Coventry v Everton 22/02/97 3.00Coventry (0) 0 Everton (0) 0 FT Coventry boss Gordon Strachan must install a ruthless streak into his side if the Sky Blues are to hang onto the top-flight status that has proudly belonged to them for 30 years. This stalemate means Coventry have only lost once in seven matches, but three of those games have been FA Cup ties and after letting Everton off the hook at Highfield Road, they continue to hover just above the Premiership relegation zone. The Mersysiders themselves still look a side short in confidence after an alarming slide down the table, but Goodison boss Joe Royle can at least take heart from knowing this was a game that would have been out of their reach a few weeks ago. He will travel north a much happier man than Strachan, who saw his men waste the game's best chances particularly in the second half in what was largely a disappointing encounter. With both Strachan and Royle embracing a positive approach, it was a surprise just how much of a dearth of goalmouth excitement there was, particularly in the first half. The Sky Blues gave Dion Dublin an instant recall after the seven-match ban brought about by successive dismissals at the beginning of last month, with electric-paced duo Darren Huckerby and Peter Ndlovu in support. Everton had Graham Stuart and Nicky Barmby alongside Duncan Ferguson after the giant Scot had given the Mersysiders the pre-match boost of shaking off a hamstring injury in their first outing since they ended a six-match Premiership losing streak with a win at Nottingham Forest on February 1. But with a strong wind swirling around the ground, both teams seemed content to use the easy long ball route provided by Dublin and Ferguson, strikers who thrive on quality service rather than aimless passes pumped forward. Ferguson's height provided Everton with their best moments of the first 45 minutes though, the £4million man heading down Barmby's free-kick for Craig Short to ghost in to sidefoot a close-range volley against the foot of Steve Ogrizovic's right-hand post and back into the arms of the grateful City keeper. Barmby was also just off target with a curling 20-yard free-kick awarded for Kevin Richardson's trip on Gary Speed, but otherwise it was all graft and no craft from the visitors. Coventry at least had the speed of Huckerby to give them continuous hope and the cumbersome Everton defence that included Short, Dave Watson and David Unsworth were never at ease with the former Newcastle winger after he dipped an early half-volley from 25 yards into the arms of the perfectly placed Paul Gerrard. Earl Barrett was next to be left in Huckerby's slipstream, but when the winger cut back an inviting ball Short threw himself forward to block Ndlovu's shot. Dublin's height did allow Gary Breen to abandon his impressive shackling job on Ferguson to plant a header just too high after the City striker had nodded on Paul Telfer's raking throw. But Huckerby finished the half by drilling a shot into the sidenetting and resumed after the break by again causing Everton all kinds of problems. It was Everton who had the first real opportunity on the restart, though, when Ferguson intercepted Richard Shaw's woeful back pass only to hammer an 18-yard drive into the sidenetting. But Coventry were slowly getting a grip on the game and former Goodison favourite Richardson saw a blockbuster half-volley charged down by Barrett after Dublin had again nodded on a Telfer throw, before Huckerby squandered the clearest chance of the game. Watson was left powerless to prevent the Sky Blues' forward from bursting clear 40 yards out but as Huckerby weighed up his options as Gerrard raced from his goal, Short retrieved the situation for the visitors by getting back to launch a perfectly-timed tackle. Huckerby then blazed wide after a 60-yard dash following Ogrizovic's throw out and Hall volleyed across the face of goal when it seemed easier to score when the ball found a path through to him at the far post. Strachan brought on Noel Whelan for Ndlovu with 17 minutes left and the former-Leeds striker blazed a great chance well over within minutes of entering the fray when he snatched at a loose ball 16 yards out. After that, the home side must have realised it wasn't to be their day, although Huckerby had a couple of late penalty appeals waved away by referee Jeff Winter. And if Everton had found the last gasp breakthough that Ferguson's strength threatened in the dying moments, then there really would have been a feeling of injustice. 
Coventry: Ogrizovic, Shaw, Williams, Breen, Richardson, McAllister, Telfer, Ndlovu (Whelan, 73), Hall, Dublin, Huckerby. Subs not used: Filan, Jess, Burrows, Evtushok. Everton: Gerrard, Unsworth, Watson, Short, Barrett, Phelan, Speed, Barmby, Thomsen, Stuart, Ferguson. Subs not used: Southall, Rideout, Branch, Allen, Ball. Attendance: 19,497. Referee: J T Winter (Stockton-on-Tees). |
