COVENTRY City keep their unbeaten pre-season record intact at the Greenhous Meadow Stadium as neither side could find the net in the Sky Blues penultimate friendly.

Graham Taylor's Shrewsbury side started lively and had their first chance through striker Jake Robinson after just four minutes, with the shot glancing wide of the left post.

The Sky Blues' first real chance came in the 12th minute when midfielder Michael Doyle stole possession in the centre of the park and found Freddy Eastwood up front.

Eastwood cut inside making enough space to send the ball across the goal. Striker Lukas Jutkiewicz, recently signed from Everton, met the cross with a good header but the effort went over the Shrews' bar.

Ten minutes later it was Jutkiewicz again who could have put City ahead. Doyle and captain Lee Carsley fed it through the middle to the young striker but his eventual long-range effort was well wide.

Shrewsbury were still pressing and in the next five minutes had three good opportunities. The first was a long range effort that went wide, followed by low driving free kick after James McPake tussled with Shrews winger Mark Wright. Then in the 27th minute, Town hit City on the counter following a Sky Blues corner.

City continued to defend well a few minutes later when Eastwood cleared a Shrewsbury corner after a brief scuffle in the Keiren Westwood's area.

After 34 minutes, the Shrews' Robinson was again knocking at the door, played in from the left and shooting across goal just inches wide.

The Sky Blues finished the first half back in the driving seat. Jutkiewicz first won City a corner on the right hand side but Hussey's ball in couldn't reach a Coventry player.

Then it was Jutkiewicz again in the 45th minute who showed great skill, receiving the ball over the top and hitting it on the volley, but shooting over the bar.

Aidy Boothroyd made one change at the break, replacing Chris Hussey with Gary McSheffrey.

The unchanged Shrews side started brightly. In the first ten minutes of the second half, Town enjoyed alot of possession in City's half. They had a couple of long range shots but the Shrews could not find the target.

Right winger Wright found left-back Mat Sadler with a seeking ball in the 51st minute but the Sky Blues managed to clear the rebounded shot.

Carsley came close to putting City in front minutes later but, after Eastwood did the hard work in the middle of the park, his shot was soft and straight at Shrewsbury 'keeper Chris Neal.

Moments later at the other end of the field, Town's winger Steven Leslie stretched Westwood with a powerful shot from distance needing the keepers fingertips to keep it out.

It looked as though City's clean sheet record would be broken in the 59th minute though when Doyle brought down Robinson in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Leslie stepped up to take the penalty but Westwood stopped the kick that was directly at him.

The introduction of Aron Gunnarsson and Carl Baker in the 63rd minute, replacing Jutkiewicz and Carsley, saw City come more into the second half.

Then Boothroyd made more changes with Westwood making way for Lawrence Thomas and Eastwood coming off for Jermain Grandison in the 71st minute.

It was not long before Thomas was tested by Leslie who's powerful shot went behind for a corner.

Then it was Graham Turner's time to make changes. Robinson and Leslie, who had provided much of Shrewsbury's attacking force, made way for Benjamin Van Den Broek and Lewis Neal.

After Boothroyd sent out Nathan Cameron in place of James McPake, The Shrew's made another three changes and the flow of the match changed again.

Shrewsbury enjoyed a few more chances including a shot from a corner that Thomas collected confidently. Then substitue Lewis Neal tested the trialist again in the 87th minute with a powerful drive that the City 'keeper again dealt with well.

The assistant showed an additional two minutes of injury time but it wasn't enough for either side to take the win. Citys unbeaten run continues with another clean sheet.

Teams

Shrewsbury Town: C Neal, Raven (Holden 82), Sadler, Disley, Sharps, D Smith, Wright, McIntyre (Cansdell-Sherrif 82), Harrold ( D Taylor 82), Robinson (Van Den Breok 76), Leslie (L Neal 76)
Subs: B Smith, Hooman, Goldson, Bradshaw, J Taylor

Coventry City: Westwood (L Thomas 71), Clarke (C Thomas 85), Cranie, McPake (Cameron 78), Wood, Jeffers, Carsley (Baker 63), Doyle, Hussey (McSheffrey 45), Jutkiewicz (Gunnarsson 63), Eastwood (Grandison 71)

Ref: S Rushton

Att: 2046 (255)