the area and the Czech coolly ran around him to roll the ball into an empty net.
Bednar grabbed his second goal of the game and his 13th of the campaign from the penalty spot.
It was his piece of skill that created the opportunity, forcing Elliott Ward to handle after he flicked the ball up inside the box.
Bednar dispatched the spot-kick with aplomb down the centre of the goal.
Miller raced clear in the 76th minute to finish left-footed when one on one with Marshall, before the goal of the game from Gera.
Miller cut the ball back to the edge of the 18-yard box where Gera shaped to shoot.
The Hungarian dummied his way past Ward before jinking his way towards goal where he rounded Marshall and rolled the ball home.
CCFC
Coventry City bowed out of the FA Cup in heavy fashion at the hands of West Bromwich Albion in front of a record crowd of 28,163 at the Ricoh Arena.
Chris Brunt put the Baggies ahead early on in the first-half before Michael Doyle was sent-off for City moments into the second period.
A mistake from goalkeeper Andy Marshall allowed Roman Bednar to add a second, who added a third moments later before further strikes from Ishmael Miller and Zoltan Gera ensured Tony Mowbray's men a place in the quarter finals.
The visitors were well worth their lead after dominating the opening exchanges, with Gera and Bednar both sending efforts wide of the target before Brunt struck.
Bednar was the architect, with the tall Czech sending in a teasing cross which winger Brunt met with a bullet header to leave Andy Marshall with no chance.
It was the Northern Irishman's second goal for the Baggies against City this season after netting four in three appearances against the Sky Blues for former club Sheffield Wednesday.
City's response saw a free-kick from Michael Hughes blocked before skipper Doyle had Dean Kiely scampering across his goal from the rebound, only to see his drive bobble narrowly wide of the bottom corner.
Leon Best was the home side's main attacking threat and went close on the half-hour, rising highest to head Marcus Hall's cross over from six-yards.
But the Baggies continued to look dangerous on the counter attack and almost doubled their lead shortly after when Brunt's powerful free-kick hit the crossbar via a flick from Bednar at the front-post.
The Sky Blues' task was made all the harder four minutes into the second-half as Doyle was dismissed for what appeared to be an innocuous foul on Gera.
And with City still reeling from referee Mark Halsey's decision, Albion were gifted a second goal.
Arjan De Zeeuw passed the ball back to Marshall, whose attempted pass back to the defender was intercepted by Bednar, who coolly rounded the keeper and slotted into an unguarded net.
Robbie Simpson sent a free-kick flying over the bar, but things got worse for the home side as Bednar grabbed his second and the Baggies' third from the penalty spot ten minutes later.
After De Zeeuw's handball stopped his run into the area, Bednar stepped-up to send Marshall the wrong way from the spot and end any hopes of a City comeback.
But the visitors didn't stop there, grabbing two goals in as many minutes to add insult to injury.
First, substitute Miller fired past the helpess keeper after latching onto a Pele through ball and then Gera side-stepped two challenges and beat Marshall with ease from close-range.
Hughes almost restored some pride for the Sky Blues with a low shot which Kiely pushed away before Mifsud skewed narrowly wide after finding space in the area.
Telegraph
The impromptu decision of the West Bromwich Albion players to fling their shirts into the heaving mass of celebrating away supporters, rather than the laundry basket, showed a disregard for both their own well-being in the freezing conditions, and the £300 bill likely to be sent to the dressing room from the chairman.
While not sanctioned by the manager, Tony Mowbray, he recognised the sentiment.
"The players know they let themselves and the fans down last week [when they lost 2-1 at Barnsley]," he said. "It's important to let the fans know that we do care passionately, and when we do have a bad day at the office, we don't go home and not worry about it."
Yes, he did expect Jeremy Peace, the chairman, to be concerned about the cost of the gesture. "The chairman won't mind me saying that," Mowbray said. "But it's OK: it's important to give the supporters something back."
Some might say five goals and a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup were reward enough.
This fifth-round rout also put to bed suggestions that Mowbray didn't care about the Cup. Promotion to the Premier League is the season's priority, but Mowbray is of "the next game's the most important" school of management.
