Coventry Sphinx 0-1 Sutton Coldfield Town
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx were unable to capitalise on the momentum of a big win against Loughborough Dynamo and slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home by Sutton Coldfield Town. The relegation battle in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands is still a concern and a result in this match would have been another boost in the quest for safety.
Kyle Byrne scored the only goal of the game with eleven minutes remaining, taking the best chance of a tight and tense match that threatened at times to boil over. Sphinx pushed hard for a late equaliser but it was a couple of close calls in the first half that they were left to regret.
With leading scorer Matty Shipman suffering a long-term injury last weekend, joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas moved quickly to bring striker Leo Brown back to the club before the registration deadline. Brown went straight into the team, flanked up front by Ashton Demulder and Jordan Hayward.
Cam Moore again got the nod in midfield and played in front of captain Callum Woodward and Luke Downes. The familiar back four of Joe Pursey, Louis Guest, Will Edjenguele and Finlay Shorrock started in front of goalkeeper Keelan Fallows.
Sutton Coldfield goalkeeper Jono Brown was the first to be called into action. Five minutes in, Leo Brown was fouled in the corner and Sphinx were awarded a free kick. Woodward delivered well and the visiting goalkeeper had to react smartly to parry Guest’s thumping header to safety.
Fallows matched him three minutes later, getting off his line quickly to make an important block as Sutton Coldfield started to get on the ball. A speculative shot from 35 yards posed no danger.
New Sphinx signing Brown got into a promising position in the right channel in the 13th minute and fired the ball across goal to try and pick out Hayward. The winger was thwarted by two Sutton defenders who arrived at the same time to make the block with the goalkeeper taken out of contention by the pass.
The home team started to shade what had been an even first quarter of the game, which became increasingly chippy.
With 25 minutes played, Woodward fed Brown into the right slot again by taking a quick free kick that sent the striker into the box. He chopped back onto his left foot and his shot beat the goalkeeper but was cleared by a defender on the cover.
The hostility grew throughout the first half but goalmouth action was at a premium. Brown didn't quite catch all of his shot on the turn in the 33rd minute, and in the 36th Shorrock was forced to athletically clear a loose ball off the goal line to ensure that Sphinx went into the half time break at level pegging.
Sutton Coldfield started the second half on top and stayed there for the majority of the period. Fallows easily held a free kick and then had his angles right as he watched a header from a corner sail past his post.
The home team eventually settled into the half but chances remained hard to come by. On the hour, Woodward's corner kick from the left was sent beyond the back post. Guest's header was deflected over the crossbar by a defender but a goal kick was awarded and a short burst of Sphinx pressure came to a premature end.
Alex McSkeane then fired wide with a low shot for Sutton Coldfield. The play was fairly evenly matched through the middle of the half but the next opening came their way too, substitute Reece Gibson this time the man who couldn't direct his attempt on target.
Just as the match started to feel as if it was drifting towards its conclusion, Sutton Coldfield found the winning goal in the 79th minute. Another substitute, Byrne, got himself loose in a similar position to those picked up by Brown in the first half and his finish was crisp enough to beat Fallows low and give the visitors a late advantage.
If Sphinx had managed to take a point from this game after going behind it might have been harsh on the away side, but they gave it a crack anyway.
Jack Downes, returning from suspension as a substitute, powered a shot over the angle as the home team looked for an instant reply, but Sutton were as likely to score the next goal as concede it. In the last minute of normal time, Fallows made two superb saves in quick succession to keep Sphinx’s hopes alive.
At the other end, Jono Brown made a simple save from Leo Brown in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Hayward got the best Sphinx chance of the second half with almost the final kick. It was a presentable look but not an easy finish at all, and Hayward’s left-footed strike just ended up just the wrong side of the near post.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Sphinx, who came into the game with confidence but were marginally second best and unable to pick up a result that would have been a real bonus with other results at the bottom of the table going their way.
The quick turnaround of Easter weekend will see them back in action just two days after this defeat. Thomas and Woodward’s team will be eager to get the disappointment out of their system quickly by stepping up a gear in a Bank Holiday Monday visit to Lye Town.
Like Sphinx, the Flyers are playing Step Four football for the first time after being promoted in 2022/23. They’ve taken to the eighth tier well but were beaten last time the teams met during the Christmas period.
Sphinx team
Fallows, Pursey, Shorrock, L. Downes (Wood), Edjenguele, Guest, Demulder (J. Downes), Woodward, Brown, Moore (Castellano), Hayward. Unused subs: Draper, Haddow