Marcus Braddock looks ahead to the weekend'd visit
This weekend we welcome Coventry City for our final game at Montgomery Waters Meadow of 2018. The Sky Blues have had mixed fortunes so far this season with an indifferent start turning into a particularly good October but since Halloween things have become a little scary. In the eight games since then they've not won one in either league or cup and have only collected two points in their last six league games. They have managed to keep scoring in this difficult run with goals in four of their last six but they've also not scored more than once in a game in the same run of matches. Their current position is thirteenth, four places and four points above us meaning that if we can get a positive result this weekend, we'll be breathing down their necks on Boxing Day. The consequences of defeat are obvious and although their form makes a home win seem more likely, Coventry have beaten Barnsley, drawn against Sunderland and won away at Charlton this season.
Top Scorers (league games)
Conor Chaplin 4
Jonson Clarke-Harris 4
Amadou Bakayoko 3
Jordy Hiwula 3
Assists
Conor Chaplin 2
Dujon Sterling 2
Luke Thomas 2
Old Friends
We face a Coventry City squad with no less than three ex-Town players. Both Abu Ogogo and Junior Brown left Montgomery Waters Meadow in the closed season but neither has walked into the Coventry team. Junior Brown started the season still rehabilitating from last seasons injury whilst Ogogo has made just five starts and four substitute appearances since signing for the Sky Blues. Jack Grimmer is also a Coventry player now after signing from Fulham in July of last year. Grimmer was successful on loan three times at the Meadow, so much so that he felt like one of our own. All three of the ex-Town players played for us with the sort of commitment that I like to see and in each case it was sad to see them go.
Referee - Trevor Kettle from Rutland. Games this season: 23. Yellow cards: 81. Red cards: 6.
Assistant Referees: Alix Pashley and Joe Clark
Fourth Official: Paul Hobday
Squad News
Sadly Shaun Whalley is out for a few weeks after picking up a hamstring shortly after recovering from a previous spell of injury.
Coventry striker Amadou Bakayoko is out for the next two months with a knee injury. Jodi Jones is out with a Knee injury.
Summary
From what I gather, Coventry has been playing a more defensive formation recently, particularly in away games. So we're going to have to work hard to break them down if they decide to keep it tight and try to score on the break. We might need to be a little patient because they've only conceded four times in the first half of away games but as the game progresses the chances of scoring increase with eleven goals conceded in the last half hour away from home. They score goals in a similar pattern with five scored in the first forty-five minutes of away games and seven scored in the final half an hour. So there is a chance that the game will build toward a crescendo of excitement that could be decided in the final minutes or seconds.
COYB!!!