Saturday 26th July 2008 - U's 1-3 Coventry: Not ready for Freddy

Chelsea are in Malaysia. Man U are in South Africa. Portsmouth have been in Nigeria. Rushden, for goodness' sake, have been to Portugal. But when it comes to sweating off a few pre-season pounds in searing humid heat, there really is no place like home. And the Trade Recruitment Stadium on a Saturday in late July certainly managed a fair approximation of a sauna for the players as they toiled and perspired their way to fitness and defeat to a strong Coventry side.

OK, the Premier League big boys' motivation for touring the hotspots of the world at this time of year is entirely money-based, as ever, with fat match fees and the opportunity to spread their global brand (pass the vom bucket) easily outweighing the jet lag and heavy legs caused to their players, and it will not of course stop the Arsene Wengers of this world from moaning about having to play too many games and their charges' 'tiredness.'

The Mighty U's last went on an overseas tour in 1992, and that was to sweltering, sub-tropical Sweden, and they even turned down an invitation to the Isle of Man Tournament on the grounds of cost. But hey, who needs the Transvaal (sorry, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga) when you've got the exotica of King's Lynn and Soham to explore?

It's that time of year when weather men and girls have that smug look of self-congratulation on their faces when they announce another hot day, as if they were somehow responsible for the quality of the conditions they are predicting. If that were the case, they should don sackcloth and ashes when they announce the next round of sleet of howling gales.

The terraces were awash with garish t-shirts, preposterous shorts and multi-coloured flip-flops - why is it that style and taste are in inverse proportion to the temperature? - although intermittent cloud cover held off the worst excesses of the summer sun.

Playing in their white away strip again (they must have taken a liking to it), United fielded a strong team against Division Two, to give it its PROPER name, Coventry City. Only Josh Coulson and young trialist Domaine Rouse survived from the side which started at Soham on Wednesday, with first team regulars Potter, Gleeson, Hatswell, Tonkin, Parkinson, Pitt and Beesley restored to the line-up. The most experimental part of the eleven was in central midfield, where with Paul Carden carrying a slight knock, Mark Convery was paired with Oxford United trialist Eddie Hutchinson, a hulking shaven-headed six-footer who would look more at home answering the doorbell of a sinister, crumbling mansion and intoning in stentorian tones, "You rang, sir?"

The visitors, who have reverted to sky blue and white stripes, were of course in Cambridge because of the transfer a year ago of Robbie Simpson, a terrific striker and a terrific bloke who became a U's legend in less than a season thanks to his prolific goalscoring and tireless work for the team. And an absolute steal for Coventry at forty grand plus a pitiful 5% sell-on, although that is no fault of his.

Robbie had to be content with a place on the bench as the Sky Blues started with Leon Best and new signing Freddy Eastwood up front in what looked pretty much like a full first team under relatively new boss Chris Coleman, who had included all of his summer signings except for keeper Kieran Westwood, preferring Danny Ireland in goal, plus ex-Sunderland and Liverpool right-back Stephen Wright, so far unsigned.

On what must have been the most humid day of the year, it was unrealistic to expect a 100 mph attack-fest, but early exchanges were committed, with Hutchinson showing he knows how to put his foot in. The NRE, having distributed an Amber Army Anthem song sheet beforehand, limbered up for its new tune, although from the Habbin it was difficult on first listen to tell whether they were singing in English or the original Greek. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it in due course.

A fairly even midfield battle ensued, with precious little penalty-area action at either end. Convery and Parkinson looked particularly lively for United, while the diminutive Jay Tabb and Frenchman Guillaume Beuzelin were prominent for the visitors. Rouse stationed himself eagerly on the shoulders of the Coventry back line, but was unable to time his runs correctly and was flagged offside for his pains several times in the opening quarter of an hour.

But by then, the visitors were ahead. And it was via a goal of the utmost simplicity. Eastwood picked up possession out in the left channel, forty yards from goal. He cut inside, proceeded to within five yards of the box as United backed off, then let fly with a trundling daisycutter of a shot which bore no great power but somehow bobbled low into the left-hand corner of the net. One can only assume that Danny Potter had had his view blocked by all the bodies in front of him, because his dive was too slow and too late. Not great: 1-0.

United's response was disappointing. Convery and Hutchinson, although playing reasonably well individually, were both staying deep, so the forwards had no support coming through down the middle, while Courtney Pitt also looked subdued and contented himself with crossing from deep. Attacking fulcrum Mark Beesley was therefore starved of effective possession while Rouse had nothing to feed on, with only Andy Parkinson looking to have some sort of spark out on the right.

On a rare occasion when support did get forward, Dan Gleeson advanced to the edge of the area and curled an exquisite ball over the top towards Beesley, and only Elliot Ward's last-minute interception to prod the ball narrowly wide of his own goal prevented the U's striker from getting a close-range shot in.

