Coventry City played a friendly in Austria today against VF Gaflenz.
Coventry City went in at the break 2-0 ahead with goals from Bell in the 28th minute and Wood in the 39th minute. The second half was goalless so City won the game 2-0'.
Coventry City had the trialist Dutch striker Smeekes in the team and he had a good header form a Carl Baker cross saved in the 4th minute.
A few minutes later the Coventry attack once again cut through the Gaflenz defence, with Gunnarsson sending in the cross for Baker, who saw hit shot palmed away.
Then it was Davis Bell's turn to get behind the defence and send in a cross for Shaun Jeffers, who headed wide.
With just 15 minutes gone both sides were forced into making substitutions after a clash of head saw Baker leave the field with a cut head and the Gaflenz goal keeper replaced after suffering a cut mouth. Baker was replaced by Gary McSheffrey.
More wide play saw Clingan get in a cross onto the head of new boy Keogh who's glancing header fell unkindly for Richard Wood, who nevertheless tried an ambitious overhead kick, but the ball went wide of the goal.
Next it was McSheffrey's turn to send in a cross, this time from a free kick which was met by the head of Jermaine Grandison, but once again the header went just wide of the far post.
The one sided game saw the first goal in the 28th minute when Coventry's pressure began to tell on the home side. Bell went on a dazzling run, going past a string of defenders and shot through the legs of the goal keeper to score.
City nearly conceded within minutes when Gaflenz's Stutz Mootiu went through the City defence on the right and have a low shot on target, but the ever reliable Westwood saved comfortably.
Gunnarsson was well fired up for the game and with 30 minutes gone he ran almost the entire length of the pitch chasing a Gaflenz player, who he then brought down to earn himself a yellow card.
Smeekes received a pass from McIndoe with his back to the goal, but manged to turn and shoot from 25 yards out, but the ball went inches over the bar.
On their next attack the Sky Blues were rewarded with a training ground free kick, a quick in swinging cross from Clingan which Wood met with his head to score the second City goal just inside the far post.
Gaflenz nearly scored with seconds left in the first half when Mootiu latched onto a poor clearance from a corner, but saw his long range shot go inches over the bar.
The game was played in temperatures of up to 35°c, so Boothroyd made six changes at half time, on trial goal keeper Lawrence Thomas, Ben Turner, Michael Doyle, Freddy Eastwood, Roy O'Donovan, Stephen O'Halloran and Martin Cranie on for Westwood, Wood, Gunnarsson, Clingan, Bell, McIndoe and Smeekes.
City stared the second half brightly and nearly grabbed a third goal from a McSheffrey free kick on the edge of the area. McSheffrey's fierce shot went agonisingly wide of the far post.
Then is was Eastwood's turn to shoot just wide when he latched on to an O'Donovan through ball .
Next it was City's turn to defend and trialist goal keeper Thomas made a good solid save from Schon Mathieus. Shortly after Gaflenz had a free kick just inside the City half and
Thomas was a spectator as the optimistic shot cannoned off the crossbar back into play
where he picked up the loose ball.
Boothroyd reintroduced Jeffers, Clingan and Bell for Keogh, Grandison and McSheffrey.
Eastwood got to the byline and past a defender to cross to O'Donovan who's shot was parried by the goal keepers legs.
In the last attack of the game and what was probably the best piece of football, Jeffers started dribbling with the ball going past three defenders and skipping their tackles, getting to the byline and managing to get in a superb cross which neither O'Donovan nor Bell could quite get their heads onto.
Stupid operation/knee brace getting in the way!
