Stourport Swifts 2-0 Coventry Sphinx
Chris Nee
Coventry Sphinx were eliminated from the Emirates FA Cup in the Extra Preliminary Round for the third consecutive season. Two unanswered first-half goals were enough to take a strong Stourport Swifts team into the next round as Sphinx were beaten at Walshes Meadow in their first competitive match of the 2023/24.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas selected goalkeeper Keelan Fallows for his full debut and there were first appearances off the bench for Sam Ellis and Antonio Cristofaro.
With Callum Woodward injured, Louis Guest captained the team and was partnered by Callum Whiteside at the back. Joe Pursey and Jordan Hayward started at right back and left back respectively. Jack Downes and Luke Downes were joined in midfield by Max Johnson. Kyle Carey and Dylan Parker played off striker Matty Shipman.
Johnson’s powerful shot was deflected wide in the second minute as Sphinx made a good start but the game turned on a dime in the fourth. Fallows was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the box at the end of a mix-up in defence and the resulting free kick took the wind out of the visitors’ sails. Lee Chilton curled the ball into the bottom corner to give the Swifts an early lead.
Sphinx initially responded well but with little joy in attacking areas. The match was sparked into life by a poor challenge on Shipman after quarter of an hour and it was Stourport who best maintained focus. Whiteside was forced into a clearing header wide from a shot from the home side.
Thomas and Woodward’s team started to get a foot on the ball in the middle of the first half but were unable to trouble the hosts in their defensive third. In the 27th minute Johnson gave them something to think about again. His free kick from distance was nicely struck and saved well by Stourport goalkeeper Jamie Emery. The referee awarded a goal kick.
As second goals go, Stourport’s was frustratingly straightforward from a Sphinx point of view. A corner was delivered from the left and Aaron Birch was the most determined player in the box, rose highest, and powered his header past Fallows to make it 2-0 with ten minutes left in the first half.
Fallows made a good save with his feet five minutes later with Stourport looking comfortable and keeping possession. Sphinx ended the half with four yellow cards and a mountain to climb in rainy Worcestershire.
Sphinx’s goalkeeper was the first to be called into action in the second half. Another early chance fell the way of the Swifts but was fired over before Sphinx, finally, briefly, found another gear.
Woodward and Thomas turned to the bench just after the hour, bringing Sam Jackson and debutant Ellis into midfield in place of Johnson and Luke Downes. The substituted players can feel there were team-mates who might have been replaced instead of them but the changes did result in Sphinx looking a little sharper.
In the 69th minute a terrific incisive run from the left by Hayward led to a half chance in front of Emery for the previously isolated Shipman. The striker was unable to snaffle the ball as it squirmed through to goalkeeper Emery.
Cristofaro came on for Whiteside to make his competitive debut for Sphinx with 15 minutes remaining. Emery made a fabulous save from a Shipman snapshot after Guest’s flick-on in the box but that was the sum total of the away team’s chances.
With six minutes left a clear handball in the Stourport box went unpunished but the truth is any sort of comeback always looked unlikely. Sphinx put in the effort in the last quarter of the match but made no headway. They took far too long to get going and were deservedly beaten. Guest picked up a yellow card in stoppage time – Sphinx’s fifth of the day – and the justifiable frustration of the team was evident.
Sphinx's recent record in the FA Cup leaves much to be desired and losing to Step Five opposition isn't how Woodward and Thomas wanted the season to begin. Stourport rarely make it easy for anyone, however, and were good value for a two-goal win.
Sphinx now move on to a new challenge. Their first ever season at Step Four begins with a home fixture against old Midland Football League rivals Quorn at the Sphinx Industrial Supplies Arena.
A visit to Gresley Rovers in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands quickly follows. Improved performances will be a must.
Sphinx team
Fallows, Pursey, Hayward, L. Downes (Jackson), Guest, Whiteside (Cristofaro), Parker, J. Downes, Shipman, Carey, Johnson (Ellis). Unused subs: Peplinski, Billing, Martin, Selley-Haywood