Coventry Sphinx went to the top of the Midland Alliance League for the first time in their history with a 2-1 home victory over Kirby Muxloe.
 
Sphinx boss Danny McSheffrey made changes from the team which had won 4-1 at Heath Hayes on Saturday and gave a start to Tom Muldoon who scored twice in that game after coming on as a substitute.
 
Sphinx had made the decision to move play their home midweek matches on a Monday night and were rewarded with a bigger crowd than they have been getting for midweek matches.

Williams went close on 15 minutes when he turned his man and drove a shot just the wrong side of the post.

Jack Edwards

Those who came down to Sphinx Drive saw Coventry take the lead thanks to some neat work from Ashley Jackson on the left who cut inside before firing the ball into a crowded six yard box and it taking a couple of deflections before going into the net.
 
Luke Williams again sent a twenty five yarder not far wide before the visitors came back winning two corners and then having a penalty claim turned down after the referee consulted his assistant and opted to give Sphinx a free kick for offside instead.

Sphinx went into the break 1-0 but straight from the start of the 2nd half they could of found themselves 2 goals to the good when Edwards worked his way into the box and got a shot off that the keeper parried and then collected before Jackson could get to the ball
 
Eleven minutes into the second half, Sphinx were denied a second goal thanks to a brilliant goal-line clearance from Tom Hill after Williams had got to a Jack Edwards cross and lifted the ball over the on rushing keeper but his goal bound effort was acrobatically cleared off the line by Hill.
 
Hill got the praise of his team-mates and in the 69th minute, he was the man receiving the congratulations when he equalised with a well taken shot from just outside the area.

Kirby Muxloe were now starting to have the majority of the game ably assisted by a storng wind but Sphinx were resolute in defence and protected O'Neills goal admirally with no clear efforts on goal.
 
The game was now there for whoever wanted it and Sphinx with Chris Hayden having a fine game along wih Ashley Jackson, Paul Saunders and Jack Edwards took their chance to go to the top of the league in the 82nd minute when substitute Arron Donaldson sent Ashley Jackson on his way. Jackson bore down on Tom Holyoak in the Kirby goal and drove the ball past the diving keeper's left hand and into the net.

New Signing Chris Hayden

Sphinx now had the upper hand and Tomczak could easily of added a further 2 goals when the keeper pushed a shot onto the post then pulled off a good block when Tomczak found himself space in the box.

McSheffrey and his Management team will be very pleased sitting top of the pile but more so with the two performances they have put in over the last two games against teams they never collected any points off last season.
 
Sphinx are at home to Causeway United on Saturday. Kick off is at 3pm.

------------

Sphinx: O'Neill, Hayden, Fraser, Saunders, Kay, McAteer, Edwards (Donaldson (75)Konadu (D.Barrett 63), Williams (Donaldson 75), Muldoon (Tomczak 65), Jackson. SNU Rawlings, Robbins.

 

Kirby Muxloe: Holyoak, Goodman, Wilson, Gibbons, McCathie, Statham, L.Barrett, Hill, Vetrail, Darby, Plummer. Subs Dixon, Preston, Kirby, Darliason, Taylor

 

Attendance: 80

 

In the Press: