Dave put in a Man of the Match performance scoring a record 10 goals, that could easily have been more if the referee had not ruled out another 2. Steve scored a hat trick, with Colin and Pete scoring 1 each. Every Coventry player put in a solid performance and they were just too good for Stratford. The score-line was harsh on Stratford, who are a newly formed team, and are finding their way. It was a credit to them that they kept going and never gave up.
The game started off brightly with Dave scoring his first goal in a few minutes shortly after having an earlier goal chalked off for a harsh running call. Coventry dominated possession and were feeding balls to Dave all the time, and with his trickery on the ball he turned his marker several times and scored another 6 before half-time past their hapless goalkeeper. Steve waded in with his first goal of an eventual hat-trick. Stratford did have moments of possession though and threatened on occasion. A mix up in defence saw the ball break loose to their striker who scored off his rebound shot, which Jeff had initially saved. Half time 8-1 to Coventry.
The second half started with Stratford coming out more determined and faster, which ultimately cost them by conceding a penalty for team running offences, that Pete scored from. Steve scored 2 more to claim his first hat-trick, Colin scored and Dave scored another 3 to take his tally to 10! Pete was denied a 2nd penalty goal when the referee adjudged Pete to step back. Stratford eventually got their 2nd goal from a penalty, when Coventry racked up team running offence. Full-time 15-2 to Coventry.
Thanks to Bruce Doe for making the journey to support the team. Ray Lewis stepped in as manager after Colin Farmer was asked to referee a game, to cover referee absence.
Over 70s Team – Jeff Grimes, Tony Malone, Phil Hutchings, Brian Sharp, Colin Yates, Pete Skelsey, Stephen Allison, Dave Marriot
Over 70s Stand in Manager – Ray Lewis
Report by Ray Lewis