FANTASTIQUE!

Hats off to Regis Le Bris and the lads. This was a magnificent performance few, including me, thought we were capable of in the wake of a miserable run of form.

That this was achieved against a team we had only beaten once away in fifty years and who infamously cheated us to relegation in the late 70s, so it was all the sweeter.

It was a classic away performance. In the first half we soaked up the pressure, defending like lions. The only shaky moment when Patto came out to flap and miss the ball in a nervy moment of panic. Apart from that, the first half was mission accomplished with the defence, and Dan Ballard in particular, superb.

In the second half, you could feel the momentum shifting as Coventry started to get frustrated by our brilliant defending and their yellow cards began to rack up. Then a key moment as Isidor stepped up for the big match again with a wonderful goal following a swift counterattack.

We were in dreamland but were given a swift wake up as Coventry almost immediately replied with a sucker punch goal. Then came the coup de grace and surely the tie’s key moment when Mayenda coolly finished after being presented with the ball following an awful mistake by Coventry’s Milan van Ewijk.

This was undoubtedly our performance of the season and a night when Le Bris got everything right. Playing Isidor and Mayenda together in a front two proved an absolute masterstroke. And Dan Ballard fully justified his return to the side with an awesome display.

Now all we need to do is hold our nerve on Tuesday and get at least a draw. Bloody marvelous!