The Sky Blues secure their first win in three games in true Jimmy Hill fashion…
Coventry City were 6-0 winners over Bury thanks to goals from Chris Stokes, Baily Cargill, James Maddison, John Fleck and an Adam Armstrong brace.
Chris Stokes got the first from a corner, before Baily Cargill got the second. James Maddison and John Fleck and an Adam Armstrong brace secured the points for the Sky Blues.
Tony Mowbray made three changes going into the game. Romain Vincelot returned to the team, which would mean for the first time in three games, the Vincelot and John Fleck axis started. Joe Cole came in for Andy Rose, while Martin Lorentzson was replaced by Jack Stephens at centre back with Sam Ricketts moving to right-back.
with Jimmy Hill.synonymousThree minutes into the game, City were a goal up. Chris Stokes volleyed home a Joe Cole corner from the penalty spot, in a style Bobby Gould would have been proud off. The Sky Blues were up and running, playing the kind of fast and attacking football that was
The Ricoh was rocking again eight minutes later, when Baily Cargill netted to make it 2-0. James Maddison had won a free-kick on the left hand-side of the box, which Cole took. The ball travelled through the bodies in the box and found Cargill at the back-post, who poked into the bottom right corner.
Tony Mowbray’s men grabbed their third in the 16th minute, with James Maddison getting on the score sheet. A quick free-kick was played into City’s No.10 who managed to turn his defender and run towards goal, unleashing a missile of a shot into the bottom corner.
Bury almost got a goal back in the 28th minute, when a good passage of play saw the ball fall to Andrew Tutte in the box, but his shot was well saved by Reice Charles-Cook. The Shakers had another chance to grab a goal back seven minutes later when the ball fell to former Sky Blue Leon Clarke, but his shot was deflected over for a corner.
However, City rounded off a phenomenal first half performance as John Fleck made it four goals to the good for the home side. Fleck had the ball in the middle of the park, 25 yards out, and with the cry of the crowd to shoot ringing across the stadium, the midfielder tried his luck and found the bottom corner. The commanding and attacking performance of the Sky Blues would have surely impressed the legends of yesteryear watching on who were known for such performances under the legendary Hill.
The second half was a quiet affair for the first 13 minutes until the 67th when City’s top scorer scored his 18th of the season. Cole played the ball to the young forward, who drove at the defence before placing a right footed shot in the corner. Five minutes hadn’t even gone by when the Newcastle loanee got his second. The forward latched onto a through ball from Fleck before firing towards goal, the Shakers’ keeper Ian Lawlor did manage to get a hand to it but it wasn’t strong enough to keep the ball from nestling in the bottom right corner.
City were the dominant team in the last 13 minutes as the Shakers were confined to their half, however they were not able to add to their tally. But it did not take away from what is sure to be a Legends day that will live long in the memory.
Attendance: 11,024 (389)
Teams
Coventry City: Charles-Cook (GK), Ricketts (C), Stephens, Cargill, Stokes, Vincelot, Fleck, Murphy (Lameiras (70), Cole, Maddison (Rose 72), Armstrong.
Subs: Burge (GK), Ramage, O'Brien, Henderson, Antoine-Fortune
Bury: Riley (GK), Hussey (Clarke 46), Tutte, Etuhu, Clarke, Mayor, O'Sullivan, Soares, Cameron, Brown (Pugh 46)
Subs: Ruddy (GK), Lowe, Miller, Jones, Mellis
YC: Soares, Brown