Pre Season Matchday Memories: On This Day 2019 – Watch Mark’s Men Breeze Past Brakes

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Five years ago, in what was then seemingly becoming an annual pre-season fixture there (the U21s play in Leamington a year ago last Saturday), the Sky Blues kicked off their pre-season with a 3-1 win at Leamington FC, on this day (6th July) in 2019. The Sky Blues, as now, managed by Mark Robins, embarked on their 2019-20 pre-season matches against against the Brakes. MR‘s men were then unaware, but perhaps secretly hoping, that the Championship would await them for 2020-21. So, they kicked off their six match preparation for their second successive season in League One with a game at local National League club Leamington FC. It was a comfortable enough ease into the new season as the Sky Blues ran out 4-0 winners over the Brakes.

Just as the previous year in 2022 there was a record crowd established for a pre-season game (this time 1,550 at the New Windmill (‘Phillips 66’) ground) as the Sky Blues breezed into half-time with a three goal lead from Gervane Kastaneer (a deflected opener off Josh Pask after 17 minutes), Jordan Shipley (a snap shot at 31 mins) and Josh Pask (42 mins) from a Wesley Jobello cross. Max Biamou finished things off three minutes from time with a penalty.

Gervane Kastaneer in the Sky Blue

Jordan Shipley in the Sky Blue

Josh Pask in the Sky Blue

Max(ime) Biamou in the Sky Blue

Mark’s men lined up as follows (substitutes for the second half, unless indicated, in brackets):-

Sky Blue gaffer Mark Robins

Ben Wilson (Marko Marosi), Josh Pask (Fankaty Dabo), Sam McCallum (Brandon Mason), Michael Rose (Dom Hyam), Kyle McFadzean (Morgan Williams), Josh Eccles (Liam Kelly), Jordan Shipley (Zain Westbrooke), Jamie Allen (Tom Bayliss), Wesley Jobello (Jonny Ngandu then Max Biamou -75), Gervane Kastaneer (Amadou Bakayoko), Conor Chaplin (Jordi Hiwula-Mayafuila)

Unused subs:- Jordan Ponticelli, Jordon Thompson and Dexter Walters.

City’s star striker Conor Chaplin very soon moved on to Barnsley and Tom Bayliss to Preston North End both before the season proper began. Of those that subsequently left CCFC we have underlined the FPs that have already become Association members. Interesting to see that five of these players (Ben, Josh and Jamie) are still very much in contention for the Sky Blues 2024-25 Championship season!

Seventeen minutes of match highlights (courtesy of the Leamington FC’s Twitter page) can be watched by clicking the image below:-

Paul Holleran‘s Leamington FC side lined up as follows:-

Ben Newey (Matt Hill -82), Junior English, Cieron Keane (Reece Flanagan -65), Joe Clarke, Jamie Hood (c), James Mace, Josh Marsh (Connor Carson -80), a Trialist (Shay Nicholson -86), Colby Bishop, Callum Gittings (Kian Taylor -58) and Connor Taylor (Kaiman Anderson -58) Unused subs:-Tony Breeden (gk) Referee: Robbie Dadley.

The Sky Blues only lost one of their pre-season games (4-1 at Huddersfield Town behind closed doors). As we now know well they only lost three further League One games all of this particular (admittedly curtailed) season and the Sky Blues became League One title holders and held on to their Championship place ready for a football return to their Coventry home for the 2020-21 season .