Coventry Sphinx 1-1 The Mikes

The Mikes’ line up had a rather makeshift appearance, goalie number four (Tommy Jackson) coming in for the holidaying Kieran Boucher (goalie number five), while Joe Hull and Jack Byrne swapped flanks. The event had a certain tired end-of-season air about it: no one seemed to know where the match programmes were. However, Sphinx were looking over their shoulders at the outside possibility of relegation.

In the opening stages, accurate long passes were setting up the hosts’ raids, and Jackson had to come out of his area to intercept Jordan Hayward. A poor midfield pass led to a host’s attack and nearly the lead, the ball booted off the line by Harry Sweeney. After this jittery start, the Mikes settled to their game, and their brisk passing forced Sphinx into a succession of fouls, as Boldmere took charge of proceedings. With the quarter mark gone, Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera (who belied his number two shirt by occupying the right wing) forced his way into the home box. His consequent centre gifted Owen Parry an open goal - and the Mikes were ahead. This setback seemed to wake the Sphinx up, and they responded with neat passing play. Leo Brown, combining size with speed, came close to equalising, as did a Leo Wood twenty yarder. Workhorses Ben Usher-Shipway and Harry Sweeney, meanwhile, were dribbling their way through thickets of light blue socks, and the interval came with Boldmere deserving their advantage.

What goes into half time tea? Sphinx came out looking a different team, and if the first period belonged to the Mikes, the tide turned the Coventrians’ way as the second unfolded. Brown soon was only inches wide of Boldmere’s left post, and Jackson’s right foot kept out a stinger from just outside the box. From the resultant corner, Brown should have converted from eight yards - but skied over the bar. It was the Mikes’ turn to look dangerous on the break now; but with twenty minutes left, the dam broke. Intense Sphinx pressure saw a great shout go up, as a cannon ball hit Callum Gitting’s arm as he shied away at point blank range; the referee Hadyn Lavender waved play on but was seemingly duped by a Sphinx forward tumbling in the box immediately afterwards allegedly after a trip by George Washbourne. Lavender pointed to the spot, and Callum Woodward scored from it: not, mark you, before a long period of intense discussion, accompanied by prolonged barging, was followed by further animated intercourse, once we’d returned to the centre spot. Somewhere in the middle of all this, Washbourne (who, earlier, had complained bitterly after being rather severely cautioned) received his marching orders - presumably after further expressions of frustration. Could the Mikes hold out for a point, as Sphinx, prompted effectively from the right wing by Jack Downes, were now gaining the fouls? The formerly ordered Mikes were now booting the ball anywhere, and the game’s only substitution arrived with a quarter of an hour left, Lewis Allison replacing Andre Brown after the departure of Washbourne in midfield. From now on, fluent moves were rarely seen as the two teams, looking for that winning goal, scrapped at close quarters for possession of the ball. A final Boldmere flourish saw ten home players behind a Mikes free kick twenty-five yards out. Harry Craven skimmed the bar with it, and so the Mikes went home with a point; while Sphinx are all but certain to avoid the drop.

A draw was a fair result, in a game of two contrasting halves.

Coventry Sphinx: Keelan Fallows; Joe Pursey; Finlay Shorrock; Luke Downes; Louis Guest; Jamie Draper; Jack Downes; Callum Woodward; Leo Brown; Leo Wood; Jordan Hayward.
Subs. not used: Ashton DeMulder; Alfonso Castellano; Antonio Cristofaro; William Edjenguele; Duncan Van Den Top.
Boldmere St Michaels: Tommy Jackson; Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera; Harry Sweeney; Jack Byrne; Harry Craven; Joe Hull; Callum Gittings; George Washbourne; Owen Parry; Ben Usher-Shipway; Andre Brown (Lewis Allison 77).
Subs. not used: Callum North; Callum Ballinger; Pierre Phillips.