Rugby Town 1-1 Coventry Sphinx
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx came away from Butlin Road with a point after a 1-1 draw with Rugby Town in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas were boosted by the returns of Shay Willock after his three-match ban and Kyle Carey from a brief spell on the sidelines with an injury.
Willock played at centre forward with Carey supporting on the left and Jordan Hayward on the right. Callum Ballinger was at the point of a midfield anchored by Jack Downes and captain Callum Woodward.
Charlie Woods made his second appearance in the Sphinx goal. Louis Guest and Patrick Zito played in front of him with Ryley Nicholson at right back and Finlay Shorrock at left back.
Sphinx made their intentions clear straight from kick-off, immediately winning the ball off Rugby and sending them back towards their own goal. In an end-to-end start full of blood and thunder, the visitors had the best of the early play.
Downes was first to force a save, riding a couple of challenges to run into the box but striking straight at Rugby goalkeeper Paul Hathaway. Rugby quickly turned the ball over and Carey had the best Sphinx chance of the half but could only shoot over.
The away team continued to expose some nerves at the back for Rugby but the home team gradually got themselves on the ball. Dan Summerfield blasted over from 25 yards as the game became scrappy, and Michael Taylor headed harmlessly over the Sphinx crossbar.
Rugby managed to build up some pressure in the middle of the half but Sphinx rallied. The game was growing fractious but by no means cagey.
Ballinger’s left-footed shot took a deflection and went safely over for a Sphinx corner, and a positive period led to two blocked attempts from Carey and an ambitious attempt over the top from a tight angle by Willock.
Sphinx were made to rue missed chances six minutes before half time. Hilton Arthur caused big problems in the visitors’ right defensive channel and drove into the box. His pass across goal was swept into an empty net from close range by Tayo Tucker and Rugby had the lead.
Carey and Taylor exchanged attempts in the last few minutes of the first half, which ended with the enforced substitution of Hayward. His early booking was leapt upon by Rugby and he was walking a tightrope in the eyes of the referee more because of the constant input of the hosts than anything he actually did.
Rugby took a slender lead into half time and were lifted by a rather slower start to the second half from their opponents.
A tame header over the top was quickly followed by another headed try, this time from a free kick on the Rugby right, which called Woods into action and drew his best save of the match.
Hathaway was soon involved at the other end. In the 52nd minute Sphinx forward Carey was clipped off the ball after cutting into the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot.
The last thing you want between your penalty taker and the opposition goalkeeper is familiarity. Woodward struck his shot firmly but Hathaway made a sharp save to push the ball against the post and keep the score at 1-0.
Undeterred, Sphinx dominated the last half hour of the match and were soon pushing for an equaliser again.
Carey got in behind on the left just after the hour and picked out an excellent pass across for Andre Williams, Hayward’s premature replacement. Williams became the latest Sphinx player to shoot over the crossbar.
Another substitute, Stan Dube, was the architect of the equalising goal soon after coming on for Ballinger.
His lofted pass released Willock in behind with 25 minutes left to play and the striker scored his second goal in two appearances by deftly lifting the ball over a stranded Hathaway and into the corner of the net.
Hathaway had to react quickly in the 74th minute to swat the ball out of play with Sphinx players poaching after Rugby had come close to scoring an own goal.
While the visitors were on top, they weren't able to create the clear chance they needed to claim the win. Carey took matters into his own hands with three minutes left to play and his team banging on the door.
His snapshot from the edge of the box packed plenty of venom despite little backlift, and had enough accuracy that Hathaway had to get up well to tip it over the top.
It would be easy for Sphinx to feel frustrated not to have taken all three points after a superior performance but coming from behind to secure a draw after having a penalty saved isn't to be sniffed at.
Like the previous match against Corby Town, Sphinx had to dig deep to earn everything they got in this one. They showed a willingness to work hard and mix it physically and a touch of class in front of goal when it counted.
Sphinx now move into a busy few weeks, starting with a trip to AFC Rushden & Diamonds on Tuesday 8th October and a home game against Boldmere St Michaels on Saturday 12th October.
Sphinx team
Woods, Nicholson, Shorrock (Martin), Downes, Zito, Guest, Hayward (Williams), Woodward (Lock), Willock, Carey (Newey), Ballinger (Dube)