Coventry Sphinx 2-1 Grantham Town
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx bounced back from defeat against Worcester City to end a poor run of home form by beating relegation battle rivals Grantham Town at the Sphinx Industrial Supplies Arena.
Harry Wakefield’s winning goal in stoppage time secured three vital points for Sphinx, who were pegged back after Joe Pursey’s opener early in the second half and have moved ten points clear of the relegation zone.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas made one change to the starting eleven, bringing Roan Newey in on the right wing and shifting Jordan Hayward to the left.
Wakefield was backed up by Kyle Carey in front of Fortune Maphosa and captain Callum Woodward in midfield, with goalkeeper Charlie Woods protected by a back four of Joe Pursey, Jamie Draper, Patrick Zito and Finlay Shorrock.
The game got off to a nervy start. Grantham had a near miss as early as the seventh minute, when a close range effort under pressure ended up wide of the Sphinx goal as the visitors shaded the opening moments.
Carey turned on to his right foot in a central position to chance his arm from 25 yards in the 13th minute but his shot was held easily by Grantham goalkeeper James Leverton.
The visitors had a lot of the ball in the first quarter of the game and gradually began to look the team more in control, albeit without any more meaningful attempts on goal.
Sphinx were the opposite, struggling to get a foot on the ball against a team willing to play very direct and load the ball into the box with long throw-ins but carrying the greater threat on the occasions when they did get forward.
Woodward sent a difficult volley over the top as the home team started to have a greater say in the game and the half nearly ended in spectacular fashion when Wakefield’s chip from midfield sailed over Leverton’s head and would have found the net were it not for the goalkeeper chasing the ball back in time to flick it over the crossbar.
Sphinx made a change at half time that probably won them the game. Harvey Smith came on for Newey and immediately made his presence felt, cutting the ball back from the left channel into a dangerous position in the box. Hayward got there in front of his marker but clipped the ball off the bar.
The home team started the second half better than the first and got their reward 12 minutes in.
Hayward did superbly to keep the ball alive on the right wing before carrying it back inside and playing a clever pass into the path of Pursey, who drove into the box from right back and fired across goal. Leverton got a touch but couldn’t keep it out and Sphinx had the lead.
The teams exchanged shots wide just after the hour, Maphosa missing the target with a speculative shot for Sphinx as they stepped up a gear after going in front.
Thomas and Woodward’s team were in the ascendancy when they got caught at the back and piled the pressure back on themselves by not clearing the ball and leaving it loose for Grantham left back Freddie Allen to force it into the Sphinx net.
The home team were knocked out of their stride and had to weather a series of Grantham attacks, exacerbated by a succession of free kicks and throw-ins that gave the visitors the opportunity to keep Sphinx in defensive mode.
They turned defence into attack at the perfect moment and pushed for a winner in the last five minutes. By the time the clock ticked over into stoppage time the home side were really at it and they got the all-important winner in the first minute of what inexplicably became ten minutes added on.
The goal was well crafted from a Sphinx point of view. It started with Pursey picking out an in-field pass to Carey, who in turn slid the ball to Smith wide on the left. The striker’s lofted cross beyond the back post was brilliantly kept alive and headed back across by Pursey.
Centre forward Wakefield had put himself in the right place at the right time to volley the ball into the empty net and give Sphinx’s supporters something to really celebrate for the first time in weeks.
The boys in sky blue and white had to hold their nerve throughout the lengthy period of stoppage time and it was worth it – Sphinx moved further clear of the drop zone, ten points clear of both Rugby Town and Bedworth United.
Sphinx go straight into preparation for another home match against Loughborough Students on Saturday. Seven days later, they visit Lye Town for another crucial fixture in the relegation fight.
Sphinx team
Woods, Pursey (Nicholson), Shorrock, Maphosa (Fuseini), Zito, Draper, Newey (Smith), Woodward, Wakefield, Carey (Lock), Hayward. Unused sub: Blowers