Lye Town 0-0 Coventry Sphinx
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx took another small step towards safety with a goalless draw against Lye Town in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
The Flyers are fighting for their own survival and the teams cancelled each other out despite the visitors having enough chances to win the game and ease any remaining relegation nerves.
Joint Sphinx managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas started Jordan Hayward and Kyle Carey either side of Harry Wakefield up front, with Iddriss Fuseini joining Fortune Maphosa and captain Callum Woodward in midfield.
Ryley Nicholson got the nod alongside Patrick Zito in the centre of defence, flanked by Joe Pursey and Finlay Shorrock. Charlie Woods played in goal to notch another clean sheet.
With three minutes played, Fuseini smacked an ambitious shot on target from 30 yards. Lye goalkeeper Ben Newey held it comfortably but Sphinx continued to play incisively in the early part of the match.
Newey had to grab the ball right on his line from Shorrock’s in-swinging free kick from near the corner flag. Fuseini was lurking and the goalkeeper did well to get there first.
The midfielder gave Newey some work to do again in the 19th minute, meeting Woodward’s corner kick with a header on target. Another corner from the captain was headed towards goal by Maphosa but the Flyers goalkeeper kept it out once more.
His fine performance continued just before the half-hour mark. Wakefield went through and showed terrific strength and speed to hold off defenders before trying to go around the goalkeeper. Newey was able to pick the ball off the striker’s toes.
The home team broke quickly a few minutes later only for Dennis Digie to slice the ball wide. They had their best chance of the game when a Woods save one-on-one was followed by a series of ricochets, any one of which might have ended up in the net.
Sphinx had an equally good opening ten minutes before the break. It started with Hayward, who caught his shot well but saw it blocked. Woodward collected the ball on the right and picked out Wakefield with a perfect cross. His header beat Newey but flew the wrong side of the post.
With the visitors stepping up a gear and ending the half well, Hayward was involved in the box again before half time. He collected a long free kick out of defence but sent his shot over the top.
Sphinx started the second half as they finished the first but were again unable to capitalise. Carey curled his shot over three minutes into the half and Fuseini drove a shot wide. Those were the better efforts – by now, the away team were rushing in the final third and snatching at shots.
They were well on top, however, and Lye’s attacking threat had all but disappeared by the time an hour had been played. Substitutes Joe Blowers and Jack Downes were both having an impact in possession.
The Flyers built up a spell of pressure in the middle of the second half. Sphinx’s inability to join the dots up front was exacerbated by the home team looking more dangerous and Woods had to make a save with 20 minutes left to play.
Sphinx were closest to scoring. Fresh off the bench, Harvey Smith flicked on a long throw-in and Downes powered a header towards the back post. Carey met it but found Newey in top form. The goalkeeper made an excellent save to divert the ball up and off the crossbar.
Sphinx picked up three yellow cards in the last quarter of an hour as the game became a battle between two frustrated teams. In the third minute of stoppage time, the away team felt they should have had a penalty for a foul on Smith but the referee waved away the protests.
Penalty or not, they had the attacking moments and even the clear openings to win the game. Hoping for a penalty in time added on is understandable but they should really have already taken the lead.
While Sphinx left the Black Country disappointed not to have won, the draw left them twelve points clear of Rugby Town in the last relegation position. Without a big swing in goal difference, it put them out of Lye Town's reach despite the Flyers having a game in hand.
Thomas and Woodward's team will be keen to settle the matter sooner rather than later. Their remaining fixtures are against Hinckley Leicester Road at home, Darlaston Town and Racing Club Warwick away, and Anstey Nomads at home.
A second win against Leicester Road would be a huge stride away from danger on a weekend that could see a first team relegated from the NPL Midlands on the pitch this season.
Sphinx team
Woods, Pursey, Shorrock (Redhead), Maphosa (Downes), Nicholson, Zito, Hayward, Woodward, Wakefield (Smith), Carey (Draper), Fuseini (Blowers)