Coventry reach Wembley play-off final after clipping Magpies’ wings

Posted Saturday, May 19, 2018 by PA

Maxime Biamou was the hero as Coventry booked their place in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final following an eventful 4-1 win at Notts County.

Biamou scored once in either half – the first goal from a spectacular overhead kick after just six minutes – to confirm Coventry will face Exeter at Wembley following their 5-2 aggregate win.

Marc McNulty doubled the visitors’ lead with his 28th goal of the season in the 37th minute before Jorge Grant pulled a goal back for County.

But Biamou’s second, after County’s Jonathan Forte had a goal controversially disallowed for offside, and a late Tom Bayliss goal rubber-stamped the win to send the Sky Blues through.

It was McNulty’s controversial late penalty in the first leg that saw the match at the Ricoh Arena end 1-1, but Coventry brought that momentum straight into Friday’s game.

Biamou’s acrobatic overhead kick, resulting in his eighth goal of the season, opened the scoring inside 10 minutes after Jordan Willis had headed Liam Kelly’s corner back into a dangerous area.

And McNulty had his second goal of the tie as Coventry dominated the opening exchanges as he steered the ball home after neat work from Bayliss and Liam Kelly.

But Magpies boss Kevin Nolan’s half-time team talk was made easier when Grant fired the ball into the back of the net minutes before the break to make the score 2-1.

A long throw gave County their chance and when Coventry failed to clear, it was the on-loan Nottingham Forest midfielder who struck his 19th goal of the season and first in three months.

County could easily have ended the half with 10 men, though, as defender Shaun Brisley squared up with McNulty but got away with just a booking from referee Darren Drysdale.

The home side had the better of the opening exchanges after the break with Lee Burge at full stretch to keep out Jon Stead.

Forte was convinced he had levelled just a minute later when he put the ball into the back of the net only for the assistant referee’s flag to deny him.

And Coventry took full advantage of the disallowed goal as Biamou found time in the area to turn and fire a low shot into the bottom corner, despite County’s appeals for offside.

Bayliss wrapped up the win in the 85th minute to send the 4,000 Sky Blues fans into a frenzy after he had been put through by Dominic Hyam.