Long Eaton United 1-0 Coventry Sphinx
Stuart Guest
Storm Darragh wreaked havoc on the football schedule across the UK but Coventry Sphinx’s Northern Premier League Midlands Division away game against Long Eaton United survived the wind and rain.
It’s to the credit of the teams that it was by no means a difficult game to watch despite the blustery conditions, which made for a close but open affair that was settled by a single Long Eaton goal in the middle of the second half.
It was a big improvement for Sphinx, who were heavily beaten by the Blues at home. They had the chances to take a point away from Grange Park but were unable to take the best ones in key moments of the match.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas made three changes from the midweek game at Tamworth. Kyle Burke returned from illness, Patrick Zito stepped back in for the suspended Jamie Draper, and Roan Newey came in for Damian Kelly who started on the bench at Long Eaton.
Charlie Woods put in a man of the match performance in goal behind Zito and Louis Guest at centre back, while Joe Pursey and Finlay Shorrock continued at right back and left back respectively.
Burke anchored the midfield trio behind Jack Downes and captain Callum Woodward, while Jordan Hayward and Kyle Carey played either side of Newey in a dynamic front three.
Long Eaton had plenty of the ball early on and were determined to keep the ball on the grass in order to limit the effect of the wind. It set the tone for a surprisingly good game of football.
Sphinx were down to ten men for several minutes in the early part of the match. While Newey was off the field receiving treatment for a blood injury, Woods had to make a parry to keep the scores level.
Pursey recovered well to make a vital block that kept Long Eaton out at the end of a two-on-one that looked destined to result in a goal before Sphinx really got their performance going with quarter of an hour played.
Pursey was involved at the other end, combining with Hayward after Burke clipped a clever pass into the corner. The move ended with a left-footed shot from the edge by Pursey and a comfortable save for Blues goalkeeper Ben Allsop.
Sphinx’s golden chance arrived in the 20th minute. Allsop missed his kick from a backpass and Newey was right on top of him with the goal wide open. The spin on the ball took his touch away from him and gave Allsop the chance to make a save when 0-1 looked all but inevitable.
The visitors continued with a positive spell but it was Long Eaton who had the next chance for a shot on goal. James Taylor side-footed an effort wide of the Sphinx goal after a long throw-in was partially cleared.
Carey gave Allsop something to think about in the 24th minute, cutting inside from the left and whipping in a low shot that bounced in front of goal and forced the Long Eaton goalkeeper to flick it wide. Woods matched him at the end of a Blues break a few minutes later.
Burke fired over from 25 yards and Sphinx continued to give as good as they got but the home team should have taken the lead in the penultimate minute of the first half. A cross from the left found the head of Taylor, who was under pressure but should really have put the header away to break the deadlock.
Sphinx thought they had the lead in the second minute of stoppage time. Carey was played in wide on the left and the assistant referee steadfastly kept his flag down.
The Sphinx forward drove inside from the byline and went for goal. Allsop’s save dropped kindly for a Newey tap-in but the flag was then raised to rule out the goal.
An even start to the second half saw Long Eaton enjoy most of the advanced territory but Sphinx eager to get in behind. Ten minutes in, Woods had to get down quickly yet again to make another save.
After a poor clearance out of defence from Sphinx the hosts squandered a chance to make Woods work, but Ryan Campbell-Gordon ensured the visiting goalkeeper had a save to make with a shot on target in the 69th minute.
Woods got a glove to the next shot too, but this time it had too much on it and Long Eaton had their winner.
James Shaw stepped in from the left onto his right foot and unleashed a strike that left the Sphinx goalkeeper with little chance of stopping it and hit the top corner to make it 1-0 with a little under 20 minutes remaining.
Inevitably, the goal opened the game up as Sphinx went looking to save a point. Woods got out quickly to make a tremendous block with his feet in the 76th minute. Ten minutes later, Allsop saved from Carey after he skipped in from the left channel and tested the Long Eaton goalkeeper at his near post with the last real shot of the afternoon.
Sphinx might feel they could have picked up a point from this game but can take some satisfaction from going toe to toe with one of the better teams in the division on their own turf and in very tricky weather conditions.
Woods gave the visitors a platform to try and nick something but was beaten by a powerful strike that was, in the end, the best shot of the match and a worthy winner.
Sphinx go straight into another away game as they visit AFC Rushden & Diamonds for the twice disallowed league fixture at Hayden Road before next Saturday’s return to Sphinx Drive to take on Quorn.
Sphinx team
Woods, Pursey, Shorrock, Burke (Fuseini), Zito, Guest, Hayward, Woodward, Newey (Kelly), Carey, Downes (Dube). Unused sub: Lockley