Tamworth 2-0 Coventry Sphinx
Stuart Guest
Coventry Sphinx’s first outing in the 2024/25 Birmingham Senior Cup ended in a 2-0 defeat at National League Tamworth courtesy of a goal in the middle of either half at The Lamb.
Tamworth weren’t distracted by the previous night’s FA Cup Third Round draw and overcame a creditable Sphinx performance in the Second Round of the County Cup, the visitors’ first game in the competition after a bye.
Joint managers John Woodward and Shaun Thomas opted for a first-choice line-up with Charlie Woods in goal behind a defence made up of Joe Pursey, Jamie Draper, Louis Guest and Finlay Shorrock.
Captain Callum Woodward, Jack Downes and Iddriss Fuseini started in midfield. Kyle Carey and Jordan Hayward flanked centre forward Damian Kelly.
Sphinx made a positive, attacking start at The Lamb but the home team showed their pedigree by getting a foot on the ball early and controlling possession.
They soon started to put the squeeze on the visitors and sent a harmless header wide of Woods’ goalpost before Kelly picked up a loose ball on the edge of the Tamworth box and his low shot zipped just wide with quarter of an hour played.
Both teams were able to get forward quickly and frequently in the first half but it was a spell of Tamworth possession in Sphinx’s defensive third that delivered the game’s first goal in the 27th minute.
A corner to the back post was won by a Tamworth head and Callum Cockerill-Mollett was well positioned in the middle to apply the finishing touch and make it 1-0.
Woods had to react smartly to tip over a driven shot less than a minute after the goal and Tamworth responded to going ahead by moving the ball around with more fluidity and purpose.
The game lost some of its dynamism as half time approached on a bitterly cold Tuesday evening in Staffordshire but Woods was called into action in the last minute of the first half to keep the deficit to a single goal with a very good save down at the base of his post.
Tamworth were on the front foot again early in the second half but Sphinx fought back and had the next strike on goal. Carey cut in and curled a shot but didn’t catch it fully and it was an easy gather for the goalkeeper.
The first part of the second half was more tame than the first from a Tamworth perspective and Sphinx did the best they could to get back on level terms before the Lambs recaptured their game and pushed the visitors back in the absence of an out-ball.
With 20 minutes remaining a fortunate ricochet left Sphinx substitute Stan Dube in a lot of space and onside, but he was unlucky to see his effort come back off the post. It was the away team’s last chance to equalise.
In the 73rd minute a block from a Sphinx head sent the ball over the crossbar for a corner. The ball ran loose in the box from the resulting set piece and Chris Wreh blasted it through the crowd and into the net to double the Tamworth lead.
Sphinx reacted well to going two behind but couldn’t make the breakthrough they needed. A corner won well by Hayward and crossed in by Shorrock led to a header over from Fuseini in the 77th minute.
The visitors should have had a penalty for a foul on Carey ten minutes from time. On the other side of a very fine double save from Woods, substitute Sam Lockley got across his man to go clear.
His powerful shot almost picked out the top corner but just missed by a whisker. Another substitute, Roan Newey, had the last shot of the match at the end of one of the visitors’ better moves of the match. His effort also drew just wide.
Cup football has been no friend to Sphinx this season but this was a good performance against higher opposition. With a luckier bounce or two in the final third, the visitors might on another night have been able to take the Lambs to a penalty shoot-out.
Sphinx will be back in league action against Long Eaton United at Grange Park on Saturday, followed by the twice rearranged visit to AFC Rushden & Diamonds on Tuesday 10th December and a home game against Quorn on Saturday 14th December.
Sphinx team
Woods, Pursey, Shorrock, Downes (Lockley), Guest (Zito), Draper, Hayward, Woodward (Dube), Kelly (Newey), Carey, Fuseini