Coventry Sphinx 2-2 Loughborough Students
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx and Loughborough Students played out a 2-2 draw for the second time this season in a dramatic Non-League Day fixture at the Sphinx Industrial Supplies Arena.
The home team had to rescue a point after going two goals behind in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division, scoring twice late on to cancel out the Scholars’ strikes in either half.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas drafted striker Harvey Smith into an attacking starting eleven alongside Kyle Carey, Harry Wakefield and Jordan Hayward.
Captain Callum Woodward was joined in midfield by Iddriss Fuseini. Goalkeeper Charlie Woods played behind Joe Pursey, Jamie Draper, Patrick Zito and Finlay Shorrock in defence.
The visitors went close in the first five minutes before Sphinx were awarded an early penalty for a foul on Hayward. Students goalkeeper Luke Skinner thwarted them with a terrific double save, first from Carey’s spot kick and then to deny Hayward as he followed in.
Loughborough had much of the possession in the opening minutes but Sphinx looked sharp in attacking areas for a spell before the Scholars took charge.
The visitors were given a chance in the middle of the first half when Zito was fouled but no free kick was given. With Zito down, the referee stopped the game and the visitors had a drop ball in a position that allowed them to immediately cross into a loaded box. Woods made an excellent save to keep out the resulting header.
Woods had to save again from another header, this time from a poorly defended Students cross, and the away team made their chances pay with 31 minutes played.
Sphinx were again left frustrated by their defending but Freddie Webb’s smart finish into the bottom corner left Woods with no chance and the Scholars had the lead. They should have extended it a few minutes later but a golden opening came to nothing.
The home team found another gear late in the half and were agonisingly close to an equaliser in the 38th minute when Wakefield collected a pass into the channel on the left and flashed the ball across the face of goal. Hayward arrived at full pelt to slide in but couldn’t connect.
Woodward’s in-swinging corner five minutes before the break was heading for the top corner before Skinner intervened to tip it over the crossbar. Carey’s good footwork on the left in the 43rd minute created a chance to curl a shot over as the hosts hunted for an equalising goal.
After getting themselves into the ascendancy late in the first half, Sphinx started slowly in the second before captain Woodward sparked a resurgence with a curling free kick from the edge of the box that hit the crossbar but heralded a spell of pressure.
Sphinx’s management duo made a couple of substitutions around the hour mark. Joe Blowers came on for Smith and Ryley Nicholson replaced Pursey, and both would later make a crucial impact.
With 25 minutes remaining, Blowers got free on the left at the end of a nice Sphinx move and Skinner saved well at his near post. The resulting corner was met by Fuseini and Skinner reacted well to stop him too. The midfielder had a shot blocked two minutes later before Loughborough doubled their lead.
The visitors had caused some problems on the break and were rewarded with a foul in the box and a penalty with 20 minutes left. Halim Bangura slotted the ball down the middle, the Scholars had their second goal and Sphinx had a mountain to climb.
Scoring immediately was the key to the comeback and it was Fuseini who came up with a big goal yet again. Sphinx won a corner on the right and Woodward’s delivery picked out his midfield partner in front of goal.
The ball sat up nicely after Fuseini’s first touch and he fired it beyond Skinner’s reach and into the roof of the net to give the home team 18 minutes to find an equaliser. It took them only seven and it was a Blowers spectacular.
Nicholson’s pass forward out of defence got a touch from Wakefield into Blowers’ path. The substitute shifted the ball out of his feet and bent a fabulous right-footed shot into the top corner to set off wholehearted celebrations behind the goal and add a vital point to Sphinx’s tally.
With Roan Newey already on, Jac Redhead and Fortune Maphosa came off the bench to add to Sphinx’s firepower. After their second goal, they dominated the ball and were the only team likely to score a late winner. Six minutes of added time elapsed without much incident, though, and the teams had to settle for a point apiece.
While Sphinx will have fancied themselves to take all three points after a midweek win at home, coming from two goals down to pick up a draw with five games remaining is not to be sniffed at.
It took them 11 points clear of the relegation zone with a crucial visit to Lye Town to come on Saturday afternoon.
After that, Sphinx will see out the season with games against Hinckley LR, Darlaston Town, Racing Club Warwick and Anstey Nomads with hopes high of securing safety for another season.
Sphinx team
Woods, Pursey (Nicholson), Shorrock, Fuseini (Maphosa), Zito, Draper (Newey), Hayward, Woodward, Wakefield, Carey (Redhead), Smith (Blowers)