Matchday Memories: On This Pre Season Day 2016 – Neighbours Nuneaton Nullified

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CCFC gaffer Tony Mowbray

Coventry City have a long tradition over the centuries of taking on local neighbours Nuneaton Borough and in recent years a date in Nuneaton has frequently been a fixture in the Sky Blues pre-season warm up. Five years ago today (9th July 2016) Tony Mowbray took his players, the usual mix of established professionals, new signings and younger squad players to Liberty way for their first warm up game prior to the start of what proved to be a disatrous League One season.

Known as Nuneaton ‘Town‘ (for this season) our opponents, as did the Sky Blues, fielded a completely different second half team plus subs so 24 different players were given a chance to impress manager Mowbray. The squad came out with a 2-1 victory over their non league opponents in front of a partisan crowd of 1,695 with many Sky Blues fans amongst them.

Ruben in the Sky Blue

The Sky Blues were 2-0 up at half-time, a lead which they kept until ten minutes from time, with Rúben Lameiras scoring after 37 minutes and Devon, the forward twin of the Kelly-Evans brothers (both he and Dion are now CCFPA members) scoring a couple of minutes prior to the break. Town’s consolation goal came second half sub. Luke Shorthouse. Former young Sky Blue forward Billy Daniels (signed up by CCFPA on the day) was in Kevin Wilson‘s first half team.

Devon in the Sky Blue

Mowbray’s men lined up as follows (2nd half players in brackets). CCFPA members are underlined:-

Lee Burge (Reice Charles-Cook), Jacob Whitmore (Dion Kelly-Evans), Ryan Haynes (Jordan Shipley), Romain Vincelot (Jordan Willis (c)), Darragh Leahy (Cian Harries), Sam Ricketts (c) (Vladimir Gadzhev), Callum Maycock (Ben Stevenson), Rúben Lameiras (Jack Finch), Marcus Tudgay (George Thomas), Andy Rose (Jodi Jones) and Devon Kelly-Evans (Marvin Sordell).

In the 71st minute Kyle Spence replaced Dion and in the 73rd minute Bilal Sayoud replaced Jordan Shipley. Only ‘Shippers’ and Jodi Jones are still with the Sky Blues ready to be in Mark Robins plans for the upcoming 2021-22 Championship season!

Billy Daniels gets his CCFPA tie from Sarah Morris

Bizarrely, the Sky Blues played a ‘return’ pre-season friendly with ‘the Borough’, ostensibly at home but actually once more at Liberty Way at the end of July, and won again by 3-1.

As is well known by Sky Blue fans now Tony Mowbray soon resigned from the Sky Blues managerial hot seat (on 29th September) to be succeeded initially by Russell Slade. Though current Sky Blues manager Mark Robins in his ‘first’ coming at CCFC took over from Slade at the start of March 2017 he was unable to prevent the club’s relegation to the fourth tier for the first time in 59 years.

CCFC Checkatrade trophy Winner 2017

The one high point of the season for Mark was leading the Sky Blues to Checkatrade Trophy victory at Wembley over Oxford United in May 2017! Now under Mark things continue to be on the up for the Sky Blues.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the photos!

 

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