Matchday Memories: On This Day 2019 – See Sky Blues Stunning 5-4 Success At Sunderland
Manager Mark
On this day (13th April) just five years ago in 2019 the Sky Blues were involved on the right side of a nine goal League One thriller at the Stadium of Light in the North East! In perhaps their best result and performance of the 2018-19 season the Sky Blues secured a 5-4 victory at the home of Sunderland but the game involved some good play, some errors and tough deflections before Mark Robins men came out on top! City’s win condemned Sunderland to their first home league defeat of the season, in front of a raucous crowd of 36,134, ending a nineteen game unbeaten run and left the Sky Blues eighth in the table! The large contingent of the Sky Blue Army on Wearside (2,638) went home well pleased!
Bright in the Sky Blue
The Black Cats’ hopes of securing automatic promotion from League One suffered a major blow as they crashed to this remarkable home defeat settled by a firm strike from Sky Blues sub. Conor Chaplin in the 78th minute. This left Sunderland two points behind second-placed Barnsley (albeit with a game in hand).
‘Baka’ in the Sky Blue
Six of the goals were hit home in a somewhat chaotic first half. The Sky Blues claimed a twelfth minute lead when Bright Enobakhare capitalised on an error from the home team’s Luke O’Nien to slot home a low finish. The Black Cats then levelled when George Honeyman‘s shot took a huge deflection to beat Coventry goalkeeper Lee Burge (now a CCFPA member). However the visitors regained their lead three minutes later as a Luke Thomas through ball freed fairly recent Association recruit Amadou Bakayoko to break clear and score.
Jordy Hiwula in the Sky Blue
The Sky Blues went further ahead midway through the first half, with Bright taking his turn to tee up Jordy Hiwula to fire home a shot that took a hefty deflection off the homester’s Jack Baldwin. Even though the Mackems seemed all over the place at that stage they nevertheless gained renewed hope when our ‘keeper made a mess of trying to punch a cross from Bryan Oviedo, enabling Charlie Wyke to poke the ball into an empty net. Worse for the Sky Blues followed when the home team got themselves level on the stroke of half-time when Wyke nodded down Oviedo’s cross to allow Will Grigg to stab home the finish from close range.
Jordan Shipley
There was no let up in the action in the second half, with the Sky Blues reclaiming the lead within ten minutes. ‘Baka’ teed up ‘Cov Kid’ Jordan Shipley, who found the bottom right-hand corner from twenty yards. The Black Cats levelled things up once more at 4-4 when substitute Aiden McGeady tee’d up Max Power for another effort that found the net via a deflection.
Conor Chaplin in the Sky Blue
But Sunderland‘s fans and team had their hearts broken as the Sky Blues grabbed the points with twelve minutes left as Tom Flanagan failed to cut out Charlie Wakefield‘s cross and Conor Chaplin twisted and turned close in before rifling the ball into the roof of the net for the winner. There is a Gallery of nearly thirty excellent action photos from this game on CCFC’s website here.
Lee Burge, Dujon Sterling, Tom Davies, Dom Hyam, Brandon Mason, Liam Kelly (c), Jordan Shipley, Bright Enobakhare (sub. Conor Chaplin -76), Luke Thomas (sub. Charlie Wakefield -76), Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila (sub. Zain Westbrooke -90) and Amadou Bakayoko.
Unused subs: Junior Brown, Morgan Williams, Jordan Ponticelli and Corey Addai (gk)
Sunderland (managed by Jack Ross)
Jon McLaughlin, Bryan Oviedo, Jack Baldwin, Tom Flanagan, Max Power, George Honeyman (c) , Grant Leadbitter (sub. Kazaiah Sterling -64), Luke O’Nien, Lewis Morgan (sub. Benjamin Kabunga-Kimpioka -83), Will Grigg (sub. Aiden McGeady -64) and Charlie Wyke. Unused subs: Lee Cattermole, Jimmy Dunne, Denver Hume and Robbin Ruiter (gk) Referee: John Busby
CCFC 2018-19
Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.
