Quorn 4-0 Coventry Sphinx
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx’s first outing in the Isuzu FA Trophy was a short one. They were beaten 4-0 by league rivals Quorn at the first hurdle, exiting in First Round Qualifying on a scorching day in Leicestershire.
This loss will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons, stark in its contrast from the consistent highs of 2022/23. Sphinx should have had all three points against Quorn in the league less than a month before this Trophy defeat and the difference will be cause for concern for the management team.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas handed a debut to new signing Will Edjenguele, who played in defence with Louis Guest and Callum Whiteside in front of goalkeeper Keelan Fallows.
The wing back positions were taken by midfielder Jack Downes and winger Leigh Phillips. Luke Downes and Callum Woodward started in midfield behind Jac Redhead, with Dylan Parker and striker Matty Shipman more advanced.
Quorn handled the searing heat better throughout and had plenty of possession right out of the gate. Sphinx felt their way into the match but had more of the ball than any meaningful territory before Fallows had to make a good save with his feet at the end of a dangerous counter-attack with quarter of an hour played.
At 0-0 this had the makings of a poor game in the heat. Two teams that wouldn’t naturally do so were sitting off each other, eschewing the press in the name of energy preservation in the first quarter of the match.
The home team took the lead in the 25th minute. Quorn worked the ball in from their left and a pass across the box found Paddy Webb with plenty of time and space to tuck the ball past Fallows for 1-0. Sphinx were chasing a game they really didn’t want to be chasing.
Now ahead, Quorn did what they needed to do and kept the ball moving around the Sphinx half for five minutes to take the sting out of any potential Sphinx response. The visitors produced a lively move on the half hour, protecting the ball and passing with purpose.
Eventually it was clipped into the channel for Shipman, who showed good strength as he strode into the box but could only hook the bouncing ball just over the crossbar.
That chance ushered in the most positive spell of the game for Sphinx. Parker cut a cross back to the edge of the box from the right flank and skipper Woodward met it with an ambitious header that had plenty of power but was saved and held by Quorn goalkeeper Charlie Woods.
Sphinx improved in the latter part of the first half but were building primarily from Guest’s patient quarterbacking out of defence, which made life relatively straightforward for his opposite numbers at the other end.
Quorn managed stoppage time well and saw themselves safely to half time. After the break the match quickly regained its previous shape and the contest was effectively killed off by Webb’s second goal six minutes into the half. Poor defending left the striker with a simple finish under Fallows and the chances of Sphinx scoring twice looked wafer-thin.
Woodward and Thomas turned to the bench, bringing the returning Kyle Carey on for Parker in the 54th minute, but the visitors were on the brink of collapse one week on from a gutting second half at Sutton Coldfield Town in the league.
Sure enough, sleepy defending and sharp play from the home team gave Quorn a 3-0 lead inside an hour.
They moved the ball quickly from back to front and Webb’s clever flick around the corner sent Charlie Marzano clear in the right channel. His neat finish put the game to bed once and for all.
Sphinx were playing for pride in the last twenty minutes and they didn’t do much to achieve even that. Fallows had to save again in the 71st minute and Webb missed a golden opportunity to complete a hat-trick – from a terrible Sphinx corner – before the Sphinx goalkeeper was called into action again ten minutes from time.
Substitute Max Johnson gave Woods some work to do at 3-0. His deflected 25-yarder forced a good save, and a central free kick from even further out was well struck and smartly saved. That was really all Sphinx had to shout about.
There was still time for Redhead and substitute Sam Ellis to have attempts on goal, for Whiteside to clear two Quorn shots off the line in the space of a minute, for Fallows to tip one over, and for a Guest own goal to cap a dreadful afternoon by making it 4-0.
Losing by four clear goals is always a horrible experience, especially when it fairly reflects the nature of the game. To do so against a fellow promoted side – albeit in cup action rather than the league – is chastening.
Sphinx’s start to life at Step Four didn’t yield the points the early performances warranted. Since then, injuries have caught up with Thomas and Woodward’s team and they are struggling to find a foothold.
There were several occasions last season when the team, including many of the players still with Sphinx now, were challenged to show their mettle. They passed test after test in pursuit of the positive goal of winning the league.
Now, they must do it again. The objective is different but the expectation is the same: give everything, get yourselves out of a hole and show us what you can do.
Sphinx team
Fallows, Whiteside, Phillips (Ellis), L. Downes, Guest, Edjenguele, J. Downes, Woodward (Johnson), Shipman, Redhead, Parker (Carey). Unused subs: Cristofaro, Peplinski, Hedge