FA Carling Premiership Game 10: Saturday 4 October 1997 Coventry City 0 - 0 Leeds United (Half-time: 0 - 0) Crowd: 17770 Referee: A B Wilkie (Chester-le-Street)
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Cov - Gav

We hammered them 0-0. Should have taken our chances. Wallace looked good, Jimmy Floyd had perhaps the best chance in the first half, but slipped four yards to the right of goal and spoilt his chance. Gary Kelly looked good in the midfield bringing the ball upfield and across goal regularly. Hopkin was out for McAllister, and vice-versa, and got the better of him overall - possibly the best moment of the match was watching him diposses McAllister on the half way line, charging upfield with the ball, and launching a powerful shot which was only just wide - IF ONLY that had been a goal, it would have been a sweet one indeed. Robertson still looks unconfident. Wetherall on form - we should have a goal or two from a succesion of first half corners which we got shots on goal from. Martyn looks back to his best, made a couple of good saves, perhaps he was upstaged by Oggy for Cov, who pulled off a blinder or two himself. One 2nd half goal mouth scramble saw the ball roll pathetically a few inches wide of Martyn's goal, and Dublin had a few shots into the stands. We did them over, IMO, especialy in the first half.

Crowd - reasonably lively. "Super, Super Rod - Super Rodney Wallace" was a favourite song, reflecting Rod's Recent Resurgence as a Star Amongst Gods (SAG). Macca got soundly rollocked - bit unfair I think, considering what he did for us in the times past, but footie isn't always fair.

Half time - WATC-COE finally got going in earnest thanks entirely to the List contingent on the back row of the stand. Well done us.

Prematch meet - good pub found by all (I think). Post match - bah, everyone buggered off, so it was back home, a Bangladesh carry out, a few pints, and a game or two of pool. Triffic.

Good game, everything but the goal.

Cov - Steve H

We should have won it really, especially from the chances we had in the first half. Jimmy headed over, Hopkin shot from outside the area, but Ogrisovic was in good form. Haaland and Ribeiro especially played well. Radebe was not suprisingly the rock of the team again.

They had one sure-fire chance to score when a ball came to one of their players on the right side of the area, he hit it to Dublin(?) just outside the 6-yard box and he blasted over when he should have buried it. Coventry were pretty piss-poor and we should really be beating a team like this. Easier said than done. The one area they did shine (apart from their 'keeper) was their crosses, which they had quite a few of. McAllister hit almost all of them perfectly - if Kelly, or someone, could learn to cross properly, we might have a few more chances to score. Isn't GG suppose to know about set pieces?

Jimmy was pretty poor, although having said that the service wasn't great (and boy does he complain when it isn't) - but the thing is, the times when the service is good, he always messes up. He only challenged for one header all game that I can remember, and the one he did gave us an attacking opportunity. He was substituted late on when we were pressing for a goal, and he didn't endear himself by taking about 5 minutes to walk off. He is one lazy bastard.

Normal GG service is resumed - Maggie

They were there for the taking, depleted by injury and relying for inspiration on a fading player (I reckon we sold him at just the right time), but we were unable to find the inspiration and aggression up front to match our dominance of the possession. We were easily the better team in the first half, arguably less so in the second, when our players looked to be quite content with the one point - most likely under orders not to risk getting all three when one would do, and to hell with the entertainment (ooops! sorry, Gav).

In the end it was all ultimately forgettable, and you were left feeling not a little flat - especially as the minor hangover from the four strong pre-match pints started to kick in.

Pluses:

- Hopkin's best performance in a Gods shirt by a mile. He really looked the part on Saturday, perhaps partly inspired by playing opposite his country's captain.

- Thank the Gods I'm not a Coventry fan.

- and I don't live anywhere near Coventry.

Observations:

- Dave "Peg Leg" Robertson seems to play like his shins are made of glass, i.e. he often seems to hesitate and shy away from 50/50 balls (as does Jimmy, I hasten to add). As he is at best an average player, he is not going to win the fans affection by not trying, is he?

- The Coventry fans must be the quietest I have ever (not) heard. I think they tried chanting about three times at most, but they were instantly and easily drowned out by the visiting mob. You have to wonder if they actually bother to cheer when they score.

- The away supporters at Highfield Road seem to get a better view than the home fans, being very untypically situated in one of the side stands.

Grouses:

- Bloody shitty railways - no train back to Beeston until ten to seven, leaving me to lug the humongous Lards kit bag around Coventry's depressing city centre for over an hour and a half in search of decent eats and entertainment. Needless to say, I failed on both counts and ended up in Burger King.

P.S. Thanks to Matt for showing that, unlike myself, he can organise a piss-up in a brewery outlet. That steak pie was a cracker, nay Adelphi quality.

P.P.S. Reasons to be cheerful - both yoof Gods teams won at the weekend: 4-1 over Hudds in the NIL and 2-1 over the Wombles in the FAPYL.

Fear, hope and mediocrity - Jeremy Alexander

On May 1, said the new Messiah last week - Blair not Keegan, who is now the new Allah - "fear lost, hope won". At Highfield Road on Saturday fear and hope fought a goalless draw, combining to overwhelm skill and wit. With another hiatus in this halting Premiership season, neither side would risk a fortnight festering in defeat.

The Prime Minister, heralding the giving age, encouraged us to give to the nation our gifts of energy, ideas, hopes and talents. Coventry and Leeds stopped after energy. Coventry, stricken with injuries, barely made a chance, Dion Dublin scorning their best. Leeds, stricken with George Graham, made four, then remembered whose side they are.

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