Coventry City 2-1 Morecambe
The FA Cup with Budweiser
Second Round Proper
3pm, Saturday 1 December 2012
Ricoh Arena, Coventry City FC
Winning clubs receive £27,000 from The FA's prize fund
Click here for all the Second Round Proper results
by Zarif Rasul
Coventry City are through to the Third Round Proper of The FA Cup with Budweiser after Carl Baker’s match-winning strike against his former club earned the Sky Blues a 2-1 victory against Morecambe.
The 1987 Cup winners comfortably brushed aside Arlesey Town 3-0 in the last round but they were given a much sterner test by Morecambe at the Ricoh Arena.
Gary McSheffrey’s 38th-minute penalty put the hosts in front, before Baker extended their lead within 17 seconds of the restart.
Mark Robins’s men appeared to be cruising into the next round, but Kevin Ellison’s stunner 13 minutes from time ensured a nervy finale.
However the League One side held on to clinch the win.
The match was preceded by a minute’s applause for former Coventry manager Dave Sexton, who sadly passed away last weekend.
Despite Coventry’s loftier standing in the football pyramid it was Morecambe who came closest to breaking the deadlock early on.
Lewis Alessandra fired a low effort at goal, but it was well saved by goalkeeper Chris Dunn.
Franck Moussa had Coventry’s first real attempt of the game, but he skied the ball over the bar from inside the box.
The visitors came close to taking the lead on the half hour mark, but Stewart Drummond’s deflected long-range effort landed agonisingly wide of the post.
This sprung the hosts into action and they were rewarded seven minutes before the interval.
Adam Barton’s clever through ball found McSheffrey, who was sent tumbling to the ground by 'keeper Barry Roche.
The Morecambe captain, who was booked for the offence, was powerless to prevent McSheffrey from finding the back of the net with the resulting spot-kick.
Coventry continued where they left off after half-time and appeared to have put the result beyond doubt when Baker struck a stunning longe-range effort to double his side’s lead.
But Morecambe doggedly hunted in search of a goal and halved the deficit with 14 minutes remaining through Ellison.
The winger cleverly evaded the attention of Cyrus Christie before despatching a sublime curled effort from fully 25 yards.
A suitably tense final 13 minutes ensued but Coventry held firm to book their place in the Third Round Proper.
