Match Report 2001-2002

Friday 24 August, 2001, Division One

Coventry City At Valley Parade

McCall streches the moment in time

The moment: 92 minutes into the game, City at 2-1 over a team predicted to beat them to promotion by most and Gary Walsh pushes the ball clear to a tireless Stuart McCall to take, control and run the clock down. City's best chance at returning to the Premiership is in moments like this.

Rewind to kick off and City started the game brightly, certainly better than in the previous two games, and rattled sabres with the visitors. Lee Hughes was animated hanging off the back line but his he was frustrated by Robert Molenaar, a frustration that would boil over later on.

Cov headed wide early on after a smart corner, Ashley Ward saw his lob cleared off the line after he beat keeper Magnus Hedmann to the ball. So far so even up front, City shading the midfield in so much as fewer men did as much work and the back four looked solid safe a twitchy linesman's flag and a referee who ignored one time City target David Thompson's deep lunge at Carbone that had it connected could have sliced the Italian in half but booked Lee Hughes for standing too close to a free kick that Molenaar belted at him. Not that Hughes did not warrant a caution for his petulance.

Second half City came out of the blocks first, Ashley Ward, double marked at set plays shook off one of his two and nodded back for Andy Myers to poke a head onto ball and send the Bantams in front.

Confidence high now City ranged forward down the left with Benito Carbone who diddled defenders for fun, cut back to see the chance half cleared to Gary Locke who smashed home from the edge of the box for his first goal in Bantam colours and his first in any strip since December 1998.

at this point you have to wonder how nervous the Bantams got. Certainly the stands had nerves but in retrospect Jim Jefferies City team were very unlikely to let the lead slip, the hall mark of the back end of the Premiership campaign was that leads had gained some kind of stickability. Coventry did get a goal back, a fine run and shot by former Gooner Jay Boothroyd that beat Gary Walsh low into the bottom corner but strikes of that quality aside the visitors looked unlikely to penetrate the Bantam back four despite a succession of corners.

That "unlikely" became "unpossible" (sic) when Lee Hughes came back to help defend, went over the ball at Gary Locke and was booked for a second time, lucky not to see straight red, and left taking their chance at getting something out of the game with him, ironic young Bantams doing his limbed dance to him as he trudged down to warm up the bath for his team mates. Debutant Andrew Tod stopped hearts as he slipped but recovered to kill of the Sky Blues final attack.

So back to that moment and McCall charging like a 16 year old to get the ball and kill the game showing the spirit that pervades the City squad and infuses McCall especially. If the clock is ticking on the legend's career then he will make sure that he experiences every last second to it's fullest, a shining example to his team mates. Three games, nine point and top of the league. Time will tell as to whether City are the real deal, but as the magic eight ball says, "The Signs Are Positive"

Man of the Match

Gary Walsh

Marshall the back four ahead of him and commanded the box.

City Team:

Walsh
Halle Molenaar Myers Jacobs
Locke McCall Whalley
Carbone Ward Jess

Subs: Tod for Jess