Coleshill Town 1 v 2 Coventry Sphinx

First Team Match Reports 2008-2009

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Coleshill Town 1 v 2 Coventry Sphinx

Postby Alan Beckett » Wed Apr 22, 2009 11:35 am

Tuesday 21st April 2009
Aspire Midland Football Alliance
Coleshill Town 1 v 2 Coventry Sphinx
Scorer: Matty Robinson.


A game of two halves. Coleshill were by far the better team in the first half but Sphinx stepped up a gear in the second and thoroughly deserved to take all three points. Managers Neil Kitching and Martin Sockett rested Richard Munday and Jason Lanns, Tom Brady and Courtney Shaw taking their places.

This was a good advert for Alliance football as both teams played some impressive stuff but despite having a very young team Sphinx had that extra bit of quality in the important areas. Coleshill were first to show with Courtney Shaw hitting a cross field pass that Tom Brady helped on on the volley to leave James Dance with a run down the right and his dangerous cross was desperatley cleared. Rob Stevenson sent in a free kick to Luke Hopkins who shot over. Coleshill were pressing all over the field and the tactic paid off as Matty Robinson pinched the ball and fed Ben Porter who dragged his shot wide with Shaw waiting in acres of space. Chris Charles had to be at his best to deny Jerome Murdock as the Man of the Match prepared to shoot. A flowing move involving Brady, Dance, Porter and finally to Robinson ended with a shot only just over the bar. Robinson had the ball in the net from a Shaw cross but was ruled off side, but on thirty minutes Coleshill's top scorer increased his tally. Shaw again fed Robinson who cleverly turned his man and shot across the keeper and into the net for his 27th league goal and 35th in total of the season. Murdock, a constant threat, had the ball in the net but was adjudged to have handled. Murdock beat several players along the 18 yard line looking for an opening but Rob Evans tackled well and cleared the danger. Shaw tried to measure his shot but the keeper didn't have to do too much to save. Hopkins held up for Murdock to shoot just wide then the pair swapped places, Murdock setting up Hopkins whose lobbing shot went over the bar.Shaw made a fine run into the box but got caught in two minds and neither shot or crossed with both Porter and Robinson waiting in space for a pass. From a Brady free kick Evans nodded on and Robinson got to the ball just before the keeper but the ball came off the stopper and out for a corner.
Sphinx starte the second half brighter. Murdock's shot was half blocked, the ball then looping up and over Chris Butler but the Town keeper did really well to strech and tip the ball over the bar. Unfortunately the defence went to sleep from the resulting corner and Terry Ward headed home the equaliser. Lee Hunt headed a Courtney Shaw header wide and Dance hit a left foot shot that was always swerving wide. Rob Stevenson hit a free kick on the edge of the box over the bar then in a quick break Brady found Robinson who cleverly released Shaw who had a free run at goal but his shot was saved by the keepers feet. From a Coleshill attack Sphinx broke quickly to take the lead on 83 minutes. A Dance cross was headed back across goal by Neil Kitching to the waiting Robinson but a defender got to the ball just in time to clear. His clearence fell to Murdock who raced away into the Town half, held off the challenge of Chris Charles and lifted the ball over Butler and into the net. Coleshill huffed and puffed but couldn't find their way back into a game they should have had sewn up in the first half.

One game to go against bottom team Oldbury should see Coleshill finish on 63 points and in the top half of the league. Not a bad effort for a first year in the Alliance but with a bit of consistancy the few points needed to take the team into the top six were there for the taking and hopefully will be took next season.

This was the 25th league game since Kitch and Sock took charge. 14 wins, 10 defeats and only one draw equates to 43 points, 1.72 points per game. Take that over a full 42 game season and that would be 72 points and a sixth place finish.

Team: Chris Butler, Rob Evans, Tom Brady (Neil Kitching), Chris Charles, Lee Hunt, James Dance, Tom Starkey, Scott Wells, Matty Robinson, Ben Porter, Courtney Shaw. Subs not used Richard Munday, Steve Plamer, Jason Lanns, Craig Johnson.

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