FA Cup 3rd Round - Coventry 1 Southampton 2

Coventry Spokesman in Defiant Mode!

FA Cup 3^rd Round day and a trip to Coventry and a real chance of progressing in the greatest Cup competition - you can stick your Champions League up your arse with its seeded draw and second chances and money money money.  Both Saints and Coventry had the greatest moments in their histories in 1976 and 1987 respectively in the FA Cup Finals of those years so, would the magic be there today?

Well... Coventry made a bit of an effort by wearing a 1987 replica kit as it’s 25 years since their day in the sun at Wembley.  I expect the idea was for them to sell thousands of these shirts to fans who would turn up in their numbers to watch the current Sky Blues and sing their painfully crap ‘Sky Blues, Shooting to win’ song.   Unfortunately, the Coventry Board had reckoned without a fan boycott of the game in protest against SISU (http://www.leagueoneminus10.blogspot.com/2011/11/npc-match-16-coventry-2-southampton-4.html).  The idea was for the Coventry fans to not go into the ground for the first 15 minutes.

We’ve had a bit of news since the Brighton game because of course, the transfer window has opened and all the speculation and lies that goes with it.  However, there are some facts in that Ryan Dickson has gone out on loan to join up with Paul Wotton Football Genius at Yeovil.  Dicko is a decent player who hasn’t been given a chance this season so I hope he comes back having got match fit.  Back in the building but nowhere near the bus, is Jason Puncheon who has been sent back by QPR having made a contribution of 15 minutes playing time in 4 months.  Nigel says we’re going to do an MOT on him to see where he is which means we’re going to check the emissions, decide that it’s too much effort and too much money to repair and then break him up and sell his parts for scrap.

Saints turned up on the back of some ropey results and were without an away win since the League visit to Coventry when we won 4-2.  Not many of that team are here today and we line up with Bart in goal, hoping to rebuild confidence after his Blackpool tunnel-ball nightmare.  In defence we have the current first choice pair of Fox and Big Jos, augmented with Aaron Martin and Dan Harding, pressed into service at right back where he will be running backwards, back-heeling the ball up the wing.  The midfield consists of four central midfielders with Deano, Corky and Morgan being joined by James Ward-Prowse. Up front are Adam Lallana and Ryan Doble who gets the nod ahead of Jonno Pace.  Rumour has it that Jonno is being saved for the Forest game next week so we can all shout ‘Run Forrest Run’ at him as he runs aimlessly into the advertising boards at the end of the ground.  I can only assume that having played 90 minutes in the last league game, David Connolly is having a lie down somewhere.  It’s been said that this is a ‘must draw’ game as a draw will means one game less on Sir Rickie’s league suspension.

Away we go and we’re a disaster waiting to happen as Coventry fly down the wings and our midfield stands in its non-sparkling diamond formation and watches them do it.  Bart has to make a decent save from O’Donovan which must have done wonders for his confidence but it only takes 5 minutes for Coventry to score as Christie flies down the right and crosses, Big Jos heads it straight up into the air and from the resulting challenge between Aaron Martin and some bloke with a brush on his head, the ball somewhat luckily falls very nicely to McSheffrey to smash it past Bart for 1-0.

Saints are still asleep and are indebted to Bart again five minutes later as Deegan connects with a flicked on corner and it’s not looking good until Bart throws himself in the way.  Excellent save.

The Coventry hoards stampeded into the ground at this point and swelled the crowd to at least 4000, just as we abandoned the narrow midfield and went 4-4-2 with Ward-Prowse pushed up alongside Doble and Lallana going to the left wing.  The formation change saw us immediately begin to look better and Corky fired one narrowly wide from 30 yards.  There’s a story going round that when the Saints squad went paintballing, they didn’t let Morgan have a gun as his shooting is so bad.  Consequently, when he had a shot from outside the box on 35 minutes, no one was really shocked as it flew into the empty Sky Blue seats behind the goal.  The last ten minutes of the first half are even and it’s dreadful as a spectacle as we are left with the hope that Nigel can sort it out at half time.

At this point I’ve settled down in front of the radio to get Merringtitus over the airwaves and pick up pearls of wisdom on what we don’t want to do.  The second half is about to start when I’m informed that I am heading into town with my kids to buy shoes.  Oh joy of joys so instead of uninterrupted Merringtitus, I get Whispering Dave in the car whilst sorting out vital arguments about who sits where and who is using whose DS.

