Coventry 4 Barnsley 0 - 02/02/2008
Coventry 4 Barnsley 0 - 02/02/2008
Coventry City: Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, Elliott Ward, Arjan De Zeeuw (Scott Dann 85), Daniel Fox, Isaac Osbourne, Julian Gray (Liam Davis 83), Michael Doyle, Jay Tabb, Stephen Hughes, Michael Mifsud (Robbie Simpson 72), Leon Best,
Subs not used: Ellery Cairo, Michael Hughes
Booked: Daniel Fox 20
Goals: Leon Best 37, 84, Julian Gray 70, Jay Tabb 75
Barnsley: Tony Warner, Lewin Nyatanga, Dennis Souza, Miguel Angelo Tininho, Steven Foster, De Silva, Brian Howard, Ayarza Diego León (Kayode Odejayi 71), Jamal Campbell-Ryce (Martin Devaney 45), Daniel Nardiello (Istvan Ferenczi 63), Jon Macken,
Subs not used: Bobby Hassell, Michael Coulson
Booked: Daniel Nardiello 57, Brian Howard 82, Jon Macken 52
Attendance: 16449
Referee: M Russell
Teamtalk
Leon Best silenced his critics by marking his return to the side with two goals in Coventry's 4-0 demolition of Barnsley at the Ricoh Arena.
Best had been on the bench for the last two matches since handing in a transfer request last month after discovering that his home-town club Nottingham Forest had expressed an interest in signing him.
Coventry rejected two bids from the League One side and the transfer deadline passed with Best still at the Ricoh Arena.
He was only recalled to Iain Dowie's starting line-up after the City boss sold strike pair Kevin Kyle and Dele Adebola, and he justified his selection with possibly his best performance since joining the club in a £650,000 deal from Southampton in the summer.
Best opened the scoring and completed the rout, as well as having a hand in the goals scored by Julian Gray and Jay Tabb in between.
Best's first arrived after Julian Gray's cross was flicked on by Tabb and the ball dropped at his feet 10 yards out.
The former Southampton forward took one touch to control before turning on a sixpence and firing the ball past Tony Warner for his first goal in nine games.
It was just reward for Best who had made a nuisance of himself for much of the first half.
Best had seen earlier goalbound efforts blocked by Miguel Tininho and Dennis Souza and seen a header shave the crossbar before finally breaking the deadlock.
Best turned provider in the 70th minute when his low, driven cross from down by the corner flag was steered home at the far post by Gray.
Five minutes later Best crashed a header against the crossbar and the ball broke for Tabb who had the simple task of tapping the ball into an unguarded net from inside the six-yard box.
Tabb returned the favour in the 84th minute when his cross was flicked on by substitute Liam Davis and Best coolly finished from 12 yards out for his sixth goal of the season.
Michael Mifsud tested Warner with a fierce left-foot shot in the 14th minute and Gray extended him again five minutes before the break with a low strike that was parried by the on-loan Fulham keeper.
Barnsley's only effort of note in the first half was a 25-yard shot by Diego Leon that flashed across the face of the goal.
The Tykes were forced into a change at half-time with Martin Devaney replacing the injured Jamal Campbell-Ryce.
Simon Davey made his second substitution just after the hour mark by bringing on Istvan Ferenczi for Daniel Nardiello, but it failed to inspire a comeback.
Just like the first half, Barnsley lacked creativity and could only muster a long-range effort from Jon Macken that went side.
Best continued to torment the visitors and he had a hand in both Gray's and Tabb's goals before rounding off a superb performance with his second of the game six minutes from time.
CCFC
Leon Best scored two and had a hand in the others as the Sky Blues returned to winning ways in style against Barnsley at the Ricoh Arena.
The striker, starting his first game since handing in a transfer request last month, turned in a virtuoso display as Iain Dowie's men recorded their first win in the Championship in 2008 and their first clean-sheet since October.
Best broke open the deadlock in the 37th minute to hand City a deserved opener, firing an unstoppable drive into the far corner from 12-yards.
He then turned provider in the second-half, crossing for Julian Gray to apply the finish at the back post.
Jay Tabb added a third after more good work from Best, who grabbed his second with six minutes left with a neat finish.
City were always in control against the mid-table Tykes and could have gone ahead even earlier had timely blocks not foiled Michael Mifsud and Best.
Best went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute when he beat Barnsley keeper Tony Warner to a Gray cross but headed narrowly over.
However, after the visitors had repelled a number of attacks, Best arrowed a vicious right-footed shot into the far corner which left Warner rooted to the spot.
Gray almost doubled the home side's advantage moments before the half-time whistle but Warner fumbled his cross-cum-shot behind.
