Football: Quinn's day spoilt again

Coventry City. . .2

Ipswich Town . . .2

THE attendance at Highfield Road was Coventry's lowest of the season, suggesting tradition still counts for something. Even in a recession the Christmas shopping has to be done.

Those who did not spend the afternoon lugging carrier-bags saw a splendidly rousing match in which two other more recent traditions were maintained, namely Coventry rarely win at home and Ipswich rarely lose at all. Blackburn's defeat at Middlesbrough means Ipswich are now the Premier League's hardest nut to crack. They have been beaten only twice.

It took a penalty to preserve the Ipswich record and earn them their 11th draw. Lloyd McGrath, a half-time substitute for the injured Andy Pearce, clipped the heels of Chris Kiwomya, and Steve Whitton, facing one of his four former clubs, lifted the kick into the roof of the net.

This meant another spoiled day for Mick Quinn, half-way through a month's loan from Newcastle, who has scored four goals in three games for Coventry but has yet to finish on the winning side.

Quinn, who will probably cost a modest pounds 250,000 if he stays, beat Clive Baker with an excellent near-post header from Stewart Robson's right-wing cross seven minutes into the second half. The goal gave the home crowd cause to believe Coventry's record of only two home wins would be improved and indeed the goal was worthy of winning the contest, in which Kiwomya gave Ipswich the lead, following up when Steve Ogrizovic blocked Dave Linighan's shot before Kevin Gallacher tapped in an equaliser after his own stinging volley had rebounded first off a post and then off Baker's body.

Coventry City: S Ogrizovic; B Borrows, P Babb, P Atherton, A Pearce (L McGrath, 45 min), P Ndlovu, S Robson (J Williams, 77 min), L Hurst, R Rosario, M Quinn, K Gallacher. Sub not used: J Gould (gk). Manager: B Gould.

Ipswich Town: C Baker; P Whelan (V Bozinoski, 75 min), N Thompson, N Stockwell, J Walk, D Linighan, G Johnson, P Goddard (E Youds, 60 min), S Whitton, J Dozzell, C Kiwomya. Sub not used: J Winters (gk). Team Manager: M McGiven.

Referee: K Hackett (Sheffield).

Goals: Kiwomya (0-1, 13 min), Gallacher (1-1, 16 min), Quinn (2-1, 52 min), Whitton pen (2-2, 70 min).