COVENTRY SPHINX 0-2 ALVECHURCH BY KEV MONKS
Sphinx
Wilson, Long, Muldoon (Buckingham 76), Stevenson, McAteer, T.Cudworth (Knibbs 76), Manak (sent off 31) , Rhodes, Phillips (Caggini 71), Evans, Hopkins. SNU Eggleton, Holmes
Alvechurch
Atkins, Rolfe, Bevan, Blake, McLaughlin, Volante, Blake, Garvey (Dempster 85), Agbonlaghor, McKenzie, Carter (McGreary 73) SNU Blake, Smith, Hands
HT CSFC 0-1 AFC FT CSFC 0-2 AFC ATT 62
GOALS Charisna Agbonlaghor (43 & 85)
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Ten man Coventry Sphinx went down to a 2-0 home defeat to Alvechurch tonight at Sphinx Drive in a Midland Alliance fixture.
The game had been pretty even with Phillips heading over and Tom Cudworth clearing off his own line in the 19th minute before the game sprang to life just before the half hour mark.
First, Charisna Agbonlaghor, the brother of the Aston Villa player, hit the post as the Sphinx players appealed for offside. Danny McSheffrey’s side had the next attack which saw the Sphinx players then appealing for a penalty when Kelvin Phillips was sent crashing.
Referee Mr Cutts decided there was nothing doing and allowed the ball to be cleared to the middle of the park where there was a two-footed challenge on Raman Manak who reacted and was sent off.
Down to ten men, Sphinx reorganised and won a corner and had a Luke Hopkins shot from twenty yards fly not far wide of the mark.
Charisna Agbonlaghor had fired wide in the 41st minute but this merely served as a marker as the striker was in the right place two minutes later to send a right footed volley high into the net following a cross from the the right.
Sphinx, who have named Joe Fletcher as their new Chairman, had two good efforts within the first fifteen minutes of the second half with Phillips poking wide an Evans cross and a stunning volley from Hopkins being pushed over the bar by visiting keeper Atkins for the first of two corners.
Although there was plenty of effort from the Sphinx side tonight, it was evident that things were just not going there way.
They had escaped in the 74th minute when a good save from Wilson pushed round a shot from the unmarked Garvey and then scrambled away the resulting corner but six minutes from time, it was game over.
Sphinx substitute Oliver Buckingham failed to get to a ball some twenty yards out. This allowed Alvechurch to attack down the left. Charisna Agbonlaghor had raced up and the unmarked striker was picked out by a sublime ball and was able to beat Wilson who did his best to narrow the angle to give Alvechurch a 2-0 victory.
Sphinx travel to Lentons Lane in Nottingham on Saturday to Dunkirk in a Midland Alliance fixture before facing Banbury United at home in the Birmingham Senior Cup on Tuesday October 12th.