City claim victory in their final preseason fixture before League One duty, putting three goals past non-league neighbours Nuneaton...
Staged at the newly named Coombe Abbey Arena, Nuneaton Town were the Sky Blues stand-in opponents on Friday evening after Doncaster Rovers were forced to cancel through injury troubles.
The City XI was awash with products of the club’s Academy, featuring the likes of Cian Harries, George Thomas and Ryan Haynes, all of whom continued to acquit themselves well.
In the final dress rehearsal before the League One kickoff next Saturday, Ruben Lameiras was the Sky Blues standout performer and it was the Portuguese forward who opened the scoring for City.
Dion Kelly-Evans doubled the lead just moments later, with a header nonetheless, and Marcus Tudgay completed the scoring with a well taken finish 20 minutes from time.
The City boss made just once change to the side that lost out at Norwich midweek, with Lameiras replacing Kyle Spence in the forward three. And the 21-year old wasted no time in announcing his return from a short injury spell on the sidelines, as a neat interchange with George Thomas gifted Lameiras some space in the box and he rifled the ball home with his left foot.
Three minutes later, Dion Kelly-Evans capitalised on a goalkeeping error by De La Paz, as the Nuneaton goalkeeper could only parry the ball in to the 19-year old’s path and he finished with a looping header.
The crossfield pass to Kelly-Evans seemed a popular outlet in the first-half, with Haynes getting similar service out on the left wing as the Sky Blues continued to develop their style of play in a 3-4-3 formation.
Further goalscoring opportunities were passed up by Andy Rose, Marvin Sordell and Lameiras as City dominated the ball, and possession was restricted to Nuneaton’s defensive half.
Marcus Tudgay added a third to his personal goalscoring tally for preseason, when he arose from the substitutes bench in the 67th minute. It took the striker approximately three minutes of on-field action before he snuck through a gap in the Nuneaton defence and finished the move with a delicate chip over the keeper. Nuneaton grabbed a consolation goal six minutes from time, as Shaq McDonald fizzed a shot passed Reice Charles-Cook from 10-yards.
Teams
Coventry City: Charles-Cook (GK), Willis (Whitmore 77’), Leahy, Harries, Kelly-Evans, Rose (Maycock 75’), Gadzhev (Stevenson 60’), Haynes, Lameiras (Trialist 45’), Sordell (Tudgay 68’), Thomas (Jones 60’).
Subs: Skuza (GK), Spence, Kelly-Evans, Shipley.
Nuneaton Town: De La Paz (GK), Clifton, Langmead, Keane, Warburton, Scott (Wheatley 60’), Tempest, Cartwright, Mbanje (Shorthouse 68’), Moli (Ironside 75’), McDonald.
Subs: Waters, Grayson, Hodgett-Young.