League Two Form Guide

		P	GD	Pts
1	Port Vale	6	+6	16
2	MK Dons	6	+8	13
3	Doncaster	6	+5	13
4	Walsall	6	+5	11
5	Bradford	6	+4	11
6	Crewe	6	+4	11
7	Notts County	6	+3	11
8	Salford	6	+2	11
9	Chesterfield	6	+6	10
10	Cheltenham	6	+1	10
11	Accrington Stanley	6	+1	10
12	Grimsby	6	-5	9
13	AFC Wimbledon	6	+4	7
14	Bromley	6	0	7
15	Newport County	6	-2	7
16	Fleetwood Town	6	+1	6
17	Swindon	6	-1	6
18	Barrow	6	-2	5
19	Tranmere	6	-4	5
20	Harrogate Town	6	-5	5
21	Morecambe	6	-8	4
22	Colchester	6	-6	3
23	Carlisle	6	-9	2
24	Gillingham	6	-7	1

Full Form Table
Prem|Champ|L1|NL|VN|VS
SPL|SC|S1|S2

Question of the Week

Is football a business or a sport?

Coventry Preview

By: Tony Hamilton
Date: 27/02/2003

AFTER last weekâ€™s 2-2 draw at the Tractor Boys, Town need to start to put a decent run together now weâ€™re three quarters through the season - as results are now needed more than ever if Town hope to pull away from the bottom three.

Home > 2002-2003 Season > Previews > Coventry (h)

The Bottom Line

All we hope now is that Town can put a few wins together as its getting tight at the bottom of the table and the way the table is unfolding it is down to 4 teams for the 3 relegation places

The Opposition - Any Good?

Coventry City, like most relegated Premiership clubs in the First Division, have had to get rid of their big earners and rely on free transfers plus loan players. Between the sticks City have ex-Town loanee Morten Hyldgaard who has been ever-present since Magnus Hedman was sold to Celtic. In the back line thereâ€™s Bosnian Mo Konjic who is the Sky Blues' captain. He was bought in their Premiership days for £2 million from Monaco, plus City have the experience of player-manager Gary Mcallister who took the job in the summer when he signed from Liverpool. Up front is Matt Jansen (left), on the form he showed last season was on the brink of making the England World Cup squad, but because of a serious injury he sustained in the summer, Blackburn have loaned him out to get match fit again

Recent Form

Town

Coventry

D	Ipswich	(a)	0-2
L	Gillingham	(a)	0-4
W	Stoke	(a)	3-3
L	Portsmouth	(h)	0-3
L	Bradford	(h)	1-2

L	Bradford City	(h)	0-2
L	Rotherham	(a)	0-1
L	Burnley	(h)	0-1
L	Watford	(h)	0-1
L	Rochdale	(a)	0-2

Players To Watch

Town	Coventry

Richard Hughes	Gary Caldwell
Just signed for one month from table topping Portsmouth, he made his debut last week and never looked out of place. He is a former Under 21 international for Scotland, and is hopefully giving Town more bite in midfield than the last few games. Richard is well thought of at Pompey and played against Town at Blundell Park in August	On loan from Newcastle for the season and is a U-21 international with Scotland. In his games for the Sky Blues has impressed the supporters and decided to join because of the lack of first team football at St Jamesâ€™s Park. Gary is very knowledgeable in his position in defence and is comfortable with the ball at his feet.

Top Scorers

Town	Coventry
Kabba 6 Campbell 5 Oster 5 Pouton 4	Bothroyd 11 McAllister 8 Mills 6 Partridge 4

Team News

Town

Coventry

With Steve Livingstone back from a three match suspension to face one of his old clubs, and both Alan Pouton and Darren Mansaram fit again after knee and ankle injuries, Paul Groves for the first time this season will have a fully fit first team squad to pick from.

With this game being at home he should revert back to 4-4-2 from the 4-5-1 he played at Ipswich and Richard Hughes should make his home league debut for the Mariners.

John Oster has been brought back into the fold so unlucky Terry Cooke will miss out again. Darren Barnard is another fit body to add to the squad if he is needed in the 16-man squad for the game.

Coventry City player boss Gary McAllister will have to make at least two changes to the side that lost to Bradford. Richard Shaw, for many player of the year so far, will miss the Grimsby game due to suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the season late in the game against Rotherham at Millmoor just under two weeks ago. He is likely to be replaced by Calum Davenport.

Wales under-21 striker David Pipe took a knock in the reservesâ€™ defeat on Tuesday and he loses his place while Jay Bothroyd, top scorer and possible replacement is also out of contention having picked up an injury in the same game.

That will mean a reshuffle in the midfield, possibly meaning a return for John Eustace who missed the Bradford game through suspension.

Julian Joachim and on-loan striker Matt Jansen are likely to lead the attack once again.

Probable Starting XI's

Town

Coventry

Danny Coyne

John McDermott

Simon Ford

Georges Santos

Tony Gallimore

Stacy Caldicott

Paul Groves

Richard Hughes

Stuart Campbell

John Oster

Michael Boulding

Morten Hyldgaard

Gary Caldwell

Calum Davenport

Mo Konjic

Barry Quinn

Craig Pead

Vincente Engonga

Gary McAllister

Richie Partridge

Julian Joachim

Matt Jansen

Subs

Town

Coventry

Steve Livingstone

Alan Pouton

Darren Barnard

Steve Chettle

Shaun Allaway

Fabien Debrec

Dean Holdsworth

John Eustace

Dean Gordon

Gary McSheffrey

Last Time Out

A 5-goal thriller at Highfield Road, when these last two last met in September 2002, saw goals from McAllister, Mills and Bothroyd cancelled out the strikes by Alan Pouton and the departed Steve Kabba and made this game as good as it looks on paper.

Town Team: Coyne, McDermott, Chettle, Groves, Campbell, Gallimore (Ford), Pouton, Caldicott, Barnard (Rowan), Kabba, Robinson (Mansaram).
Subs (not used): Cooke and Allaway

Attendance: 12,403 Report

Coventry Head-to-Head (76th on The Opposition Ladder).

Prediction

Fishy prediction: 2-1 to Town.

Reader's POMs

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League Two Form Guide

Question of the Week

Coventry Preview

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