The Sky Blues continued their pre-season preparations with a 3-0 away win against Walsall at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.
Summer signing Kasey Palmer opened the scoring with a delicate finish, before Josh Eccles ramped up the heat with a second to ensure Mark Robins’ side remained undefeated in pre-season.
The Sky Blues started the livelier of the two sides with new signing Callum Doyle and Ben Sheaf spraying the ball around the park.
Sheaf then tested the palms of Adam Przybek from range, but was denied, with the ball falling to Martyn Waghorn who, again, was prevented by the Walsall stopper.
Soon after, Ronan Maher responded for the hosts with a jinking run through the Sky Blues defence, but his tame shot proved to be a comfortable pick up for Simon Moore.
Josh Eccles’ effort was the closest City came to an opening goal, playing a one-two with Waghorn before firing off the post in what was the final action of the opening forty-five.
HALF-TIME: Walsall 0-0 Sky Blues
Kasey Palmer notched his first goal in Sky Blue colours, five minutes after the restart, with a neat body feint and slot into the bottom corner from inside the box- the move importantly kick-started by Doyle’s goal-line block moments earlier.
The goalscorer nearly turned provider later on, whipping a fierce cross into Dom Hyam, but Przybek did well to turn away the centre-half’s diving header.
After coming close in the first half, Eccles doubled City’s lead just past the hour mark when he opened up and curled a strike into the far corner.
Fresh off singing a new deal until 2025, Fabio Tavares pounced on a Walsall mix-up in defence to increase the lead to three, sealing a comfortable evening for the Sky Blues
FULL-TIME: Walsall 0-3 Sky Blues
Scorers: Kasey Palmer (51’), Josh Eccles (65’), Fabio Tavares (78’)
Cards: Brandon Comley (33’), Trialist A (35’)
Attendance: 2,546 (875 away)
Walsall XI: Adam Przybek (GK), Hayden White (Trialist B 73’), Donervon Daniels (C) (Isaac Hutchinson 62’), Liam Kinsella, Brandon Comley (Peter Clarke 70’), Douglas James-Taylor (Andy Williams 62’), Flynn Clarke (Manny Monthé), Taylor Allen, Ronan Maher, Liam Bennett, Trialist A.
Unused subs: Owen Evans (GK).
Sky Blues XI: Simon Moore (GK), Jack Burroughs, Michael Rose (Dom Hyam 46’), Kyle McFadzean (C), Callum Doyle, Todd Kane (Ryan Howley 63’), Ben Sheaf (Josh Reid 82’), Josh Eccles, Kasey Palmer (Will Bapaga 76’), Tyler Walker, Martyn Waghorn (Fabio Tavares 63’).
Unused subs: Ben Wilson, Ricardo Dinanga, Marco Rus, Aiden Finnegan, Jay McGrath.