ROBINS LEADS COVENTRY CITY TO FA CUP THIRD ROUND GIANT-KILLING
The League Managers Association’s five-man panel, comprising LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Dave Bassett and Barry Fry, has determined that the LG Performance of the Week Award should go to Coventry City for their shock 2-1 victory against Premier League side Stoke City on Saturday 6th January 2018.
The experienced and highly distinguished panel has managed a combined total of over 6,000 competitive matches in professional football.
Coventry City manager Mark Robins will receive a celebratory bottle of champagne, courtesy of Tanners Wines, and an LG Performance of the Week trophy in a presentation to commemorate the result.
Match Report
Jack Grimmer's second half strike has fired the Sky Blues into the fourth round of the FA Cup as they knock-out Premier League Stoke City.
Jordan Willis gave City the lead midway through the second half after climbing highest to head home Tom Davies' flick-on.
Charlie Adam did draw Stoke level just after half time as the Potters brought Peter Crouch and Xherdan Shaqiri into the frame, but Grimmer's 25-yard strike handed Mark Robins' side the win and progression into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The visitors threatened to open the scoring inside the first ten minutes. Ramadan Sobhi chipped the ball over the Sky Blues defence for Saido Berahino to fire towards goal but Jordan Willis was able to hook it off the line.
Jordan Maguire-Drew was making his Coventry City debut and impressed fans in the early stages, skipping past Geoff Cameron to play a low cross towards Max Biamou in the area but Kurt Zouma could clear.
Stephen Ireland has not made an appearance for the Potters in over 18 months after fracturing his leg, but came close to marking his return with a goal after 20 minutes. Mame Biram-Diouff brought the ball down in area and layed it off for Ireland to fire just wide.
The game was nicely poised but it would be the Sky Blues who would take the lead midway throught the first half. Biamou did well to win City a corner that new-boy Maguire-Drew would drop into the area where Tom Davies nodded across for Willis to head home at the far post. The Ricoh erupted. Coventry led Premier League Stoke.
Despite the 52 places between the two sides, the Sky Blues were now dominant and missed two chances to double their lead before half time. Marc McNulty found himself twice on the end of a Biamou pass to come face to face with England number one, Jack Butland. First he rounded the 24-year-old but found himself at too tight an angle to turn the ball home.
introduction of Peter Crouch after the break for the visitors gave them an obvious aerial threat, but some nice play down the left drew a foul from Willis in the area giving Charlie Adam the chance to draw his side level from the spot. Which he did.
The script said that City should now fold and concede defeat, but Grimmer had other ideas when he twisted and unleashed a rocket inside Butland's near post. The noise for Willis' opener was loud, but the celebrations for this one were even louder.
Stoke were now getting desperate. Xherdan Shaqiri entered the frame as the Potters continued to lump balls towards Crouch, but the closest they could come was through Maxim Choupo-Moting, who nearly made the most of a Liam O'Brien mistake but saw his low strike blocked by Chris Stokes.
Read more here: https://www.ccfc.co.uk/news/2018/january/report-coventry-city-v-stoke-city/