Rothwell Corinthians 1-0 Coventry Sphinx
Chris Nee
Two days after thrashing Eynesbury Rovers, Coventry Sphinx travelled to Rothwell Corinthians for their second Uhlsport United Counties League Premier Division South fixture of the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The contrast between the two couldn’t have been more stark. The dynamic performance of Saturday was nowhere to be seen on Monday, and Shaun Thomas and John Woodward’s team were beaten 1-0 thanks to a sloppy goal conceded after just 50 seconds.
The Sphinx joint managers welcomed goalkeeper Duncan Van Den Top into the line-up for his senior debut behind the back three of Jamie Draper, Louis Guest and James Bryson. Callum Martin and Jordan Hayward continued in the wing back positions in an unchanged outfield ten.
That meant another start for Luke Downes in midfield with Callum Woodward and Leo Stone, while Callum Stewart partnered Matty Shipman up front.
In October 2021, Sphinx scored after 37 seconds of this fixture and went on to win the game. Rothwell only took 13 seconds longer this time as the visitors got off to the worst possible start.
Sphinx gave up a free kick on Rothwell's left and the pinpoint delivery found Zacorie Allen unmarked. He had the simple task of heading in from close range to put the home side in front. There they would stay.
The visitors gradually got going in the first quarter of an hour but lacked composure and quality in the Rothwell half. Their first chance came in the fourth minute, when Stewart’s cross found Hayward at the back post but he was unable to direct it on target with defenders paying him close attention.
The game never really settled and Sphinx could do little to give it the kind of rhythm they needed to impose. In the middle of the first half, galvanised by a foul on Callum Martin, they started to move the ball better in the final third and some opportunities started to come their way.
Stewart had an effort blocked and Shipman had one saved but the flow of chances was far from steady. The match referee might have fallen hook, line and sinker for the Rothwell goalkeeper’s time-wasting antics from the first minute but Sphinx’s task was to stay patient and manage their frustration; 89 minutes is a long time. They could only do so in patches.
They won a few corners before a very presentable chance went begging with half an hour played. Martin’s clever pass across goal picked out Hayward at the back post, and he was able to get his head up to cut the ball back for Stewart. His first time strike sailed over the Rothwell crossbar.
By half time Sphinx were controlling possession but finding it difficult to make headway. Two minutes before the break Stewart swung in a cross from the left and the goalkeeper had no idea where it was going.
Goal kick was the outcome but it was as close a call as the away side really managed in a lacklustre half that quite predictably had only a couple of minutes of stoppage time.
The situation at the halfway mark demanded a response from the Sphinx players but Rothwell fought tooth and nail to hold on to their lead and the visitors laboured at times in the second half.
Woodward’s threatening corner was headed wide by a defender with 53 minutes played and the resulting set piece was pulled back for Callum Martin. The wing back’s shot was blocked as the home team continued to throw themselves on every grenade that came their way.
It was Martin’s last meaningful action before he was withdrawn in a double substitution that brought Jack Downes and Lewis Noon into the fray in place of Martin and Luke Downes. The newcomers started to get on the ball and Sphinx’s hold on the game grew as they hunted for an equaliser.
Stone’s left-footed shot went over the Rothwell bar after a neat one-two with Stewart on the hour. Ten minutes later Stewart beat a man in the box and had his shot saved by the home team’s goalkeeper. Sphinx were finally applying some pressure but Rothwell held firm with the aid of some very questionable decisions from the officials.
With ten minutes to play, the Rothwell goalkeeper picked up a backpass and Sphinx were awarded an indirect free kick in the penalty area. It was taken quickly and substitute Mason Platts rolled the ball into the empty net before the hosts were set. The referee chose to have it retaken and Stewart’s effort went over the top.
Noon went close in the 83rd minute, cutting across a fine strike from 25 yards but sending it just the wrong side of the post. It was the last real chance of a frustrating match in which the opposition got an early goal and worked enormously hard to protect it against a Sphinx team that never did enough to get to grips with the challenge.
Sphinx were enraged by the atrocious decision to not award a stoppage time penalty for a blatant push on Stewart after he picked up the ball from Woodward’s smart flick, but the truth is any point gained from this match would really have been a point stolen.
The visitors had most of the ball and made a few chances but they came up against a fired-up opponent under new management, and were uncharacteristically found wanting when it came to rising to that challenge.
Rothwell’s players put their bodies on the line time and again and reaped the rewards. Sphinx couldn’t find an answer. Thomas and Woodward’s team must find another gear as we move into September. Winning by big margins is one thing. Winning consistently is another entirely.
Sphinx team
Van Den Top, Draper, C. Martin (J. Downes), L. Downes (Noon), Guest, Bryson (Platts), Hayward, Woodward, Shipman, Stone, Stewart. Unused subs: Billing, Kennedy