Matchday Memories: On This Day 2019 – Luke’s Strike Saves Sky Blue Wombles Point!
On this day (12th January) relatively recently in 2019 the top half Sky Blues, under Mark Robins, were doing reasonably well in League One but were hoping to improve on their last performance a 2-1 defeat at Scunthorpe United. Today they were playing at the Ricoh (now owned by Joy Sepalla‘s SISU and Wasps Rugby club as the prime tenants). A modest crowd of 10,420 (including 667 from south London) had turned up to see the game against AFC Wimbledon and they saw the Sky Blues eventually salvage a point. The two sides had also drawn (goal-less) in south London in their first game back in early August.
We got off to a bad start conceding a 2nd minute goal to the Womble’s Jake Jervis after a scramble in the box. Sky Blue fans had to wait until two minutes after the hour mark for the equaliser courtesy of a deflected strike from Luke Thomas (CCFC’s loanee from Derby County). There were chances for both sides squandered in a frustrating afternoon for all concerned but no more goals or points were won by either side, just the one!
The two sides lined up:-
Sky Blues: (CCFPA members underlined) Formation: 4-2-3-1
Lee Burge, Dujon Sterling, Jordan Willis, Dom Hyam, Sam McCallum (sub. Jack Grimmer -89), Liam Kelly (c), Tom Bayliss, Luke Thomas, Bright Enobakhare (sub. Jonson Clarke-Harris -62), Conor Chaplin and Jordy Hiwula.
Unused Subs: Tom Davies, Michael Doyle, Jordan Shipley, Zain Westbrooke and Corey Addai (gk)
AFC Wimbledon (managed by Wally Downes) Formation: 4-1-4-1
Aaron Ramsdale, Tennai Watson, Adedeji Oshilaja (c), Will Nightingale, Anthony Hartigan, Jake Jervis (sub. Liam Trotter -68), Mitchell Pinnock, Tyler Garratt (sub. Joe Pigott -68), Andy Barcham, Paul Kalambayi and Anthony Wordsworth Unused Subs: Dylan Connolly, Toby Sibbick, Tommy Wood, Alfie Egan and Joe McDonnell (gk) Referee: Robert Lewis
Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson you can watch some match highlights by clicking on the link or image below:-
The Sky Blues season steadily but slowly improved but, in the event, the desired play off push faltered with four defeats in their last dozen games and two in their last three) and they never got above seventh. They had to settle for eighth spot in League One (eight points off the playoffs) at the end of the season, though this was more than the target of consolidation it has to be said in their first season back up from the bottom tier.