COVENTRY SPHINX 0-2 COVENTRY CITY RESERVES BY KEV MONKS
Sphinx
O'Neill, Goodbody, Doherty, Rhodes, Ward, McAteer Muldoon, Fisher, Phillips, Murdock, Ruff Subs Used Manak, Halton, Woodall, Smith, Martin, A.Wilson-King
Coventry City Reserves
Konstantopolous, Christie, Gudger (Greenway), Gorgan (Bottomer 78, Jermaine Grandison (Adams 78), Cameron, Cain, Walker, Jeffers, Ogleby (Quirke 86), Lellu (Blackwell 75),
HT CSFC 0-1 CCFC FT CSFC 0-2 CCFC ATT 112 Goals Adam Walker (30), Shaun Jeffers (pen 67) Referee Mike Bingham
Coventry City Reserves won 2-0 at Coventry Sphinx in a quickly re-arranged friendly.
This was City's first visit to Sphinx since July 1995 and for the game, Frankie Bunn and Greg Rioch, plus Steve Harrison in the crowd, named a team that saw Dimi Konstantopolous in goal with Jermaine Grandison, Adam Walker, Ashley Cain and Shaun Jeffers who regularly are on the bench for first team matches along with a number of U18's players.
Against a side preparing for the biggest match in their history on Saturday, when Sphinx take on Bedworth United in the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round, City should have been facing a first minute penalty but it was not given and the Sky Blues in their black away kit started to created chances of their own.
In the sixth minute, Shaun Jeffers found Ashley Cain on the right. The Nuneaton born's winger's cross was met by the head of Robert Ogleby but he could not get the angle he wanted under pressure from Terry Ward and the ball went over the bar.
The Midland Alliance side went up the other end and a long ball from Craig Goodbody was picked up by Josh Ruff. The midfielder drove from sixteen yards but Konstantopolous was alert and pushed the ball round for a corner.
City kept pressuring with Ogleby, Lellu, Walker and right back Cyrus Christie, all having efforts on goal in the opening twenty minutes.
On the half hour mark, a Cain cross from the right fell for Adam Walker, some twenty yards out from goal and the midfielder made no mistake firing high into the net.
This delighted the City fans in the crowd but in stoppage time, the Sphinx support had their hearts in their mouth as Jerome Murdock was sent on his way. He slipped the ball under Konstantpolous but the ball hit the bottom of the far post and meant that City were ahead at the break.
Sphinx Boss Danny McSheffrey made a number of changes in the second half but it was City who continued to have the better of the chances.
Ogleby had two efforts at the start of the second half. However, this was not one way traffic and in the 63rd minute, Jerome Murdock found space on the right and got hit in a low drive which bounced off the near post.
Four minutes later, the match was finished as a contest when City were awarded a penalty. Shaun Jeffers won the discussion on who was taking the kick and made no mistake to put City two goals ahead.
In the 78th minute, good work from Adam Walker and Cain who had switched to the left flank, set up Robert Ogleby. The speed merchant hit a stunning shot from twenty yards unfortunately, it thumped the bar before being cleared.
Konstantopolous made a good save from Woodhall for a corner and Walker, Ogleby and Bottomer both had chances as the match finished with a 2-0 victory for City and some good match preparation for Coventry Sphinx.