The Sky Blues struggle at the Ricoh, as Russell Slade's men come away empty handed...
The Sky Blues fell to defeat against Millwall at the Ricoh Arena, as a goal in each half gave the visitors all three points.
City started the brighter of the two sides, testing Millwall with a couple of early corners before Ryan Haynes had the first effort on goal. The defender cut inside on his right foot, but Jordan Archer easily saved his deflected effort.
With clear-cut chances at a premium in the early stages, it was the Sky Blues still edging the game. George Thomas and Marcus Tudgay linked up well before the latter couldn’t get his shot away under pressure from Byron Webster.
Similarly to his effort earlier in the contest, Haynes again looked to cut inside to work an opening. He drove past Mahlon Romeo, but again couldn’t get enough power on the shot to trouble the ‘keeper.
Millwall’s first effort at the City goal came through striker Steve Morison. He found space inside the area and fired towards goal, but Lee Burge denied if with a smart save at his near post.
However, from the resulting corner the visiting side would take the lead. Following a brief stoppage in play after tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch, Jake Cooper bundled the ball into the net from close range to give his side the advantage.
The 6ft 5’ defender scoring his first goal for the Lions since his January loan move from Championship side Reading.
The Sky Blues nearly responded in the perfect manner, as Farrend Rawson’s header somehow failed to find the back of the net. The defender met Callum Reilly’s fantastic delivery, but via a deflection, headed it into the floor and over the bar.
Marcus Tudgay was the next to threaten for City. Reilly fired the ball into the feet of Thomas, who laid it back into the path of Tudgay, but his curling effort went narrowly over the bar.
Despite the City pressure, Millwall came close to doubling their advantage minutes before half time. Aiden O’Brien’s cross found the head of Lee Gregory inside the area, but Burge was equal to it to deny the striker his twelfth league goal of the season.
City began the second half on the front foot and went close to equalising through stand-in captain Nathan Clarke. The defender pounced on a loose ball inside the area to volley into the side netting, despite the celebrations of the Sky Blue Army who thought it had found the corner.
The visitors had a fantastic chance to increase their lead shortly after through both Gregory and Steve Morison. Burge rushed out of the City goal only to see Gregory go past him, when he laid it back towards his strike partner a crucial block from Clarke denied a certain second goal.
They didn’t have to wait long, as with just over ten minutes to play they sealed the three points. Fred Onyedinma turned inside the box and forced a good save from Burge, but Morison was alive to put in the rebound from close range to score his fifteenth goal of the season.
Yellow: Webster.
Teams
Subs: Charles-Cook (GK), Turnbull, Di. Kelly-Evans, Bigirimana, Lameiras.
Millwall: Archer (GK), Craig (C), Williams, Thompson (Abdou 45'), Gregory (Onyedinma '71), Wallace (Ferguson 82'), Webster, Morison, O'Brien, Cooper, Romeo.
Subs: King (GK), Martin, Cummings, Worrall.