Coventry began to thread some neat passing movements together, Wayne Hatswell hoofing a Best pull-back clear, then Coulson blocked an effort from Julian Gray. On 26 Beesley managed to set up Rouse for a shot at goal, but he prodded wide from twenty yards. And a minute later, the visitors had doubled their lead. Best was fouled in the right channel 25 yards out, Eastwood and Danny Fox stood over the ball, and it was the latter who stepped up to curl a superb free-kick left-footed over the wall and into the far right corner past Potter's helpless dive. Quality: 2-0.

Best netted himself on 33 but the flag had long since gone up for offside, while United huffed and puffed but lacked any sort of cutting edge in the final third as the forwards remained starved of support. Coventry on the other hand looked dangerous every time they came forward, but Coulson and Hatswell stood firm and Potter remained untroubled.

United finally conjured up a half-decent chance five minutes from the interval. Beesley spotted Parkinson's darting run across the line and sent him clear down the left channel, but he ran out of space as he approached the byline and Ireland blocked untidily but effectively.

Half-time came as something of a relief to the overheated players and particularly, no doubt, to Our Gary, as the U's had been so toothless as to make Shane MacGowan look like one of the Osmonds.

Part two, however, resumed in exactly the same fashion, the midfield still slow to support the strikers, and after Coulson had received treatment from Greg Reid, it might have been three when Gray's chip over the top sent Eastwood scampering clear, but his goalbound shot across Potter was well stopped by the keeper's legs.

Rouse was withdrawn on 53 in favour of Robbie Willmott, and although you could say the teenage trialist looks to have some promise, United are surely looking for someone who can challenge for a place and deliver goals now. And when it comes to young strikers, Robbie has looked significantly better than Rouse thus far in pre-season.

Willmott made an immediate impact with his dynamic chasing, and was unlucky not to latch onto a ball over the top by Pitt which was cleared with athletic difficulty by visiting skipper Scott Dann. Up the other end, however, the Sky Blues' probing bore further fruit on 57.

United lost the ball in midfield, Coventry surged forward in numbers and Tabb fired for goal from 25 yards. Coulson blocked, Best's follow-up shot cannoned off Anthony Tonkin, the ball sailed into the air, and Eastwood pounced like the predator he is, making a tricky sidefoot look easy as he prodded past Potter. 3-0.

As we have found so often in the past, the difference between teams from different levels is usually to be found in the final third, and so it was proving today. United did produce one delightful move on the hour, Gleeson and Beesley combining to set Parkinson away, and his low cross should have been converted by Coulson at the far post. Ireland saved, but the United defender's blushes were spared by the offside flag.

Willmott looked infinitely more likely to deliver some sort of threat to the visitors than the man he had replaced, and he beat Dann to set up Parkinson for a shot on 64 which he lashed over. Two minutes later came the sub we had been waiting for, and Robbie Simpson was applauded warmly onto the pitch by the amber faithful when he replaced Best.

Further substitutions followed, ex-Posh striker Leon McKenzie replacing Eastwood on 72, while Felino Jardim came on for Parkinson. Three minutes later Our Gary made a long-needed change to the central midfield, withdrawing both Convery and Hutchinson and introducing Ben Farrell and Darren Quinton, and their effect was almost instantaneous.

Farrell wasted no time in getting into the box, whereas the two he and Quints had replaced had not got within thirty yards of it all afternoon, and on 78 he was brought down by Ward as he ran onto a Willmott through ball. Penalty. Willmott seemed to fancy taking it, which was encouraging, but Farrell grabbed the ball and insisted that he had the pleasure. He smashed it low and onto the foot of the left-hand post, it rebounded, hit the diving Ireland on the back of the head and flew into the net. Farrell appears to be getting the credit, but strictly speaking, Watson, that's an own goal: 3-1.

The changes seemed to have energised a fairly moribund United side, with the fresh legs of players anxious to prove themselves, and two more entered the fray ten minutes from time as Gavin Hoyte and Craig Bussens replaced Hatswell and an underwhelming Pitt. Bussens went wide right and Jardim moved to wide left. Simpson flashed a toe-poke wide of the far post.

Now there was genuine pace and drive all over the park for United. Kevin Thornton became the last sub for the visitors on 84, replacing Aron Einar Gunnarsson, but the hosts dominated the closing minutes with darting wing play from both sides. Bussens saw one cross headed desperately over his own goal by Wright as he was surrounded by white shirts and Jardim arrowed over a succession of well-crafted corners, before unfortunately he succumbed to Satan's Set-piece, the dreaded short corner, which as usual came to nothing. Darned things should be made illegal. Along with Sepp Blatter.