The experience custodian, a transfer deadline day signing from Fulham, then almost carried the ball into his own net under pressure from Elliott Ward at the start of the second-half.
The second arrived in the 70th minute when the Barnsley defence failed to cut out Best's teasing low cross and Gray was on hand to tuck the ball into the net at the back-post.
Best was again heavily involved five minute later as he headed substitute Robbie Simpson's cross against the crossbar, but Tabb raced in to nod the rebound into an empty net.
The striker finally got the second goal he deserved soon after as he cleverly brought the ball down at the back-post, powered past his marker and fired low into the far corner.
And he almost capped a fine afternoon with a hat-trick in the final moments, but was ruled offside as he tucked the ball home from close-range.
4thegame
Coventry City ended a run of four successive league defeats against poor travellers Barnsley.
The South Yorkshire team, who have won only once in the league away from Oakwell this term, arrived late after the coach's satellite navigation system took the team to Coventry's old ground Highfield Road.
And it didn't get much better for Simon Davey's men on the pitch.
Coventry's left-back Danny Fox was shown a yellow card in the 20th minute for fouling Jamal Campbell-Ryce, meaning the new signing from Walsall faces a one-match ban.
The home team were rewarded for their pressure when Leon Best grabbed his fourth league goal of the season in the 37th minute.
The striker turned quickly just inside the area to beat debutant keeper Tony Warner with an unstoppable shot.
Best then turned provider to set up Julian Gray and his angled shot was turned round his near post by the keeper.
Barnsley rarely troubled the Sky Blues in the final third in the first half as they were repeatedly caught offside. The Tykes skipper Brian Howard fired a 25-yard shot high over the bar in a rare effort towards goal.
Davey brought on former Coventry trainee Martin Devaney at the break for Campbell-Ryce and he posed problems down the right wing. It was his cross which Isaac Osbourne was forced to head wide before Diego Leon could pounce in the 54th minute.
Coventry notched a decisive second goal in the 70th minute when Dennis Souza failed to cut out Best's right-wing cross and Gray tapped the ball home at the far post.
The Sky Blues were on target again six minutes later when Gray's left-wing cross was headed against the bar by Best and Jay Tabb headed in the rebound.
Coventry scored four gaols against Barnsley for the second time this season when Best collected Tabb's cross before side-stepping a defender and placing a shot into the far corner of the net.
Coventry City: Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, Elliott Ward, Arjan De Zeeuw (Scott Dann 85), Daniel Fox, Isaac Osbourne, Julian Gray (Liam Davis 83), Michael Doyle, Jay Tabb, Stephen Hughes, Michael Mifsud (Robbie Simpson 72), Leon Best,
Subs not used: Ellery Cairo, Michael Hughes
Booked: Daniel Fox 20
Goals: Leon Best 37, 84, Julian Gray 70, Jay Tabb 75
Barnsley: Tony Warner, Lewin Nyatanga, Dennis Souza, Miguel Angelo Tininho, Steven Foster, De Silva, Brian Howard, Ayarza Diego León (Kayode Odejayi 71), Jamal Campbell-Ryce (Martin Devaney 45), Daniel Nardiello (Istvan Ferenczi 63), Jon Macken,
Subs not used: Bobby Hassell, Michael Coulson
Booked: Daniel Nardiello 57, Brian Howard 82, Jon Macken 52
Attendance: 16449
Referee: M Russell
Teamtalk
Leon Best silenced his critics by marking his return to the side with two goals in Coventry's 4-0 demolition of Barnsley at the Ricoh Arena.
Best had been on the bench for the last two matches since handing in a transfer request last month after discovering that his home-town club Nottingham Forest had expressed an interest in signing him.
Coventry rejected two bids from the League One side and the transfer deadline passed with Best still at the Ricoh Arena.
He was only recalled to Iain Dowie's starting line-up after the City boss sold strike pair Kevin Kyle and Dele Adebola, and he justified his selection with possibly his best performance since joining the club in a £650,000 deal from Southampton in the summer.
Best opened the scoring and completed the rout, as well as having a hand in the goals scored by Julian Gray and Jay Tabb in between.
Best's first arrived after Julian Gray's cross was flicked on by Tabb and the ball dropped at his feet 10 yards out.
The former Southampton forward took one touch to control before turning on a sixpence and firing the ball past Tony Warner for his first goal in nine games.
It was just reward for Best who had made a nuisance of himself for much of the first half.
Best had seen earlier goalbound efforts blocked by Miguel Tininho and Dennis Souza and seen a header shave the crossbar before finally breaking the deadlock.
Best turned provider in the 70th minute when his low, driven cross from down by the corner flag was steered home at the far post by Gray.