Besides, there is a precedent deep in the club's history that suggests Cup success and promotion are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The team of 1931 not only beat Birmingham at Wembley, but were runners-up in Division Two to become the first club to complete the Cup-promotion double.
Today's draw will be crucial to their hopes of emulating their predecessors. "You've got to be realistic," Mowbray said, "and know that a draw against either Manchester United or Chelsea would probably be the end of our Cup run.
"But you never know. If you catch these teams on the back of a Champions League game, or building up to a Champions League semi-final, you never know what sort of side they are going to put out, and results can be had."
The ease with which they disposed of Coventry enabled Mowbray to protect some of his players with important Championship matches ahead.
Kevin Phillips, the leading scorer, was left on the bench, and his usual strike partner, Roman Bednar, was substituted with 20 minutes remaining, the job done.
Bednar played a significant part in three of the goals scored, claiming two of them himself. It was his pinpoint cross that set up Chris Brunt for the first, and his harrying of Andy Marshall that led to the goalkeeper's pass going straight to him for the second.
He also won the handball against Arjan de Zeeuw, and took the penalty that proved to be his last kick of the match.
Bednar, on loan from Hearts, is happy to be at a club where the manager picks the team and the chairman worries about the bills. "The first year at Hearts was fantastic and we won the Scottish Cup," he said. "But in the second season he [chairman Roman Romanov] spoke too much about what we should do and picked the team. He does things that are not the right way."
West Bromwich were not finished with Bednar's departure. Ishmael Miller, his replacement, held off two defenders to score the fourth before his square pass enabled Zoltan Gera to round things off.
Coventry would offer the dismissal of captain Michael Doyle soon after half-time for a controversial challenge on Gera as mitigation. In truth, they were well beaten, even at 1-0.
Coventry chairman Ray Ranson last night said he is close to appointing a replacement for Iain Dowie, who was sacked last week, with Chris Coleman the favourite.
Coventry: Andy Marshall, Isaac Osbourne, Elliot Ward, Arjan De Zeeuw (Chris Birchall 75), Marcus Hall, Robbie Simpson (Kevin Thornton 75), Michael Hughes, Michael Doyle, Jay Tabb, Michael Mifsud, Leon Best
Subs not used: Dimi Konstantopoulos, Julian Gray, Gary Borrowdale
Sent off: Michael Doyle (48)
West Brom: Dean Kiely, Hoefkens, Leon Barnett, Martin Albrechtsen, Paul Robinson, Andrade Filipe Teixeira (Do-Heon Kim 74), James Morrison, Pedro Pele, Chris Brunt, Zoltan Gera (Craig Beattie 79), Roman Bednar (Ishmael Miller 70)
Subs not used: Michal Danek, Kevin Phillips
Booked: Leon Barnett
Goals: Chris Brunt 12, Roman Bednar 59, 69 pen, Ishmael Miller 76, Zoltab Gera 78
Attendance: 28,163
Referee: M Halsey
Teamtalk
West Brom eased into the FA Cup sixth round with a 5-0 win over midlands rivals Coventry in front of a record crowd at the Ricoh Arena.
The Baggies held a slender lead at the break courtesy of Chris Brunt's 12th-minute opener, but Michael Doyle was shown a straight red card at the start of the second half and that allowed Albion to assume total control.
Tony Mowbray's side plundered four second-half goals with Roman Bednar helping himself to two (59, 69 pen) and substitute Ishmael Miller scoring his first goal (76) since returning from a hamstring injury.
Zoltan Gera completed the rout (78) with a classy finish as Albion went one better than the 4-0 win they enjoyed at the Ricoh Arena in the Championship in November.
Coventry have spent much of the season drifting between mid-table obscurity and flirting with relegation. Sacking Iain Dowie as manager was the latest chapter in a period of instability at the club.
Dowie's dismissal following the collapse of a potential takeover and the club being placed under a transfer embargo, before Ray Ranson's Sisu consortium saved the Sky Blues from financial ruin with an 11th-hour bid to buy the club in December.
In contrast, West Brom this week rewarded manager Mowbray with a new three-and-a-half-year contract.
