COVENTRY UNITED MANAGER EDWIN GREAVES COMMENTS ON HIS TEAM'S EXCITING 2-2 DRAW AGAINST HINCKLEY AFC...

"After keeping the same 16 players for the Copsewood and Racing Club Warwick games, I was forced into making 2 changes. Dave Allen and Pierre came in for Richard Morris and Gift. 


To be fair I think we started the game with purpose however it was not long before Hinckley started to dictate the play. They seemed to be moving the ball a little too easily for my liking and were winning a lot of the 1st and 2nd balls.


Hinckley's attacking play was rewarded when they went 0-1 up and they almost doubled their lead but a linesman's flag denied them their 2nd goal. We scored against the run of play on 30 mins from a cross-come shot from Callum which gave us the lift we needed. We finished the half strongly and I was happy to go in at halftime 1-1 as Hinckley were the better side and worked Dave more than we worked their goalkeeper.


The 2nd half was a different story however; the tempo in our play was much better and Matty had a goal disallowed for offside. Chances were created by both sides and both goalkeepers were needed to make decent saves. The game shifted Hinckley's way again in the 85th minute with a great strike from approximately 25 yards from Sean Williams. This was something special and was worthy of winning any game.


However the lads never gave up and some great work from Josh O'Grady earned us a penalty in the last minute. Unfortunately for us, Tom Cross guessed the right way and saved Richard Blythe's penalty.


With the game now going into injury-time Blythe managed to score but again it was ruled out for offside. With the game into the 95th minute a Josh O'Grady's retaken corner was finished off by Blythe and this time the goal stood to make it 2-2, which is how the game finished and we were able to send the Red and Green Army home happy.


In summing up this game, I can honestly say in the two and half years of being Coventry United manager this is a game that will be up there in my fondest memories. This was two good sides playing attractive football at every opportunity, in front of two great sets of fans. We have had several questions asked of us this season and Hinckley defiantly asked a few more. To get through this game unbeaten is a great achievement for us and shows how far we have come since August. 

For the players to come from a goal behind twice shows they have great character and they simply don't know when they are beaten. I was very pleased with our performance over 90 plus minutes, against a side that will again be finishing towards the top end of the table. If we can maintain this level of performance in our remaining 17 games, we will be right in the mix come April.


I have said before that I am happy with my squad and that every player will have to play his part and again this was proved with the players coming into this match day squad. As all the top teams went head-to-head, on hearing the results after the game we learned that some of our closest rivals had dropped points. This does not surprise me as there are several good sides in this division and on any day, teams can easily beat one another.


My aim now is to make sure the lads are totally focused on our next game away to Cadbury Athletic. I know we are in a great position but we still have a long way to go this season. We have 17 more games to play and 51 points to play for. This is a big ask for the lads, however there are several other teams in the same boat as us.


A big thank you to the Red and Green Army: your support again was magnificent and It was great to see and hear you all.


I hope to see some of you on Tuesday night, ready for our next challenge.


Feet firmly on the ground and as usual: 

One Game At A Time..."

Edwin 'Starr' Greaves, Coventry United Manager & rescuer of abandoned badgers...