Saints start the second half well with Doble challenging for a ball inside the box and it falls to James Ward-Prowse who, with the goal at his mercy, plays an air shot and the chance was gone.  Ward-Prowse was involved again in the next incident as he knocked the ball past ex-Saint Martin Cranie (a player who could have had a decent career at Saints but for Whiskey George) who responded by trashing him and getting booked for his trouble.

Sam Hoskins comes on for Ryan Doble on the hour mark and immediately has an impact when he feeds Lallana who puts a beautiful cross along the ground, in between in the keeper and the defenders and straight into the path of James Ward-Prowse who buries it for 1-1.  Sat at the lights at the bottom of Athelstan Road, I manage to scrape my knuckles as I punch the ceiling of the car.  Saints are in command now and a lot is coming from Harding at right back who connects with a decent volley from 25 yards and watches the ball fizz just wide.

Ward-Prowse is replaced by Ben Reeves for the last 15 minutes and no one can be sure from that substitution if Nigel is happy with a draw or if he wants to win.  It’s all us now though as another testing left footed cross is swung in from the right by Harding and just touched for a corner by a back-peddling defender.  Foxy swings in the corner and Aaron Martin rises above a half-hearted challenge from his marker to thump in a header which the keeper makes a bit of a meal of before it rolls apologetically over the line.  Aaron’s not bothered though and he’s off behind the goal, going nuts in front of the travelling Saints fans.  Meanwhile, I’m in Clarks Shoes in the High Street, headphones in and momentarily not caring about the £100 plus that I’m about to spend on 3 pairs of school shoes.

There is just time for another kid to get on the pitch as Jack Stephens comes on at right back for Dan Harding for the last few minutes.  Coventry have nothing left to offer as the clock winds down and all is well with the world when the ref blows his whistle to end the game.

And so the mighty SFC win to go into the hat for the 4^th Round draw.  Nigel is buzzing and so he should be, a load of kids have played, two of them have scored and we won.  I must admit that I’m going to get more than the usual satisfaction level when James Ward-Prowse scores as he comes from a family of Pompey supporters.  Another one slipped through the net then boys....  Nigel’s post-match interview was about the possibilities for incoming players and re-affirming his desire to get into the Premier League, given the start we’ve had.  That was all I wanted to hear to be honest, that the club realises that opportunities like this don’t happen every day.  He also spoke of the potential outgoing of Jonno Pace and Lee Holmes as justification for them not coming on today.  I’d say the justification is that we all know what they can do and it really isn’t much, so more would be gained by throwing on a 17 year old.  When asked who we wanted in the next round, Nigel said ‘Chelsea so Corky can play at Stamford Bridge’.  This was funny for two reasons, one as Corky was with Chelsea for 14 years without making a first team appearance and because it assumed that Chelsea would dispose of The Skates in the 3^rd Round.

As for Coventry – well I repeat what I said in the blog about the league game.  I feel a bit sorry for them as they were financially in the mire and they got SISU as saviours and they’ve turned out to be worse.  We could so easily be in the same boat at them and it’s important to remember that and have a certain amount of sympathy for any club with a dodgy board and financial difficulties.... expect the Cheating Skate Bastards of course who brought it all on themselves.  Oddly, Coventry are obviously lying about the gate for some reason – saying there was 9000 in attendance when the real figure was probably half that.   It’s all a bit Iraqi Information Minister – “the rebellion didn’t happen, there were 9000 people there, and everything is fine”.   I can’t comment too much as I didn’t go but I got a text from a mate at full time which read ‘9000 my arse’.

The magic of the FA Cup has undoubtedly dimmed a little but try telling that to Aaron Martin and James Ward-Prowse who both went completely nuts when they scored.  Try telling that to Sam Hoskins, Ryan Doble and Jack Stephens who all made contributions to the first team for the first time today.  Whatever team we put out, the victory raises everyone’s spirits a bit before next week’s League trip to Nottingham Forest and Steve Cotterill who I predict, will get some stick.  As long as we’re winning the match then that’s fine.  We can’t afford another crap performance and result against a team near the bottom of the league.

Bring it on.

PS – The draw was made on Sunday for the 4^th Round and we didn’t get Chelsea who did dispose of The Skates 4-0.  Instead, we got a blockbusting tie – Dagenham & Redbridge or Millwall away.  That’s one to get the pulses racing and no one needs to get a ticket as it’s sure to be selected for live TV…. In Azerbaijan or somewhere like that.