Coventry City vs Millwall. Sky Bet Championship.
St. Andrew's Stadium.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Coventry and Millwall at St Andrew's as the Sky Blues said goodbye to their temporary home with a massive win on the last day of the season
Saturday 8 May 2021 18:01, UK
Coventry bade farewell to their temporary St Andrew's home in stunning style with a 6-1 Sky Bet Championship final-day thrashing of Millwall.
The Sky Blues, returning to the Ricoh Arena next season, ended their ground-share with Birmingham in fabulous fashion to cap a successful two years featuring promotion back to the second tier.
Jordan Shipley's curler put Coventry ahead and Sky Blues skipper Kyle McFadzean scored at both ends before Dom Hyam, Callum O'Hare, Matty James and Tyler Walker completed the hammering.
Coventry's biggest win for three years secured a 16th-place finish, the Sky Blues' highest since 2006, as a fifth victory in their final eight matches ensured they ended up 12 points clear of the drop zone.
Millwall were second best throughout, although Tom Bradshaw did strike the post when their deficit was only one, but they clinched a third top-half finish in four seasons regardless of the defeat, in 11th.
Coventry were on top from the start, led by the excellent O'Hare, who cut through the Millwall defence on a dazzling solo surge before steering just wide of Bartosz Bialkowski's far post.
O'Hare was involved in Coventry's 16th-minute opener, ending another busy run by feeding Shipley, who took a touch to curl a low finish in off the post from just inside the box.
Millwall came within a whisker of levelling on 33 minutes, Jed Wallace's cross slightly behind Bradshaw, who improvised superbly with a dragged backheel that shaved the post.
But Coventry doubled their lead on 45 minutes after Millwall gifted them a corner, Bialkowski forced to poke Ryan Woods' ill-advised backpass out for a corner.
Millwall's marking from James' corner was poor and it made its way to McFadzean, 12 yards out, who hit a half-volley down into the ground that looped over the 'keeper into the top corner.
The Lions pulled one back after 54 minutes as a sliding McFadzean, facing his own goal, turned Scott Malone's teasing cross past Marko Marosi.
However, Coventry re-established their two-goal cushion on 59 minutes as Michael Rose's bullet header from a corner hit a Millwall defender in the six-yard box and Hyam was on hand to turn in.
City added a fourth on 62 minutes, O'Hare getting the goal his overall performance merited by controlling Shipley's cross on his instep and lashing past Bialkowski from around eight yards.
It was 5-1 after 67 minutes, James firing home from close range after Bialkowski had turned away substitute Walker's flick from a teasing O'Hare cross.
Bialkowski foiled Max Biamou with a smart save but could not stop Coventry adding a fortunate sixth goal in the 84th minute as a James corner struck the forward two yards out and bounced in.
Coventry's Mark Robins: "We were brilliant. We moved the ball well and we were clinical with our finishing. It was a really good way for us to sign off at St Andrew's. While it's not in Coventry, it's not our home, it's been the second best option for us and we've won some really important games here and played some really good football.
"It's been a brilliant couple of seasons here and to sign off from St Andrew's with a win and performance like that is just what we wanted to do, it gives everybody that feel-good factor. We move back to Coventry now and we're looking forward to that, it's what we need.
"I wanted a good performance to finish the season off and I got it in spades, it was outstanding. It gives us a platform. We need to move things forward, if you don't you'll go backwards - we need to work hard to keep moving forward and get the balance right."
Millwall's Gary Rowett: "It was a disappointing way to end the season. It wasn't a performance that showed our defensive resilience or character, it was everything but. And certainly one or two players, on the back of that, need to step up next season because we will be a better side, we will recruit well in the summer. What I need to do as a manager is wake up tomorrow morning, not think about today's game and think about the other 45, and see what we need to do to become better.
"There was not enough leadership out there today, not enough fight. I'm not happy with it and it was quite an embarrassing game. I thought if we'd have defended with a modicum of decency, which we have done for most of the season, we could have got something out of the game. We've had two solid top-half finishes - to finish eighth and 11th in a very, very difficult division, I don't think we can be overly disappointed with that and I know we will be a lot stronger next year."
