COVENTRY SPHINX
FOOTBALL CLUB10th August 2010
Sphinx Self Destruct
by Randy Forder
Coventry Sphinx 3 v 4 Friar Lane & Epworth
Sphinx first home league
game of the season was a game that Sphinx should of put to
bed after being 2-0 up at half time, but they ended up
losing 4-3 after a dour 2nd half performance.
Sphinx started brightly and
in the 5th minute threatened the FLAE goal when a Husserbury
cross found Ruff at the back post who failed to fully
connect when sliding in. FLAE responded with Gibbons surging
run took him past 3 players into the box where a covering
Woodward cleared before Gibbons could get a shot off. In the
15th minute Day put Seal through with a clear run on the
Sphinx goal and with Cudworth working back Seal tripped over
his own feet in the box with half hearted pleas for a
penalty waved away by the Referee.
Sphinx were next to
threaten when Ruffs long throw was flicked on by Rhodes but
with no one coming in at the back post Goodman had time to
clear under no pressure. From the clearance Holmes found
Ruff in space who played Husserbury down the line but his
cross was snuffed out for a corner, Ruffs corner found
McAteer at the far post but he headed over under pressure
from Keeper Shilliam.
Sphinx took the lead in the
25th minute in a good 4 man move Husserbury played the ball
inside to Woodward who found Phillips on the edge of the
area who held up the ball before playing in Rhodes who
placed the ball past Shillian in the FLAE goal. Sphinx were
soon 2 up when a long diagonal ball from Holmes was headed
into Woodward's forward run by Husserbury, Woodward took one
touch before smashing the ball past an oncoming Shillian.
FLAE responded well and a
dangerous move inside the Sphinx area was thwarted by a
lunging tackle by Holmes. Holmes was in the thick of it
again when a FLAE free kick from the edge of the area was
bravely headed clear by Holmes who took a knock to the head
which required a little treatment to clear the stars.
Ruff was always in the
thick of the action for Sphinx and it was his tenacity which
gained him the ball down the right but his low cross into
the box was not met by any oncoming attackers and the chance
went begging.
FLAE again responded with
an effort on goal with the dangerous Gibbons unleashing a
drive which was cut out by a lunging foot from Holmes. In
the 43rd a good move down the left from Sphinx resulted in
Phillips again being upended on the box and Peads curling
free kick brought a good one handed save from Shillian. A
poor pass from Ruff in midfield started what was to be FLAE
and the games last attack of the half, again Gibbons who was
central to all FLAE attacks evaded 3 challenges before being
brought down on the edge of the area by Cudworth which
earned him a yellow card. Gibbons took the free kick and
curled it round the wall but Holland was equal to it and
turned it round the post.
Half Time Sphinx 2 FLAE 0
The second half could not
of started worse for Danny McSheffreys men when Gibbons
rifled in a unstoppable free kick which Holland could only
watch as it flew into his top left hand corner. Sphinx were
now being put to the sword and could not string 2 passes
together all the effort and good football seemed to have
left them and mistakes were a plenty. Woodward eventually
found space and put Ruff away down the right and his low
cross into the area was met by Phillips and a covering
defender and the ball was cleared out of danger.
FLAE were now getting a
grip of the game and the long diagonal ball out to the wide
right were causing the Sphinx problems and if delivery was
better the equaliser would of come sooner rather than later,
It was part mix up and part
bad pass that led to FLAE equaliser, Muldoon passed the ball
out from defence to Husserbury who played the ball firmly
back but the pass went between Holmes and McAteer and no one
reacted to it other than Coore raced away in to the box and
calmly slotted past Holland in the 54th minute. Things were
to go bad to worse for Sphinx firstly Woodward was booked
before Sphinx could kick off then 3 minutes later FLAE
Captain Welford crossed for Coore to beat his marker and
head in past Holland.
Within 12 minutes Sphinx
had threw away a 2 goal cushion and were now 3-2 down and
chasing the game. Sphinx slowly crawled there way back into
the game and a Ruff cross was again met by Philips and a
defender with the ball squirming wide for a corner from the
corner Phillips headed over.
Sphinx were given a
lifeline when Rhodes was adjudged to have been fouled and
Woodward's free kick was met by Holmes who flashed a header
past Shillian. This led to to much back chat from the FLAE
bench and the Asst Manager was asked to leave the dug out.
The game was now evenly
poised and could of gone either way Rhodes sent Husserbury
clear into the box but with just the keeper to beat he
screwed his shot wide this was to be his last action of the
game as he was replaced by Donaldson on 68 minutes. Rhodes
found himself in the book for the 3rd game running for a
foul on Welford.
A long ball into the FLAE
box by Cudworth was collected easily by the keeper but the
Referee blew for a free kick on the edge of the area for
Sphinx when Warner was judged to have impeded Woodward's run
into the box. Phillips sent the free-kick high over the bar.
With 15 minutes to go Rhodes received a second yellow card and a sending off for a mis-timed tackle to give Sphinx an uphill task in getting 3pts.
Sphinx were to be given the
killer blow when Taylor was free in the box to score and to collect 3pts for FLAE.
Disappointing though the
results is there's plenty of time for the Sphinx to get into
winning ways no more so than the F.A. Cup game against
Castle Vale this coming Saturday.
Full Time: Sphinx 3 FLAE 4
------------
Sphinx:
Simon Holland, Tom Muldoon, Jimmy Holmes, Jamie McAteer, Tom Cudworth, Craig Pead (85 mins), Kyle Rhodes, Callum Woodward (Capt), Josh Ruff, Kelvin Phillips (85 mins), Mick Husserbury(68 mins).
Substitutes: Jack Cudworth (85 mins), Luke Hopkins (85 mins), Aaron Donaldson (68 mins), Darren Eggerton, Chris Daffern.
FLAE:
Shillian, Day, Goodman, Warner, Wakeling, Doughty, Welford, Taylor (Captain), Gibbons, Seal, Coore.
Substitutes: Day, Orton, Crawford, McCulloch.
Attendance: 81
Bookings: Rhodes, Woodward, Cudworth
Sending Offs: Rhodes (2 yellows)
In the Press:
