Brighton 0 Coventry 0

Last updated : 14 August 2002 By The FootyMAD Team

Coventry player-manager Gary McAllister accused Calum Davenport of naivity as the young central defender was sent off in a firy stalemate.

Davenport was hailed a hero by McAllister in the Sky Blues' opening 2-0 home win against Sheffield United.

But he became a villain in the 39th minute when he lashed out at Brighton defender Robbie Pethick right under the nose of ref Paul Taylor.

McAllister said: "It was a case of a guy with not much experience being sucked in by an older pro. From where I was in the middle of the park he was being nipped in the back and having his jersey held and he did the fatal thing by retaliating."

Mcallister, booked for protesting at Davenport's dismissal, added: "the ref saw an elbow, I saw it and there was no elbow. It's a harsh lesson for a young pro making his way in the game. I don't know why I was booked you need to ask the ref."

Pethick added: "The lad couldn't have any complaints, he caught me with an elbow, I asked him what he was doing and he just swung out again and caught my chin."

Coventry controlled much of the match and created the better chances, even once they were down to 10 men.

David Thompson posed plenty of problems for the Brighton defence and Julian Joachim spurned two great opportunities.

He was unlucky in the 12th minute when he raced on to a flick by strike partner Jay Bothroyd and stabbed against the bar, but the former Aston Villa marksman should have done better on 76 minutes when he blazed over from 10 yards after skipper John Eustace released him into space.

Brighton star Bobby Zamora, watched by Spurs boss Glen Hoddle, was tightly marked by the Coventry defence and had little chance to shine. The Seagulls almost snatched the points deep into stoppage time when young sub Shaun Wilkinson chipped just over the bar from 20 yards.

Brighton boss Martin Hinshelwood said: "I am pleased with the result, my players really competed and I cannot fault them.

"Coventry are a quality side with quality players, but overall I was pleased with the effort and commitment."

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