Coventry City 3-0 Notts County
City; O'Brien. Grimmer, Hyam, McDonald, Stokes, Vincenti, Kelly, Doyle, Jones, McNulty (Nazon 85), Beavon (Biamou 72), Subs: Charles-Cook, Pearson, Dion Kelly-Evans, Devon Kelly-Evans, Stevenson.
Notts County: Collin, Tootle, Hewitt, Duffy, Allesandra, Ameobi, Hackbridge, Brisley, Walker, Jones (Milsom 57), Stead (Grant 64), Subs: Fitzsimmons, Hunt, Hollis, Smith, Saunders.
Goals: Jodi Jones 38 & 79 & 95
Referee Anthony Backhouse.
Att 10,350
Coventry City got off to the best possible start with a 2-0 win over Notts County in a League 2 fixture.
On a very wet afternoon with hailstones, Coventry City finally got their season underway after a ten minute delay.
Mark Robins gave home debuts to eight of his new players with Burge and Willis both injured and they started brightly winning an early corner.
A second followed in the seventh minute for City whose defence watched as County hit the post in the 12th minute through Hawkridge.
There was hoots of derision as City were finally awarded a free kick as the Sky Blues and their supporters got to grips with the brutality of League 2 football.
In the 28th minute. City were ahead when Jodi Jones cut inside and slotted a lovely shot low into the net from the edge of the area.
City had a couple of corners and Hyam head over
Attacking the North Stand for the second half and Marc McNulty had the first chance with a run and shot which Collin deflected over for the first of two corners.
Former City loanee Jon Stead got more of the ball in the second half and looked a threat but then so did McNulty and Beavon, who were backed up well by Jones and Vincenti.
The Notts County support appealed for a penalty on the hour mark for a handball but the referee in his first Football League game, was having none of it and City broke through Jodi Jones who won a corner.
Six minutes later and the County fans, who travelled in decent numbers, were shouting for another penalty for a McDonald shove.
Doyle, Grimmer, Kelly, and Stokes all played well for City who made their first change in the 72nd minute when Max Biamou came on for Stuart Beavon.
County had a shout for handball in the 75th minute which resulted in a corner for the Magpies and a booking for a bemused County player.
Liam O'Brien did what he had to do in goal and a good catch saw the ball go up to Jodi Jones on the right. Jones was initially blocked but kept going and got on his right foot and drove low into the bottom corner to put the Sky Blues two goals up.
Loanee Duckens Nazon came on for his debut with five minutes left and in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Nazon broke and found Jones who completed his hat-trick and gave City a 3-0 win.