United nearly made the score respectable in the last minute when Beesley fired a superb thirty-yarder which was well tipped behind by Ireland, but further pressure came to naught.

It was a fair scoreline in the end, but Our Gary must have gleaned most encouragement from the substitutes, who were to a man lively, committed and downright exciting. The squad still needs some strengthening - send us some more strikers, please Lord - but we're not so far away now. Unfortunately, neither is the start of the season. Three friendlies to go... in the space of five days. Never mind the players, what about us hard-worked reporters?!

Statto Corner
Today's clubs first met back in the 1949-50 season when Abbey United competed with Coventry City 'A' (effectively their youth team, a bit like CRC today) in the United Counties League. In two seasons the U's won once and drew three times before moving to the more local surroundings of the Eastern Counties League.

They next met in a friendly at the Abbey in August 1964, United running out 4-2 victors, then the Sky Blues turned the tables 2-1 in their next meeting in another friendly played at Milton Road in May 1973.

The clubs finally met in first-class competition in the fourth round of the League Cup competition of 1980-81. An Alan Taylor goal secured a tremendous 1-1 draw for the U's at Highfield Road, but Steve Hunt's strike saw Coventry win the replay in front of an Abbey crowd of 10,171.

Only one division had separated the teams in those days, but by the time they next met in the same competition of 1987-88, United had sank down two further divisions and lost a two-legged second round tie 0-1 at home and 1-2 away.

The good times were back by the time of our next meeting. In January 1992 John Beck's stormtroopers gained a splendid 1-1 draw at Highfield Road through Dion Dublin, and in the replay, it was Dion again who clinched a 1-0 win for the U's through a penalty which was saved by Steve Ogrizovic, but rebounded back off the United striker's shin and into the net, four minutes from time. 'Big Oggy' could be seen back at the Abbey today helping the players warm up.

The clubs' most recent meeting was on 29th July 1995, and bizarrely, it was for the Cambs Professional Cup. Having defeated Ipswich and Nottingham Forest for the trophy in the two previous years, United made it a hat-trick win a 1-0 win thanks to a goal by Russell Stock. They returned to more local opposition the next year, and surrendered the cup 1-2 to Cambridge City.

Trialist Trivia
Freddy Eastwood may be Coventry's latest seven-figure signing, but he once wore the black and amber of Cambridge United. Having been released by West Ham, he played for the Mighty U's as a trialist in a friendly at Hornchurch on 5th August 2003. Accompanied up front by an attacking line-up of Shane Tudor, John Turner and Lloyd Opara, with other notable first-teamers such as Terry Fleming, Dan Gleeson and Andy Duncan behind him, United won 1-0 through a Tudor penalty. But Eastwood was not invited back and went on to sign for Grays Athletic. Fourteen months later he was spotted by Southend, and the rest is history...

Eastwood played against the U's for the third time today. The first was for Southend in a 2-0 Abbey victory on 28th March 2005. The second time was, of course, for Wolves in that epic FA Cup defeat in January this year. But today marked the first time he has scored against United.

Player Ratings
Potter 6. He won't remember the first goal with any pride, but could do little about the other two and in truth had few real saves to make.
Gleeson 6. Did reasonably well against the tricky Julian Gray.
Coulson 7. Improving with every game.
Hatswell 6. Vast improvement on last week's nightmare.
Tonkin 7. Quality beginning to shine through.
Parkinson 7. Buzzing livewire despite the heat.
Convery 7. Put in plenty of good work, although neither he nor Parkinson got forward enough in support of the attack.
Hutchinson 6. Looks steady and solid. Question is, does the squad have room for another defensive midfield player?
Pitt 5. Disappointingly quiet, Courtney did not seem interested in taking opponents on and mostly just sent hopeful crosses in from deep.
Rouse 6. Tried his best, but at this early stage of his career, he has not yet done enough to convince us that he is worthy of a contract.
Beesley 6. Always mobile, although did not receive the best service and was not as influential as we know he can be.

Willmott 7. Showed Rouse how to do it with pace and alertness that kept the Coventry defence on their toes.
Farrell 7. Took the game by the scruff of the neck in impressive style.
Quinton 6. Good next step of the comeback.
Jardim 7. Tremendous work ethic, excitingly positive runner and an excellent crosser. Sign him up.
Bussens 6. Got involved well late on.
Hoyte 6. Solid as they come, although still tries to overplay the ball on occasion.

Match Summary
United were handed a healthy dose of reality by a useful Coventry side in a match that showed the new boss that there are still plenty of first team berths up for grabs for Saturday week.

Man of the Match
Andy Parkinson. Several players wilted in the heat, but not this little bundle of energy.

Ref Watch
Deadman 7. No complaints at all.

Soundtrack of the Day
The Semifinalists 'Last Pretending'

Andrew Bennett

Andrew's previous match reports

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