Polymac Services Midland Alliance
At: Sphinx Sports & Social Club
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £5; programme: £1-50
Attendance: 50
Weather: drizzle
Duration: first half: 47:57; second half: 47:57
So after watching every competitive Stafford Rangers game since I last missed one on 20th November 2001, I decided not to make the long trip to Ebbsfleet United. Instead, with my daughter away on a Brownie weekend in Derbyshire, we headed for Coventry to look round the old and new cathedrals before I headed for the Sphinx Sports & Social Club.
Home side Coventry Sphinx are enjoying their first season in the Midland Alliance having been promoted at the end of last season as Champions of the Midland Combination Premier Division. They also went into this game on the back of a 2-1 victory at Bewdley Town which took them into the FA Vase third round for the first time in their history.
The ground is located to the east of Coventry city centre down a drive, appropriately named Sphinx Drive. There was a large car park with the ground entrance at the far end, where programmes (£1-50p; 40 pages with plenty to read) were available. The pitch stretched lengthways with the Willie Knibbs Memorial Stand, named in memory of a much-loved former manager who tragically died in a car crash in 2001. The stand contained four rows of benches, each with individually marked-out places, as well as an area of covered standing. Alongside the stand were the unusually-roofed dugouts. The opposite touchline was shared with the adjacent cricket pitch, with hard standing behind each goal.
Disaster struck me just before kick-off when the bridge of my glasses snapped. Thankfully, a kind-hearted supporter sat near to me in the stand must have spotted my plight and offered a small plaster with which to reunite the two broken halves.
Both sides went into the game in the lower half of the table, Sphinx in 12th position and Tipton 19th in the 22-team league. Amongst the Tipton substitutes were two familiar forwards – former Stafford player Nicky Campbell and prolific scorer Scott Voice who I remember playing for Bilston Town in the past.
Coventry Sphinx (wearing sky blue and white striped shirts, navy blue shorts and socks) got the game underway attacking the entrance end of the ground with the floodlights on from the start. And the home side took the lead in the third minute. John Woodhouse curled a right-wing corner into the six-yard box which went into the net with a touch of midfielder Kyle Rhodes. It didn’t take Tipton (orange shirts, white shorts and orange socks) to get back on level terms, somewhat controversially in the 17th minute. Eric Bowen sent a looping header over Sphinx keeper Callum Harrison with a suspicion of offside.
Just before the half-hour mark, Tipton’s Danny Bragoli put away a long drive, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside. However, the visitors took the lead in the 39th minute. Callum Martin outpaced the Sphinx defence and sent a low 15-yard shot into the bottom left corner out of reach of the diving keeper.
Tipton extended their lead with a third goal scored just 38 seconds after the restart. Ashley Longford crossed from the left into the area where Wayne Lawley stooped to head home. Sphinx tried to apply pressure and forced a fine double save out of Wes Cox. The diving keeper parried Casey Gaggini’s initial 35-yard free-kick and blocked a follow-up effort by Rob Stevenson from the rebound. With time running out, Sphinx were awarded a penalty for handball by Bowen who cut out a cross from the left. Stevenson duly beat Cox from the spot to score a goal timed in the first-minute of stoppage time.
The Tipton team stayed on the field after the final whistle for a warm down. “We’ve got to do it again on Tuesday,” the manager said to his side who are due to visit Market Drayton Town for another league game.
Coventry Sphinx (sky blue and white stripes with sky blue sleeves / black / navy blue): 1. Callum Harrison, 2. Scott McGregor, 3. Justin Bowen, 4. David Drennan (capt), 5. Jamie McAteer, 6. Carl Winterbottom, 7. James Halton, 8. Kyle Rhodes, 9. Callum Woodhead, 10. Casey Gaggini, 11. John Woodhouse. Subs: 12. Robbie Scott (for Rhodes, 80), 14. Rob Stevenson (for McGregor, 63), 15. Terry Ward (not used), 16. Mark Owen (for Woodhouse, ht), 17. Chris Daffern (not used).
Tipton Town (orange/white/orange): 1. Wes Cox, 2. Danny Bragoli, 3. Brett Love (capt), 4. Troy Douglin, 5. Dave Bate, 6. Jon Worsley, 7. Ashley Langford, 8. Liam Givans, 9. Wayne Lawley, 10. Calum Martin, 11. Eric Bowen. Subs: 12. Nicky Campbell (for Martin, 82), 14. Craig Harris (for Bate, 85), 15. Chris Turner (for Lawley, 85), 16. Scott Voice (not used), 17. Danny Watson (not used).
Referee: M Lever (Leicester).
Goals:
1-0 Kyle Rhodes (3)
1-1 Eric Bowen (17)
1-2 Calum Martin (39)
1-3 Wayne Lawley (46)
2-3 Rob Stevenson (90+1 pen)
