The Build-Up
For me and many Baggies the build-up started on Sunday when Coventry took on Leicester on the BBC. I looked at both teams, and thought the Sky Blues has one main weakness: balls in their box. They just couldn’t deal with them at times.
Line-ups
As expected Mattock was in the starting 11 because Cech was not fit; Meite was in central defence with Tamas and Reid was back at right back. In the middle of the park it was the same with Koren, Brunt, Watson, Mulumbu and Dorrans; Miller was the lone front man again. It seemed like our only problem was going to be the defence. If that held out then we would get a tighter grip on automatic promotion.
First Half
We started brightly with cross-field balls and attacking runs with balls in the box causing problems for Coventry. Brunt’s balls in were of top quality and Koren’s touches were looking prem class. A long shot from Dorrans was well saved by Westwood in the City goal. Brunt then misplaced a cross that looped up and was only just over the bar with Westwood looking worried. Watson had a chance of a cross but failed to make the contact he had wished to make. The first chance for Coventry came when they had a free-kick that just curled round Carson’s post.
City started to get the upper hand a little after that with Freddie ‘where’s your caravan’ Eastwood shooting straight at Carson. In the 22nd minute the ball was in the net! A Brunt corner missed everybody in the middle of the goal and it fell to Reid who put the ball in the net. 1-0 let’s push on I thought. How wrong could I be? The only time I got up was when I thought Koren was going to shoot. He played it to Miller who had a weak effort saved by Westwood; and when Koren had scored, THE BALL DID CROSS THE LINE, the ref said ‘no, it was saved on the line.’
Second Half
We started well and Koren showed our ambition with a run inside. He got to the edge of the area and fired a shot that was deflected and forced a very good save from Westwood. We never really kicked on from there. Miller had a shot but it wasn’t that worrying. Coventry fans thought they had pulled it back when a Sammy Clingan’s free-kick hit the side-netting; they then missed the target from six yards out. Brunt was taken off with an injury and replaced by Barnes who didn’t do much.
We were under pressure; all the warning signs were there and another came when Tamas had to clear off the line from a cross/shot. Then Watson become our hero when he cleared off the line after City had failed to connect to a pass.
Moore then came on to applause this time for Miller, and then later on, Thomas was brought on for Koren and was holding the ball up well. City were giving it all they had got, and a low edge of the box shot forced Carson down low but he saved with ease. Five minutes was then shown and we held the ball in the corner but couldn’t stop Clinton Morrison hitting the post right at the end.
On Refection
We could have complained about a goal that wasn’t a ‘goal’ but a lot of pressure was brought on by ourselves by not clearing as well as we should. Meite was terrible; he brings nothing to our squad bar dribbling when no-one’s around him. We have escaped with three points and however you get them it all means the same at the end. We haven’t robbed them off Coventry but I wouldn’t have complained if they had of got a point. We should now hold on to automatic promotion with a little help from Newcastle and a win on Saturday.