COVENTRY SPHINX 4-4 GRESLEY FC BY KEV MONKS
Sphinx: O'Neill, Hayden, Long, Stevenson (Bilic 81), Ward (Newman 62), McAteer, Muldoon, Edwards, Tomczak, Williams (Ruff 84). SNU Barrett, Donaldson
Gresley: Hateley, Hill, Gough, J.Barrett, Nottingham, Langford, Lyons (Turville 60), Jepson, Goodfellow, Oliver (Hanslow 60), Spencer. SNU Barrow, Bryant
HT CSFC 3-2 GFC FT CSFC 4-4 GFC ATT 106
Goals Rob Spencer (5 & 94), Dean Oliver (9), Ashley Jackson (12), Luke Williams (22 & 51), Pavel Tomczak (38), Marc Goodfellow (66)
Booked Four Sphinx & Five Gresley players
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Coventry Sphinx were denied a victory in a Midland Alliance fixture by a last gasp stoppage time goal in a game which finished 4-4.
A bumper crowd at Sphinx Drive who had braved the cold and rain on a Monday night, saw Sphinx win an early corner and free kick which Robbie Stevenson drove into the side netting.
However, with their first attack, the team from Church Gresley who are trying to work their way back up the pyramid after dropping two divisions following financial problems, scored in the fifth minute, when a run by Geordie Gough saw a lovely cross fall for Rob Spencer to drive home.
The sizable away following were cheering once again when Gough delivered another ball, this time for Dean Oliver to turn inside the area and lash a ninth minute shot high past O'Neill and into the net.
Sphinx came back with skipper Terry Ward having a header pushed over for a 12th minute corner and when the flag kick came over, Ashley Jackson was on the edge of the area to beat Hateley with a low drive.
This was now game on and in the 22nd minute, Sphinx equalised with a corker of a goal. Midfielder Robbie Stevenson who worked hard all night like the rest of his team-mates, persisted and won the ball to send Tom Muldoon away down the right. The former Copsewood and Atherstone player delivered the ball right into the mixer where Luke Williams pounced to score from six yards.
Gough was involved in two good moves but Sphinx as a unit were the stronger. They defended when they had, battled well in midfield and worked hard up front and in the 38th minute, they got their rewards when Hately could only push away a Williams shot to Pavel Tomczak on the edge of the area. Tomczak greatfully accepted the chance and cooly finished to see Sphinx 3-2 up at the break.
Six minutes into the second half, the Sphinx support were celebrating when Tom Muldoon forced a corner. Terry Ward got up to head the ball right into the path of Luke Williams to score.
Gresley never gave up and in the 66th minute, they scored a third when possession was lost. The ball went out to the left for Spencer to cross and Marc Goodfellow to scramble home.
Things started to get niggly with the bookings rising to nine as Gresley started to have the better of the chances late on.
Carl O'Neill saved twice, Goodfellow blazed over but in the fourth minute of stoppage time, a cross from the left was whipped in and Rob Spencer got a touch to send the ball deflecting off a defender and into the net to end the game in a 4-4 draw.