City’s u23s went down 5:3 in an end to end encounter at the Ryona Engineering Supplies Stadium in a friendly with Coventry Sphinx on Tuesday night.
The Young Sky Blues had the first chance of the match when Blaine Rowe shot from an acute angle in the opening minute, which required Sphinx ‘keeper Tom Cross to get down low to deny the full back.
The home side forced City’s Luke Bell into action next when the Sphinx skipper’s curling free kick needed a strong hand from the quick thinking ‘keeper to keep the score level.
Good build up on the edge of the box by the Young Sky Blues between Aaron Evans-Harriott and Marco Rus saw the duo exchange passes before the latter had his well worked shot blocked.
Evans-Harriott then went on a driving run through the middle, covering half the pitch before he set up Trialist who was denied by Cross at this near post.
From the resulting corner, Jonny Ngandu’s set piece found Trialist at the back post with his goal bound header blocked by the Sphinx defender as the Sky Blues pushed for an opener.
However in the final minute of the half the home side took the lead when a through ball played in Sphinx’s striker MJ on the edge of the box, who shot the ball past the on rushing Bell.
HALF TIME: Coventry Sphinx 1-0 Coventry City u23s
The home side were given the opportunity to quickly double their lead in the opening minute of the second half when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on the edge of the box, which was dispatched by Lewis Noon.
Evans-Harriott was played in for the Sky Blues’ first chance of the half, with his effort narrowly going over the bar, as the visitors looked for an instant response.
The second half was turning out to be a close fought affair but on the 65th minute the home side broke but as Mo Billy entered the box City defender Jay McGrath was adjudged to have fouled him and the home side were awarded their second penalty of the match, with Ryan Harkin scoring Sphinx’s third.
But the visitors didn’t let their heads drop and with 20 minutes left the ball fell to Evans-Harriott in the area and he curled the ball into the far corner to give the Young Sky Blues’ hope.
Sphinx tried to extend their lead through a long range effort but Bell was level to it and from his long kick Fabio Tavares brought the ball down well before being unlucky not to get his shot away.
However the home side would get their fourth after Harkin fired into the top left corner to get his second of the game.
The home side netted their fifth of the evening through Billy before Rowe tapped in a consolation from close range for City.
And the young Sky Blues were not finished there as some neat skill by Tavares put him one on one with the Sphinx’s substitute ‘keeper Kurtis Selley-Haywood and he duly found the back of the net with a tidy finish with two minutes remaining.
FULL TIME: Coventry Sphinx 5-3 Coventry City u23s
SCORERS: MJ (44’), Noon (47’ pen), Harkin (65’ pen),
Harkin (75’), Billy (85’); Evans-Harriott (70’), Rowe (86’), Tavares (88’)
Sky Blues XI: Luke Bell, Blaine Rowe, George Burroughs, Jay McGrath, Fionn O’Brien (Josh Reid 46’), Trialist, Marco Rus, Jonny Ngandu (C), Harrison Nee (Ricardo Dinanga 46’), Aaron Evans-Harriott, Trialist (Fabio Tavares 57’).