Coventry Sphinx 2-0 Sporting Khalsa
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx upset the odds on the day they marked the anniversary of the loss of late manager Willie Knibbs, banking three crucial points with a 2-0 win over Sporting Khalsa in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
It was Khalsa’s second visit to the Sphinx Industrial Supplies Arena in 2024/25 after knocking Sphinx out of the FA Trophy and they arrived in third place in the Midlands Division table. They left defeated thanks to one of Sphinx’s most complete performances in the eighth tier.
Roan Newey and Iddriss Fuseini were rewarded for their midweek impact off the bench against Quorn and the faith of joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas was repaid by the scorers of Sphinx’s goals against Khalsa.
Fuseini was given his first Sphinx start in midfield with stand-in captain Jack Downes, as Callum Woodward and Louis Guest continued their suspensions. Ryley Nicholson, Jamie Draper and Patrick Zito played in defence in front of goalkeeper Charlie Woods, with Jordan Hayward and Finlay Shorrock operating out wide.
Shay Willock played up front in the first match since the extension of his loan spell from Alvechurch, supported by the creativity and graft of Newey and Kyle Carey.
The match started well for the home team, who played some fluid football from the start and shaded the early knockings of a game that was played in the right spirit throughout. Carey sent a shot over Brandon Ganley’s crossbar with ten minutes played as Sphinx turned a tidy start into a very impressive one.
Willock had a couple of ambitious efforts in the first quarter of the game. Fuseini fed him in the 18th minute and his powerful solo run culminated in a driven shot over the bar. Ganley saw another Willock shot safely over the top four minutes later, before Khalsa began to find their rhythm.
The visitors were able to get forward at speed from a throw-in in the middle of the first half and Peter Taylor clipped the side netting from a tight angle.
Willock produced another formidable run on the half-hour as his physical presence caused problems for Khalsa and helped Sphinx to stay on the ball. On this occasion, Ganley saved with relative ease.
He was called into action again three minutes later, when Carey’s corner found Draper at the back post. The centre back headed the ball into the ground and up. Ganley was able to grab it at the second attempt.
Taylor almost benefited from a good run of the ball at the other end but didn’t quite catch his shot. Woods had to get down smartly to turn it wide nonetheless before the first half ended with the best chances up to that point, one each for two teams resolutely keeping the ball on the deck in what had become an excellent game.
First, Hayward bombed past Khalsa captain Tesfa Robinson and hit the byline before cutting the ball back for Newey. The Sphinx teenager wasn’t able to adjust his feet in time and his close-range shot went over the top.
Then, with a minute left to play, the usually lethal Simeon Cobourne got in behind for Khalsa but shot across the face of Woods’ goal and wide, to the relief of the Sphinx faithful watching on.
The visitors went a little more direct in the early part of the second half and were in the ascendancy before Newey and Hayward combined well to give Ganley another save to make ten minutes in.
Sphinx’s opening goal was all Newey’s work. After picking off a wayward pass out of the back by the visitors, he added to his two goals at Quorn with a first senior goal at Sphinx Drive, striding forward confidently and smashing a left-footed shot past Ganley and into the top corner.
Khalsa tried to hit back quickly but found Nicholson in their way with a vital goal-line clearance. It was the closest they came as Newey took a starring role and Sphinx, outstanding since taking the lead, started to turn the screw.
Carey whipped in a free kick from the left wing in the middle of the half and Zito’s back-post header dropped just the wrong side of the post.
The away side continued to have their say. Sphinx gave up possession too easily in the 70th minute and the Khalsa counter ended with substitute Robbie Bunn dragging a shot wide. Andre Landell also went close, shooting over with ten minutes to go.
The home team briefly went slightly ragged off the ball but were led back into shape by the determined and composed play of Shorrock and the midfield pair in particular. Well protected, the defence played calmly and Sphinx rarely looked likely to concede.
They settled the contest with a second goal in the third minute of stoppage time. Willock went clear but was thwarted by Ganley’s block. The loose ball was met by Fuseini as he arrived late in the box and he bounced it into the empty net to tie up the points and claim his first goal in a Sphinx shirt.
The way Sphinx played throughout this important win should give them a confidence boost as they continue to navigate the busiest period of their season.
Thomas and Woodward’s team face the rearranged trip to Anstey Nomads next, before hosting Worcester City on Saturday 9th November. After that it’s Coleshill Town away for a Monday night fixture, a visit to Loughborough Students and a second midweek attempt to play the away game at AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
Sphinx’s challenge is to pick up points at a steady rate. The win against Khalsa added three of them to the tally but also demonstrated their ability to get a result against anyone in the division. Harnessing that fact over the next few weeks could be key.
Sphinx team
Woods, Nicholson, Shorrock, Downes, Draper, Zito, Hayward, Fuseini (Ballinger), Willock (Lock), Carey (Pursey), Newey (Dube). Unused sub: Kelly