Reece Grego-Cox scores a hat-trick as Nicky Eaden's side are defeated against the Hoops...
City’s development side slipped to defeat at the Alan Higgs Centre, after a 3-0 loss against Queens Park Rangers Under-23s.
With the game barely a minute old the visitors had taken the lead. Reece Grego-Cox collected the ball, drove inside and hit an effort that found the bottom corner, via a deflection off a City shirt.
The Sky Blues began to grow into the contest as a nice passing move found Darragh Leahy on the left. He whipped a teasing ball into the six-yard box that narrowly missed the on-coming Jordan Ponticelli.
QPR should have doubled their lead not long after as Danny Rowe forced his way through the City defence. A lucky deflection seen the ball fall to the midfielder, and he cut inside onto his right foot but was denied by a smart Corey Addai save.
However, the visitors would score a second soon after. Grego-Cox pounced on a loose ball inside the area to sweep it past Addai and into the bottom corner.
In a game that was certainly not lacking chances, City wasted a potential route back into the game. Trialist and Ponticelli linked up well, but the former was denied superbly by a smart save, before Devon Kelly-Evans struck a free kick just over.
At the beginning of the second half, Ponticelli had another chance to reduce the deficit. He received the ball from a deflection off a QPR man and drove at the visitors’ backline. From a tight angle, he couldn’t force the ball past the ‘keeper as the scores remained the same.
QPR wrapped up the three points on the hour mark as an Addai mis-kick was punished. His goal kick fell to Grego-Cox and he slotted into the corner to complete his hat-trick.
Substitute Bilal Sayoud had a chance with just five minutes to go, but after an initial effort fell to him 10-yards out, he could only blaze it over the bar to sum up a disappointing day for the Sky Blues.
Yellow: Harries.
TeamsCoventry City U23: Addai (GK), Whitmore, Finch, Harries, Leahy, Trialist (Sayoud 82'), Trialist, Trialist, Shipley, Dev. Kelly-Evans (C), Ponticelli (K.Thomas 57').
Subs: Skuza (GK), Maycock, Spence.