Venue: Ricoh Arena
Competition: Checkatrade Trophy
Date: Tuesday, August 29th, 2017.
Kick-off: 7.45pm
The Sky Blues begin their defence of the Checkatrade Trophy when they take on SkyBet League One side Shrewsbury Town at the Ricoh Arena.
George Thomas’ second half strike gave City their first silverware for three decades when they defeated Oxford United at Wembley stadium in April and will face West Bromwich Albion and Walsall, along with Shrewsbury, in this season’s group stage.
Mark Robins’ side will be looking to use the trophy as chance to bounce back after successive defeats to Yeovil Town and Newport County in the League.
The Shrews finished 18th in SkyBet League One last season and exited the Checkatrade Trophy in the group stage after defeats to Cambridge United and Scunthorpe United.
Town have started the season unbeaten and are third in SkyBet League One beating Northampton, Wimbledon, and Rochdale along the way.
Manager Paul Hurst was made manager at the New Meadow in October when the club parted company with Micky Melon after the now Tranmere boss could only manage two wins in the season’s opening 16 games.
The Opponents
Louis Dodds is likely to be a threat for the Shrews should they field a full-strength team at the Ricoh Arena. The former Leicester City striker scored 10 goals last season and joined from Port Vale on a two-year deal in May 2016.
Should the away side mix things up for the Checkatrade Trophy then expect to see Lennel John-Lewis in the starting eleven. The striker has been on the fringe of breaking into the side consistently since joining from Newport County at the end of last season and could use the trophy as a springboard back into Hurst’s thoughts.
Sky Blues fans may remember midfielder Bryn Morris who enjoyed a short spell on loan from Middlesbrough in 2015. Morris was instrumental towards the end of last season in saving Shrewsbury from the drop, earning himself a two-year contract extension for his hard work.
Memorable Meeting
Two goals from Adam Armstrong either side of a Marc Antoine-Fortune spot-kick secured an early season victory for the Sky Blues at the Ricoh Arena in October 2015.
Fortune played a key role in the victory, first setting up Armstrong for the opener before doubling City’s advantage with his penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Armstrong’s brace that afternoon took his tally to eight for the season and helped propel City to fifth in SkyBet League One, just three points away from an automatic promotion place, and maintained their unbeaten home record
Last Five Meetings
Shrewsbury Town 0-0 Coventry City – League One – 4th March 2017
Coventry City 0-0 Shrewsbury Town – League One – 13th August 2016
Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Coventry Town – League One – 8th March 2016
Coventry City 3-0 Shrewsbury Town – League One – 3rd October 2015
Coventry City 0-0 Shrewsbury Town – League One – 2nd March 2014
Tickets
See all ticket information for the game here