Match report Tuesday 7 August- Coventry Sphinx 2-0 Dunkirk

MFL Premier Division
Tuesday 7th August - Sphinx Drive
RESULT: COVENTRY SPHINX 2 DUNKIRK 0
GOALS: TOWERS 4’, O’GRADY 64
Attendance: 94
Lee Knibbs team followed up their away point on Saturday with a home win on Tuesday night. Sphinx took an early lead and reinforced their advantage just after the hour to take the points in a game they looked in control in for long spells. They will be particularly pleased with a second consecutive clean sheet which has got the season off to a good start.
There was just one change to the starting line up from Saturday with Josh O’Grady coming in for his debut. The bench was strong with the now available Quirke and Deehan taking places on the bench. Coventry Sphinx wasted little time in taking the lead with a set-piece delivery finding the slightest of touches off a head which Jamie Towers claimed to open his goal scoring account for the season.
Sphinx proceeded to control much of the game with Dunkirk struggling to threaten the well protected Sphinx goal. Sphinx carried more of a threat in attack and were winning the midfield battle with Liam Cairns at the heart of that. Cairns was forced off the field by injury before half time but Rhys Deehan was a more than capable replacement and the change was absorbed comfortably by Sphinx. They would have been disappointed to go into the break with only one goal to show for their display so far but Dunkirk were still in the game and there was still work to do in the second half.
Lewis Hudson had been released forward by the introduction of Rhys Deehan and O’Grady was growing into the game and providing a threat. O’Grady got his debut goal just after an hour which started off with his persistence winning the ball in the box before a cool finish doubled the Sphinx lead. He was soon replaced by midfielder Myles Newman and he soon got himself into the game and showed some real flashes of quality as Sphinx continued looking for another goal to put the game to bed. Sphinx looked solid and organised at the back and Tom Cross was composed in the Sphinx goal when he was called into action. The result never really looked in doubt after the second goal went in and the strength of the bench was a factor in that.
MAN OF THE MATCH: A dominant team performance from Coventry Sphinx with the whole squad contributing to the victory. We were defensively sound again with Stringfellow again performing superbly in the centre of defence. Jackson Downie maintained his good early season form as did Cairns before his premature substitution. Phillips continues to impress and O’Grady capped his debut with a well taken goal. Towers was a threat again and opened his account for the season too. The substitutions made good contributions with Rhys Deehan particularly eye catching, Newman bringing some quality on the ball and Faulkner adding energy late on. I’m going to single out Lewis Hudson for Man of the Match on this occasion. He started at left back, moved forward to a more attacking role and summed up what Sphinx were about with a performance full of energy, desire and quality.
COVENTRY SPHINX TEAM: CROSS, LOWER ©, HUDSON, CAIRNS (Deehan), STRINGFELLOW, GUEST, TOWERS, DOWNIE, JOHNSTON, O’GRADY (Newman), PHILLIPS (Faulkner). Unused subs: Quirke, Rock
Sphinx are in FA Cup action on Saturday with Whitchurch Alport making the journey for this Extra Preliminary Round tie at Sphinx Drive.

Updated 14:25 - 30 Aug 2019 by Sharon Taylor