Five minutes later Best crashed a header against the crossbar and the ball broke for Tabb who had the simple task of tapping the ball into an unguarded net from inside the six-yard box.
Tabb returned the favour in the 84th minute when his cross was flicked on by substitute Liam Davis and Best coolly finished from 12 yards out for his sixth goal of the season.
Michael Mifsud tested Warner with a fierce left-foot shot in the 14th minute and Gray extended him again five minutes before the break with a low strike that was parried by the on-loan Fulham keeper.
Barnsley's only effort of note in the first half was a 25-yard shot by Diego Leon that flashed across the face of the goal.
The Tykes were forced into a change at half-time with Martin Devaney replacing the injured Jamal Campbell-Ryce.
Simon Davey made his second substitution just after the hour mark by bringing on Istvan Ferenczi for Daniel Nardiello, but it failed to inspire a comeback.
Just like the first half, Barnsley lacked creativity and could only muster a long-range effort from Jon Macken that went side.
Best continued to torment the visitors and he had a hand in both Gray's and Tabb's goals before rounding off a superb performance with his second of the game six minutes from time.
CCFC
Leon Best scored two and had a hand in the others as the Sky Blues returned to winning ways in style against Barnsley at the Ricoh Arena.
The striker, starting his first game since handing in a transfer request last month, turned in a virtuoso display as Iain Dowie's men recorded their first win in the Championship in 2008 and their first clean-sheet since October.
Best broke open the deadlock in the 37th minute to hand City a deserved opener, firing an unstoppable drive into the far corner from 12-yards.
He then turned provider in the second-half, crossing for Julian Gray to apply the finish at the back post.
Jay Tabb added a third after more good work from Best, who grabbed his second with six minutes left with a neat finish.
City were always in control against the mid-table Tykes and could have gone ahead even earlier had timely blocks not foiled Michael Mifsud and Best.
Best went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute when he beat Barnsley keeper Tony Warner to a Gray cross but headed narrowly over.
However, after the visitors had repelled a number of attacks, Best arrowed a vicious right-footed shot into the far corner which left Warner rooted to the spot.
Gray almost doubled the home side's advantage moments before the half-time whistle but Warner fumbled his cross-cum-shot behind.
The experience custodian, a transfer deadline day signing from Fulham, then almost carried the ball into his own net under pressure from Elliott Ward at the start of the second-half.
The second arrived in the 70th minute when the Barnsley defence failed to cut out Best's teasing low cross and Gray was on hand to tuck the ball into the net at the back-post.
Best was again heavily involved five minute later as he headed substitute Robbie Simpson's cross against the crossbar, but Tabb raced in to nod the rebound into an empty net.
The striker finally got the second goal he deserved soon after as he cleverly brought the ball down at the back-post, powered past his marker and fired low into the far corner.
And he almost capped a fine afternoon with a hat-trick in the final moments, but was ruled offside as he tucked the ball home from close-range.
4thegame
Coventry City ended a run of four successive league defeats against poor travellers Barnsley.
The South Yorkshire team, who have won only once in the league away from Oakwell this term, arrived late after the coach's satellite navigation system took the team to Coventry's old ground Highfield Road.
And it didn't get much better for Simon Davey's men on the pitch.
Coventry's left-back Danny Fox was shown a yellow card in the 20th minute for fouling Jamal Campbell-Ryce, meaning the new signing from Walsall faces a one-match ban.
The home team were rewarded for their pressure when Leon Best grabbed his fourth league goal of the season in the 37th minute.
The striker turned quickly just inside the area to beat debutant keeper Tony Warner with an unstoppable shot.
Best then turned provider to set up Julian Gray and his angled shot was turned round his near post by the keeper.
Barnsley rarely troubled the Sky Blues in the final third in the first half as they were repeatedly caught offside. The Tykes skipper Brian Howard fired a 25-yard shot high over the bar in a rare effort towards goal.
Davey brought on former Coventry trainee Martin Devaney at the break for Campbell-Ryce and he posed problems down the right wing. It was his cross which Isaac Osbourne was forced to head wide before Diego Leon could pounce in the 54th minute.
Coventry notched a decisive second goal in the 70th minute when Dennis Souza failed to cut out Best's right-wing cross and Gray tapped the ball home at the far post.
The Sky Blues were on target again six minutes later when Gray's left-wing cross was headed against the bar by Best and Jay Tabb headed in the rebound.
Coventry scored four gaols against Barnsley for the second time this season when Best collected Tabb's cross before side-stepping a defender and placing a shot into the far corner of the net.
posted by SkyBlueSnowy at 9:14 pm
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