Brunt broke the deadlock in the 12th minute following a sustained spell of early Albion pressure.
Bednar crossed from the right-hand side and the Northern Ireland international, arriving at the far post, stooped to head the ball back across goal into the bottom corner from 12 yards out.
West Brom flew out of the blocks and created three good chances before Brunt opened the scoring.
Brunt's left-wing cross was headed wide by Gera in the sixth minute.
Soon afterwards Carl Hoefkens showed deft skill to flick the ball between Marcus Hall's legs and get to the byline. His low cross was met by Bednar at the far post but the Czech striker did not get a clean strike on the ball, and under pressure from a City defender he dragged his shot wide from 12 yards out.
In the ninth minute another dangerous ball into the box, this time from Gera, had to be headed out for a corner at the far post by Isaac Osbourne as Brunt closed in behind him.
Albion's early pressure was rewarded when Brunt headed home, but Coventry almost replied immediately.
Michael Mifsud did brilliantly to chase down a hopeful punt forward by Robbie Simpson, getting in between two Baggies defenders to draw a foul.
Michael Hughes' free-kick hit the defensive wall and ricocheted around the penalty area before Elliott Ward got the ball under control and teed up Michael Doyle 25 yards out, but his low shot whistled narrowly wide.
Coventry responded well to falling behind and continued to probe away.
They came close to equalising again just after the half-hour mark when a lofted ball into the box by Hall was headed powerfully over the crossbar by Leon Best.
However, the hosts were fortunate not to find themselves two goals behind soon after when Brunt's driven free-kick from down by the corner deflected off Hughes and on to the crossbar.
From the second of the two resulting corners Martin Albrechtsen looped a header wide.
Doyle's sending off baffled most of the 28,163 inside the Ricoh Arena but replays showed that the City captain did have a vicious swing at Gera with his foot as the Hungarian threatened to leave him in his wake on the right wing.
Coventry continued to contribute to their own demise and a howler by Andy Marshall just before the hour-mark presented Bednar with possibly the simplest goal he will score this season.
The Sky Blues goalkeeper kicked a back-pass straight to Bednar inside the area and the Czech coolly ran around him to roll the ball into an empty net.
Bednar grabbed his second goal of the game and his 13th of the campaign from the penalty spot.
It was his piece of skill that created the opportunity, forcing Elliott Ward to handle after he flicked the ball up inside the box.
Bednar dispatched the spot-kick with aplomb down the centre of the goal.
Miller raced clear in the 76th minute to finish left-footed when one on one with Marshall, before the goal of the game from Gera.
Miller cut the ball back to the edge of the 18-yard box where Gera shaped to shoot.
The Hungarian dummied his way past Ward before jinking his way towards goal where he rounded Marshall and rolled the ball home.
CCFC
Coventry City bowed out of the FA Cup in heavy fashion at the hands of West Bromwich Albion in front of a record crowd of 28,163 at the Ricoh Arena.
Chris Brunt put the Baggies ahead early on in the first-half before Michael Doyle was sent-off for City moments into the second period.
A mistake from goalkeeper Andy Marshall allowed Roman Bednar to add a second, who added a third moments later before further strikes from Ishmael Miller and Zoltan Gera ensured Tony Mowbray's men a place in the quarter finals.
The visitors were well worth their lead after dominating the opening exchanges, with Gera and Bednar both sending efforts wide of the target before Brunt struck.
Bednar was the architect, with the tall Czech sending in a teasing cross which winger Brunt met with a bullet header to leave Andy Marshall with no chance.
It was the Northern Irishman's second goal for the Baggies against City this season after netting four in three appearances against the Sky Blues for former club Sheffield Wednesday.
City's response saw a free-kick from Michael Hughes blocked before skipper Doyle had Dean Kiely scampering across his goal from the rebound, only to see his drive bobble narrowly wide of the bottom corner.
Leon Best was the home side's main attacking threat and went close on the half-hour, rising highest to head Marcus Hall's cross over from six-yards.
But the Baggies continued to look dangerous on the counter attack and almost doubled their lead shortly after when Brunt's powerful free-kick hit the crossbar via a flick from Bednar at the front-post.
