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Coventry 65s Heartbreak Losing 2-1 to Solihull Moors in the Birmingham County FA League Cup Final
Cyril Ray Lewis13 May - 15:12
We fought really well and did ourselves and the club proud
Coventry heartbreak losing 2-1. We worked our socks off and everyone gave 100%. Thankyou. Every one of the players should feel proud of their contribution today.
And what about the travelling support - around 20 or even more? Just amazing! It was great to see you all and it meant a lot to the team. As Neil said, we are more than just a team, we are a club and a community - hear, hear! And that's what makes us special and sets us apart from the other teams.
It was a tough game - in the first half we had a few half chances and Dave came close, but we had to work hard to keep them at bay. Our grit and determination to compete all over the pitch and with Man of the Match Garry pulling off some excellent saves kept the score line even at half-time.
Early in the second half, a quick turn and reverse shot by their player squeezed the ball past Garry who could only get his finger tips to it as it trickled over the line. A few minutes later their high press made it difficult for Garry to get the ball out, only for it to fall to one of their players who shot low into the corner of the net. We then took 2 blue cards within the space of a few minutes and were down to 5 men and they then had one of their players sin binned too.
We then started to turn the game around and came close a few times with shots from Dave and Phil M, before Phil M hit a fierce shot that cannoned off the crossbar and back to him to fire home. This brought an almighty cheer from our supporters! If we had more time I think our play may have forced an equaliser, but time had ran out.
For me, it has been a great pleasure managing this team over the season and we have had some great moments. We showed a lot of character today and did ourselves proud. COY65s!
65s Cup Final Team: Garry Bench, Tony Malone, Phil Hutchings, Neil Jackson, Pete Skelsey, Kev Shannon, Kev Perrott, Phil Maund, Dave Marriott, Ken Badland (c).
Assistant Manager : Jeff Grimes
Manager: C. Ray Lewis
Report by C. Ray Lewis
Travelling support - Too numerous to mention, but thank you all for coming along today. It was great to see you all and it meant a lot to me and the players.
And what about the travelling support - around 20 or even more? Just amazing! It was great to see you all and it meant a lot to the team. As Neil said, we are more than just a team, we are a club and a community - hear, hear! And that's what makes us special and sets us apart from the other teams.
It was a tough game - in the first half we had a few half chances and Dave came close, but we had to work hard to keep them at bay. Our grit and determination to compete all over the pitch and with Man of the Match Garry pulling off some excellent saves kept the score line even at half-time.
Early in the second half, a quick turn and reverse shot by their player squeezed the ball past Garry who could only get his finger tips to it as it trickled over the line. A few minutes later their high press made it difficult for Garry to get the ball out, only for it to fall to one of their players who shot low into the corner of the net. We then took 2 blue cards within the space of a few minutes and were down to 5 men and they then had one of their players sin binned too.
We then started to turn the game around and came close a few times with shots from Dave and Phil M, before Phil M hit a fierce shot that cannoned off the crossbar and back to him to fire home. This brought an almighty cheer from our supporters! If we had more time I think our play may have forced an equaliser, but time had ran out.
For me, it has been a great pleasure managing this team over the season and we have had some great moments. We showed a lot of character today and did ourselves proud. COY65s!
65s Cup Final Team: Garry Bench, Tony Malone, Phil Hutchings, Neil Jackson, Pete Skelsey, Kev Shannon, Kev Perrott, Phil Maund, Dave Marriott, Ken Badland (c).
Assistant Manager : Jeff Grimes
Manager: C. Ray Lewis
Report by C. Ray Lewis
Travelling support - Too numerous to mention, but thank you all for coming along today. It was great to see you all and it meant a lot to me and the players.
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