Boldmere St Michaels 1-2 Coventry Sphinx
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx ended a lucrative week with a second consecutive 2-1 away win in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division. They came from behind to beat Boldmere St Michaels courtesy of Iddriss Fuseini’s dramatic winning goal in stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Charlie Woods was back in action after a stellar midweek performance and Sphinx started with the same back three that played against AFC Rushden & Diamonds, albeit in a slightly rejigged configuration.
Jamie Draper, Louis Guest, Kyle Burke and Finlay Shorrock continued in defence but injuries for wing backs Joe Pursey and Jordan Hayward at Rushden meant starts at Boldmere for Roan Newey and Luke Shearer, while Jack Downes and captain Callum Woodward were paired in midfield behind Kyle Carey and striker Harry Wakefield.
The first ten minutes belonged to the visitors. In the second minute, an in-swinging Shorrock free kick from the right was delivered with whip and pace but didn't get a touch before just missing the top corner of Jonathan Brown's goal.
Brown did have to make a save seconds later, diving to his left to keep out Wakefield’s left-footed shot on target from 25 yards out.
Woods had to make a block at the other end and Guest tidied up the loose ball but the opening goal wasn't far away and it went to the home team with quarter of an hour played.
The ball was passed across the Sphinx box and Mikes full back Ben George arrived unmarked to lift it into the top corner and make it 1-0.
Sphinx’s response couldn't have been better. Tenacious play from Shearer took him into the Boldmere box and he held it up to create a passing opportunity to Shorrock.
The left wing back fired in a shot that was on target before it took a nick and sailed over Brown into the net, levelling the scores at 1-1 in the 23rd minute.
Joint Sphinx managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas were forced into an early change when Guest went down injured just after the half-hour mark. Patrick Zito was a ready-made replacement in the centre of defence.
Boldmere had a lot of the ball at the end of the first half but Sphinx had put in a solid performance, more on the front foot than in spells against Rushden. Woods could do nothing about the Mikes’ goal and had little else to deal with before the break.
Another enforced change was made at half time because Shearer had picked up a knock, giving Fuseini 45 minutes to make a big impact.
Woods had to make a save from a weak shot on target nine minutes into the half, which was easy for him to deal with but ushered in a period of pressure for Boldmere. Sphinx started the second half slower than the first and it started to show.
Wakefield was a constant threat nonetheless. On the hour, his header had little power but pinpoint direction. Brown had to get down and across to his post to keep it out. The Sphinx striker volleyed over on the turn from a throw-in two minutes later.
Wakefield went even closer with his next shot. At the end of a sharp Sphinx attacking move, his powerful shot was just over the top. That was his third attempt in a few minutes. There was a fourth too, this time an ambitious volley over the crossbar from a Downes cross.
Sphinx were pushed back enough in the middle of the second half to have to play a little more on the counter and it worked largely in their favour.
Fuseini's zipped cross found Carey beyond the back post. The forward got the ball down with his first touch but his shot was blocked by an on-rushing defender for Boldmere.
Sphinx had to roll with a few late punches and were briefly holding on for one point before building up some pressure of their own and finding a way to turn a draw into a win in stoppage time.
Woodward's corner kick in the second minute of time added on curled in just beyond the back post. Fuseini was there and nodded the ball back past a stranded Brown and in for the win.
Collecting 12 points from a possible 15 since Christmas Day makes this the best run of form since Sphinx were promoted to the eighth tier.
Back-to-back away wins don't come easily and winning two in the space of a few days is testament to the quality and character of the team.
Thomas and Woodward’s side now face a quick return match against Rushden & Diamonds, the team they beat four days before coming away from Boldmere with all three points.
Sphinx team
Woods, Burke, Shorrock, Downes, Guest (Zito), Draper, Newey (Lock), Woodward, Wakefield (Kelly), Carey, Shearer (Fuseini)