COVENTRY SPHINX 4-2 LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

 

Sphinx: O’Neill, Wright, Jackson, Sullivan, Fletcher, Baxter, Galdins (Bilic 72), Bannister, Cutting (Williams 84), Moore (Wilks 63) , Cain. SNU Dyke, Hill. 

Loughborough: Howard, Mueller, Stevenson, Turnbull, Partridge, Hill, Webb (Neill 90+4), Downey (Nash 52), Winchester, Musselwhite (Emmett 52), Cooke. SNU Heard, Hallett. 

HT CSFC 2-0 LUFC  FT CSFC 4-2  LUFC ATT 60

Goals Rickie Cutting (19 & 83), Ashley Jackson (25), George Nash (56), James Winchester (70),  Matty Bannister (86)

Coventry Sphinx proved too clever for the students of Loughborough University with a 4-2 victory in a Midland Alliance fixture at Sphinx Drive.

A good crowd on a mild night, saw a positive start from Luke Hopkins side which saw a great cross from Cutting eventually fall for Ashley Cain to drive at Howard in goal. For a Loughborough side which had a couple of half chances.

Cain was a threat on the left and Kiam Galdins was a threat on the right, working well and in the 18^th minute, Sphinx took the lead when an Ashley Cain corner was headed on and there was Rickie Cutting to get in a shot on goal. Partridge was back and tried to clear but the assistant in front of the Willie Knibbs stand had his flag up and indicated that the ball had crossed the line and the goal was good.

Galdins got in a shot and Sphinx won a corner but in the 25^th minute, the Sphinx support were celebrating another goal when a good move saw the ball go over to captain Ashley Jackson on the left and he hit a powerful left footed drive to increase Sphinx’s lead.

Sphinx had the better of the chances and were nearly three goals to the good when Partridge cleared a Cain shot off the line four minutes into the second half.

Loughborough boss Stuart McLaren made a double change and brought on George Nash who scored from close range in the 56^th minute, less than four minutes after coming on along with Jack Emmett.

Sphinx went straight up the other end and Rickie Cutting was fouled in the area and a penalty awarded. Ashley Cain stepped up but Howard made a great save diving to his left to push away the spot kick. The ball was loose. Matty Bannister was first to it but he thumped the bar and it stayed at 2-1.

Had he scored, it would have been game over. However, Loughborough had hope and in the 70^th minute, they equalised when the pacy Sam Cooke crossed for James Winchester to slot past O’Neill.

Luke Hopkins sent on Adam Bilic for a Sphinx side, who stuck to their guns despite being pegged back and worked as equally as hard as the visitors and in the 83^rd minute, they got their reward thanks to a Cain corner being headed on by Ricky Fletcher and Rickie Cutting back-heeling past the keeper.

Sphinx were not finished and in the 86^th minute, with Cutting having left to a standing ovation after picking up a knock, a foul on Cain by Mueller brought them a free kick. Cain swung it in and there was Matty Bannister to fire in for Sphinx’s fourth.

Howard made a stunning save pushing over a Wilks header and a combination of a great Fletcher tackle and a smart O’Neill save, meant that this highly entertaining affair ended in a 4-2 win for Coventry Sphinx who move up to seventh in the Midland Alliance table.