Sphinx Held To A Draw

07 September 2013 16:52
Sphinx Draw At Gornal

.GORNAL ATHLETIC 3-3 COVENTRY SPHINX

 

Sphinx: O'Neill, Sullivan (Guest 25), Sockett, Baxter, Fletcher, Fowler, Galdings (Webb 68), Bannister, Wilks (Brown 62), Murdock, Jackson. Subs Dyke, Dainty

 

Gornal: Cheshire, Hurdman, Staunston, Hill, Bevas, Knight, Evans, Reeves, Sangha (Wilson 86), Granger (Hulton 62). Subs. Mtumbi, Mogg, Smith.

 

HT GAFC. 1-2 CSFC

FT GAFC 3-3 CSFC

Goals Matt Bannister 13, Tom Hurdman 14, Ricky Fletcher 30, Ben Evans 72, Ravi Savangha 74, Matt Brown 85

 

Referee J.Skerri. Assts M.Swinscoe, D.Statham

Booked Murdoch 36, Fowler 77

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Coventry Sphinx had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Gornal

 

Luke Hopkins was busy in the transfer market this week bringing in Jerome Murdoch from Coalville, Kyle Baxter from Bedworth and Matt Brown from Barwell and allowing Tom Muldoon to leave for Southam United, after news that midfielder Kyle Rhodes would be out for three months.

 

Murdoch, a fans favourite at Sphinx favourite and Baxter started for Sphinx on a cloudy afternoon at Garden Walk in Lower Gornal near Dudley for this Midland Alliance game on Non League Day.

 

Sphinx started brighly and had Fowler head over from a second minute corner.

 

Joe Knight fired wide with a hopeful shot two minutes later as did Hurdman. Sphinx countered with Matt Bannister getting through only for Cheshire to save with his legs.

 

Bannister fired over in the seventh minute and five minutes later, Sphinx won a corner. 

 

The flag kick was initally cleared but the ball came back in for Matt Bannister to fire low past Cheshire from six yards.

 

Gornal responded immediately by going up the other end and feeding the ball out to full back Tom Hurdman who slipped the ball past O'Neill.

 

Sphinx defended two corners against a side 18th in the Alliance league table before they were forced into a change when Adam Sullivan went off to be replaced by Louis Guest.

 

Murdock rounded the keeper but his effort was stopped for the first of two corners.

 

Cheshire brilliantly pushed away a

Jackson header from a Bannister cross. The ball came back in Ricky Fletcher headed home from ten yards after thirty minutes of play.

 

Jackson raced through only to fire wide before the Sphinx defence blocked a dangerous 37th minute free kick.

 

The rain came down for the second half which saw Bannister fire wide in the 51st minute.

 

Murdoch fired over when he got through six minutes later and O'Neill made a great save from Knight just on the hour mark.

 

Both sides made changes before Murdock headed over from a Baxter cross following a corner in a game that you could not take your eyes off.

 

In the 72nd minute, Ben Evans was allowed to get down the right and slip the ball past O'Neill who, two minutes later, was beaten for the third time in the game when Ravi Sangha got down the left and sent a wonderful shot into the far corner of the net.

 

Reeves missed a great chance in the 83rd minute to give Gornal, who beat Sphinx three times at Garden Walk last season, the win and in a good move, substitute Matt Brown found space inside a crowded area to draw Sphinx level.

 

Sphinx pushed forward in search of a winner, winning a couple of corners but a draw it was.

Source: Coventry MAD

Source: FOOTYMAD