Walsall Wood 1-1 Coventry Sphinx
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx banked another point thanks to a fourth consecutive draw in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands. They hit the woodwork twice in a determined performance against former Midland Football League rivals Walsall Wood but had to settle for a hard fought 1-1 draw.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas named an unchanged starting eleven with Alvechurch loanee Leo Brown again playing up front with Matty Shipman ahead of Jac Redhead, Alex Lock and Luke Downes in midfield.
Keelan Fallows continued in goal behind Callum Whiteside, skipper Louis Guest and Will Edjenguele, while Joe Pursey and Finlay Shorrock got the nod in the wing back positions. Jordan Hayward returned to the bench after a spell on the sidelines with injury.
Walsall Wood built some early pressure and in the third minute an effort of goal was blocked into the side netting. Sphinx found their feet quickly and had a chance of their own in the tenth minute.
Shipman and Brown had combined well against Anstey Nomads a week earlier and did so again at the John Sylvester Stadium. They exchanged passes cleverly and Shipman’s left-footed strike from 20 yards was held by Dale Eve, Walsall Wood’s new goalkeeper who made his debut in this game.
A few minutes later Sphinx came close to opening the scoring in spectacular fashion. The ball dropped to Luke Downes 25 yards out and his superb volley dipped towards goal but clipped the crossbar on the way over.
Sphinx had enjoyed a good spell through the middle of the first half but Walsall Wood capitalised on their inability to clear the ball just before the half hour. Joe Fitzpatrick controlled the attempted clearance and struck a low shot from distance that skipped off the turf and found the bottom corner past the grasp of goalkeeper Fallows.
The home team wasted a much clearer opportunity a few minutes after scoring. The next chance fell to Shipman, who pounced on a mistake in the Walsall Wood defence, chopped in onto his left foot to beat the last defender, and pulled the trigger. His shot flew over the bar and the referee awarded a corner for what he saw as a touch over from Eve.
The visitors were forced into an early change with six minutes left in the first half. Edjenguele was withdrawn through injury and Jack Downes replaced him and Sphinx had to change their shape to adapt to the new personnel.
Just as Walsall Wood had scored with Sphinx in the ascendancy, Sphinx equalised with one minute remaining in the half and with the Wood having been the better side since taking the lead.
Shipman’s flick-on released Brown, whose running at the home defence had caused problems throughout the half. This time, his early drive kicked up off a defender, looped up over Eve and dropped into the net behind him to make it 1-1. It was Brown’s second goal in two Sphinx appearances on loan from Alvechurch.
The half ended with Sphinx on the hunt for a second goal and it looked like they had it when Shipman smacked a shot past Eve a couple of minutes into stoppage time. It seemed destined for the top corner but sailed just past the angle on the wrong side of the woodwork.
After surviving a scare before half time, the Wood delivered a couple at the same end immediately after it.
A terrific and vital fingertip save from Fallows in the first minute of the second half led to a corner, from which Walsall Wood came up with a close range header against the bar and another that went just over it.
Sphinx sought to soak up pressure and use their dangerous front two to hit Walsall Wood at the other end. It looked a potentially fruitful route but by the middle of the half the visitors were putting in a shift but were largely penned into their own half.
Whiteside got a crucial head on the ball to divert a powerful shot over the crossbar after an hour. Ten minutes later, Fallows had to demonstrate strong hands to make another save and preserve parity.
The visitors were working themselves into the ground and still getting a few sniffs at goal, but it briefly looked as if they were simply going to have asked too much of themselves defensively as the Wood attacks continued to flow. Thankfully, nothing came of them because of some determined defending around the box.
The worst of the home pressure now in the rear-view mirror, Sphinx looked potent in the last quarter of the match and were playing more and more in the opposition half.
With 18 minutes left, Redhead and Brown linked up to generate the moment that looked like turning one point into three for the Sphinx. The in-form midfielder threaded a lovely pass through to Brown, who beat Eve to the ball, held off pressure from the defence and thumped the post with his shot. Shipman’s follow-up was blocked.
Walsall Wood were presented with the last meaningful chance of the game when they were awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal. The curling shot arced harmlessly over the frame of the goal and the remainder of what had been an absorbing match finally fizzled away.
Sphinx had a couple of chances to win it but Walsall Wood can make the same claim after what was ultimately a fair result. The visitors had to work hard defensively to try and provide a platform from which to play, and soaked up plenty of pressure in the process.
Four draws on the spin represent the steady collection of points and a sequence of solid performances that show Sphinx’s ability to compete with Step Four opposition on an equal footing.
Thomas and Woodward’s team now move on to a pair of home games, first against ailing Nuneaton Borough in the Second Round of the Birmingham Senior Cup and then against Hinckley LR in the league.
After that it’s two games on the road. Sphinx travel to Harborough Town on Tuesday 21st November and Boldmere St Michaels on the final weekend of November. As welcome as a win or two would be, a few more points on the tally before the end of the month would go a long way.
Sphinx team
Fallows, Whiteside, Shorrock, L. Downes, Guest, Edjenguele (J. Downes), Pursey, Lock, Shipman, Redhead (Dainty), Brown. Unused subs: Johnson, Parker, Hayward