HIGHGATE UNITED 1-3 COVENTRY SPHINX BY KEV MONKS
Team
O'Neill, Muldoon, Doherty, Caggini, McSheffrey, McAteer, Donaldson (Stevenson 65), L.Hopkins, Murdock, Ruff, Gaffney (Phillips 77) SNU Daffern, Jardim
Highgate
Harling, Green, Gaslewski, Turner, Corry, Reynolds, Heekin (Overton 77), Hughes, A.Hopkins, Bennett, Giddings. SNU Kerrigan, Plump
HT HUFC 1-2 CSFC FT HUFC 1-3 CSFC
Goals Jerome Murdock (19 & 76), Josh Ruff (25), Elroy Bennett (41)
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Coventry Sphinx came back to form with a 3-1 victory away at Highgate United.
Danny McSheffrey used a bit of squad rotation for this twice postponed Midland Alliance game and named himself in the side which took to the field at Tythe Barn Lane on a very wet night.
The opening exchanges were pretty equal with Anthony Hopkins rounding Sphinx keeper Carl O'Neill in the second minute but only finding the side netting and seven minutes later, good work from Jerome Murdock saw him pick out Arron Donaldson who fired across the face of the goal.
It was Jerome Murdock, who delighted the Sphinx travelling support when he opened the scoring in the 19th minute after making a good run before beating the keeper with a low drive from inside the area.
In the 25th minute, it was 2-0 to Sphinx. In the best move of the match, Tom Muldoon and Luke Hopkins were involved before the ball was played to the feet of Josh Ruff to hammer an unstoppable shot into the top corner from twenty yards out.
Josh Ruff (10)
Highgate came back, forcing Jamie McAteer to head away in the 26th minute and O'Neill to block with his legs from Anthony Hopkins eleven minutes later.
In the 41st minute, the Sphinx defence were at fault for the only time in the match when they failed to deal with a corner and after a diving header was only partially cleared, Elroy Bennett was on hand to dispatch the lose ball into the net.
Josh Ruff went straight up the other end and was inches away from finding the net with a well struck twenty yarder. As we approached the half-time interval, Ruff hit another long ranger which was touched over the bar for a corner.
Danny McSheffrey well marshalled his defence and with Caggini and Hopkins controlling things in midfield, Sphinx had the better of the play in the second half.
They won a couple of corners before Luke Hopkins sent a 64th minute long range lob not far wide and in the 76th minute, they wrapped up a good night's work when they scored for the third time in the match.
The hard working Declan Doherty played a delightful twenty yard pass to the feet of Jerome Murdock who raced forward before tucking the ball under the advancing keeper to give Sphinx a 3-1 victory.