Saturday 30th March - Sphinx Drive
GOALS:
1’ Alex Pearson (Coventry Sphinx)
2’ Mark Danks (Stourport Swifts)
31’ Louis Guest (Coventry Sphinx)
75’ Lewis Platt (Stourport Swifts)
90’ Mark Danks (Stourport Swifts)
RESULT: COVENTRY SPHINX 2-3 STOURPORT SWIFTS
Finally we had warm spring sunshine to enjoy the football in but the turn of weather didn’t signal a turn of results for Coventry Sphinx. They got off to a blistering start with a goal in the first minute but Stourport hit back immediately. Sphinx got themselves back in front before half time but the second half belonged to the visitors with victory sealed for them by a 90th minute winner.
Manager Lee Knibbs made the decision to give three Youth team players their first starts for the club and they didn’t let him down with highly encouraging displays from Dan Kelly, Callum Mack and Alex Pearson. It was Alex Pearson who announced himself in style with the opening goal after 40 seconds. The move began with his Youth team mate Dan Kelly positively running at the visitors defence before slipping the ball to the left into the path of Lewis Hudson. The Hudson cross fell beautifully for the oncoming Alex PEARSON and he executed a sweetly struck controlled volley to open the scoring. A dream start for the young man but within a minute Stourport were level. Danks strode through the Sphinx defence and he finished well to equalise and make it 1-1 after two minutes. An incredible start to the game in front of a crowd of 160 which was boosted by the participants of the clubs sponsored walk for “Breast Cancer Care” in the morning.
Chances followed for both sides but it was Sphinx who got back in front on the half hour with an untidy looking effort just about crossing the line. There were big handball appeals from the visitors but the referee decided the goal would stand and Sphinx went into the interval a goal ahead. Sphinx made all three substitutions around the hour mark with youngsters Dan Kelly and Alex Pearson plus experienced midfielder Rich Blythe making way for the experience of Harkin, O’Grady and Grandison. Stourport were now getting a grip on the game and a counter attack proved to the undoing of Sphinx with Platt equalising for the visitors with 15 minutes to go. Sphinx kept pushing for the winning goal but their eagerness to attack was their undoing with Stourport finding the space to break and win the game themselves in the last minute. An entertaining game for the neutral but a frustrating afternoon’s work for Coventry Sphinx. The three youth team players all acquitted themselves well though and they have given themselves every chance of continuing to be important members of the first team squad in the future.
FULL TIME: COVENTRY SPHINX 2-3 STOURPORT SWIFTS

COVENTRY SPHINX MAN OF THE MATCH: Alex Pearson
Callum Woodward and Louis Guest led the team with their typical aggression but the one to catch the eye today was a debutant. Youth team attacking midfielder Alex Pearson came into the team for his first start and most people would have been seeing him for the first time. He will certainly be remembered now after volleying home his first goal within a minute so any doubts on whether he could cope with first team football were soon banished.
COVENTRY SPHINX TEAM: CROSS, MACK, STRINGFELLOW, BLYTHE (O’Grady 63 mins), QUIRKE, GUEST, PEARSON (Grandison 63 mins), WOODWARD ©, KELLY (Harkin 59 mins), GARDNER, HUDSON. Unused Subs: Lower

Coventry Sphinx are back in action on Saturday 6th April when they travel to Quorn on the outskirts of Leicester.