Two late goals were enough for visitors Ilkeston Town as Coventry Sphinx exited the
Emirates FA Cup at the First Round Qualifying stage. Ilkeston goalkeeper Ross Durrant
made a spectacular save to deny an equaliser at 1-0 and Sphinx’s battling performance went
unrewarded.
Liam Kay and Mo Billy came into the starting line-up and had a positive impact as both
teams had early spells of pressure.
It was Sphinx who converted their play into the first couple of chances of the match. Ashanti
Pryce shot low with his left foot on the edge of the box in the tenth minute, but Durrant was
able to watch it curve wide of his post.
Six minutes later a Danny Fraser free kick from a deep position was kept alive in the area
but Billy’s improvised header looped harmlessly into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Ilkeston then fired two shots over the crossbar but Sphinx continued to push forward with
some high quality play in wide areas. The visitors hit back with a period of possession
towards the end of the first half. One shot from the edge of the box never looked a threat on
its way over the bar. Another bent wide.
For the last few minutes of the first half Ilkeston’s aerial attack was repeatedly thwarted by
Kay’s dominance in the air. Lewis Noon almost took advantage for Sphinx with an excellent
driving run into the penalty area, but his shot was well blocked.
The first half was even in most aspects. The quality of the higher division side was clear but
Sphinx gave as good as they got and deserved at least parity at the break.
The visitors started to look more dangerous after half time. With a few minutes played
Sphinx goalkeeper Tom Cross easily fielded a header from close range and was soon called
into action to keep Ilkeston out again with a more eye-catching save.
Sphinx dug in and were able to cause a few problems for the visitors but Ilkeston were on
top after an hour, just as a minor flashpoint looked to give the match an extra edge in the
middle of the park.
Soon enough, the Sphinx spirit was in evidence. Shots were blocked, big tackles were
made, and Ilkeston were made to work for their win.
But their chances came. Cross had to be alert to tip over when a weak shot kicked right up
at him without warning, and their best chance of the game up to that point was clipped wide
of his left-hand post in the 71st minute.
There was no question of trying to protect a draw, though, and Sphinx enjoyed a decent
spell of their own as the game moved into the last quarter of an hour, winning second balls
for fun and getting forward to give Ilkeston plenty to ponder as penalties started to come into
view.
But with ten minutes remaining the Sphinx resistance was broken. Substitute Mason Lee
found a gap, controlled well with his first touch of the night and found the corner with his
second to make it 1-0 to Ilkeston.
It still felt like Sphinx would yet get their chance and, when it arrived with six minutes left, it
was frustratingly close to pegging back the visitors. Substitute Zach Tellyn quickly made his
presence felt and a few minutes after replacing Jack Downes he was fouled ten yards
outside the Ilkeston box.
Noon has been finding his range with free kicks in the first few games of this season and he
couldn’t have struck this one much better. His whipped effort was heading right for the top
corner only for Durrant to produce a terrific save to maintain Ilkeston’s advantage.
Their second goal was one to file under ‘one of those things’ from a Sphinx point of view.
Jack Thomas was on hand to pick up a clearance from Cross after the goalkeeper had been
forced into evasive action away from his line, and the punishment was ruthless. Thomas
found a superb lobbed finish to confirm the result and ensure the end of Sphinx’s FA Cup
involvement for the season.
Without Durrant’s save the outcome might have been different. The second goal certainly
gave the scoreline a more one-sided look than the match warranted in reality. But Ilkeston
came to Sphinx Drive, did the work our performance demanded of them and deserved to
progress.
Nevertheless, it was hard to be too downhearted. The Sphinx players gave everything for the
team and made life difficult for tough opponents, creating a number of opportunities along
the way to nick something. Their attitude so far this season has been flawless and the
rewards will come.
Teamsheet
Cross, Tufan, Fraser, Bryson, Rawlings, Woodward ©, Noon, Pryce (Smith), Downes
(Tellyn), Billy, Kay. Unused subs: Draper, Billing, Edwards, O’Connor
Written by Chris Nee