In the opening stages particularly Chelsea knocked the ball around sweetly and won a succession of corners. When one was cleared to the edge of the area, Anthony Grant with a technically accomplished sidefoot volley struck the bar.
On 18 minutes Chelsea threatened again. Seb Kneissl collected a ball from Filipe Oliveira, who was seeing plenty of possession, spun on a euro coin and thundered a shot over.
There were a couple of moments of trouble at the other end midway through the half, 17 year-old James Russell on his debut at this level showing his inexperience but his team survived and turned up the pressure again as the half drew to a close.
Chelsea won five corners before the break and with last one it took a saving header by Liam Davis to prevent Danny Woodards gobbling up a chance at the far-post.
It had been a positive first-half display although Kneissl at the spearhead had lacked service. Within seconds of the restart however, Woodards challenged on the edge of the Coventry area and the ball fell at the feet of the young German. Unfortunately, his shot was straight at keeper Belfield.
It was a rare clear cut chance gone begging but in the end a proper opening wasn't required to take the lead. Woodards effort from over 30 yards was speculative to say the least but when Coventry defender Sean Cooney waved a leg at it, his contact sent his keeper scrambling across the goalmouth, helpless to prevent the ball creeping inside the post.
It took Woodards, the reserves' top scorer to six for the season.
Chelsea had the advantage with 55 minutes gone but were picking up bookings. Grant was harshly cautioned in the first-half for an innocuous tangle and in the second, substitute Dean Furman joined him after a run-of-the-mill collision.
A couple of minutes later Hollands also went into the book for a tackle from behind, this time the decision justified and Jimmy Smith would make it four yellow cards for kicking the ball away.
By then what had started out as icy conditions had turned to snowfall similar to the backdrop for the first team's visit to Newcastle. There was no luminescent ball this time but Chelsea's keeper Russell had no problem seeing and saving a well-struck Craig Reid shot 15 minutes for time. It was the high point of his evening and he will be proud of a debut clean sheet.
With nine minutes to go it was back to Chelsea menacing with a corner routine. Woodard's head kept the ball alive with a far-post header, Furman struck a powerful shot that beat a path through a crowd of bodies and centre-back Adrian Pettigrew was first to react and smack the ball in. It was his first reserve team goal and the win was assured.
Chelsea:
James Russell, Dean Smith, Adrian Pettigrew, Michael Mancienne, Sam Tillen (Joe Tillen 59), Jimmy Smith, Anthony Grant (Dean Furman 59), Danny Hollands (c), Filipe Oliveira, Sebastian Kneissl (James Simmonds 90), Danny Woodards.
Coventry:
Belfield, Partridge, Lynch, Gooding, Cooney, Wall, Hall (O'Toole 88), Barry (Sidhu 67), Reid, Nicell, Davis.
by Paul Mason
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