The Sky Blues' task was made all the harder four minutes into the second-half as Doyle was dismissed for what appeared to be an innocuous foul on Gera.
And with City still reeling from referee Mark Halsey's decision, Albion were gifted a second goal.
Arjan De Zeeuw passed the ball back to Marshall, whose attempted pass back to the defender was intercepted by Bednar, who coolly rounded the keeper and slotted into an unguarded net.
Robbie Simpson sent a free-kick flying over the bar, but things got worse for the home side as Bednar grabbed his second and the Baggies' third from the penalty spot ten minutes later.
After De Zeeuw's handball stopped his run into the area, Bednar stepped-up to send Marshall the wrong way from the spot and end any hopes of a City comeback.
But the visitors didn't stop there, grabbing two goals in as many minutes to add insult to injury.
First, substitute Miller fired past the helpess keeper after latching onto a Pele through ball and then Gera side-stepped two challenges and beat Marshall with ease from close-range.
Hughes almost restored some pride for the Sky Blues with a low shot which Kiely pushed away before Mifsud skewed narrowly wide after finding space in the area.
Telegraph
The impromptu decision of the West Bromwich Albion players to fling their shirts into the heaving mass of celebrating away supporters, rather than the laundry basket, showed a disregard for both their own well-being in the freezing conditions, and the £300 bill likely to be sent to the dressing room from the chairman.
While not sanctioned by the manager, Tony Mowbray, he recognised the sentiment.
"The players know they let themselves and the fans down last week [when they lost 2-1 at Barnsley]," he said. "It's important to let the fans know that we do care passionately, and when we do have a bad day at the office, we don't go home and not worry about it."
Yes, he did expect Jeremy Peace, the chairman, to be concerned about the cost of the gesture. "The chairman won't mind me saying that," Mowbray said. "But it's OK: it's important to give the supporters something back."
Some might say five goals and a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup were reward enough.
This fifth-round rout also put to bed suggestions that Mowbray didn't care about the Cup. Promotion to the Premier League is the season's priority, but Mowbray is of "the next game's the most important" school of management.
Besides, there is a precedent deep in the club's history that suggests Cup success and promotion are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The team of 1931 not only beat Birmingham at Wembley, but were runners-up in Division Two to become the first club to complete the Cup-promotion double.
Today's draw will be crucial to their hopes of emulating their predecessors. "You've got to be realistic," Mowbray said, "and know that a draw against either Manchester United or Chelsea would probably be the end of our Cup run.
"But you never know. If you catch these teams on the back of a Champions League game, or building up to a Champions League semi-final, you never know what sort of side they are going to put out, and results can be had."
The ease with which they disposed of Coventry enabled Mowbray to protect some of his players with important Championship matches ahead.
Kevin Phillips, the leading scorer, was left on the bench, and his usual strike partner, Roman Bednar, was substituted with 20 minutes remaining, the job done.
Bednar played a significant part in three of the goals scored, claiming two of them himself. It was his pinpoint cross that set up Chris Brunt for the first, and his harrying of Andy Marshall that led to the goalkeeper's pass going straight to him for the second.
He also won the handball against Arjan de Zeeuw, and took the penalty that proved to be his last kick of the match.
Bednar, on loan from Hearts, is happy to be at a club where the manager picks the team and the chairman worries about the bills. "The first year at Hearts was fantastic and we won the Scottish Cup," he said. "But in the second season he [chairman Roman Romanov] spoke too much about what we should do and picked the team. He does things that are not the right way."
West Bromwich were not finished with Bednar's departure. Ishmael Miller, his replacement, held off two defenders to score the fourth before his square pass enabled Zoltan Gera to round things off.
Coventry would offer the dismissal of captain Michael Doyle soon after half-time for a controversial challenge on Gera as mitigation. In truth, they were well beaten, even at 1-0.
Coventry chairman Ray Ranson last night said he is close to appointing a replacement for Iain Dowie, who was sacked last week, with Chris Coleman the favourite.
posted by SkyBlueSnowy at 11:51 pm
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