COVENTRY SPHINX 0-0 WESTFIELDS BY KEV MONKS
Sphinx: O’Neill, Hayden, Jackson, Edwards, Kay, McAteer, Muldoon (Tomczak 76), Rhodes, Brown, Williams, Ruff (Bilic 86). SNU Long, Fraser, Wilson
Westfields: M.Gwyne, Price, Joel Edwards (sent off 45), Glover, S.Jackson, Robbins, Newbury (S.Gwyne 50), Cuss, Adis, Kear (Harris 80), Thomas . SNU Aldrich, Davis, Brook.
HT CSFC 0-0 WFC FT CSFC 0-0 WFC ATT 255
Referee Tom Hollidge, Assts Paul Tapp & Eric Van-Vliet.
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Coventry Sphinx failed to knock Westfields off the top of the Midland Alliance table after the sides drew 0-0 at Sphinx Drive tonight.
The biggest crowd of the season for a league fixture at Sphinx Drive of 255 saw Danny McSheffrey’s side, which was changed from the team which had won 3-1 at Rocester on Saturday, take the game to the Hereford based team who top the Alliance table on goal difference.
Jack Edwards had the first chance in the second minute when he got in a shot which went wide and this was followed by a Matt Brown cross being cleared, Luke Williams finding the keeper with an over-head kick and a Kyle Rhodes pile driver being blocked.
In the 25th minute, Sphinx, through hard working performance from every player, piled on the pressure. They won a corner which lead to a scramble in the six yard box before Joel Edwards was able to clear the lines.
The only thing Edwards was clearing just before the interval was himself off the pitch when he was red-carded for a very late tackle on Chris Hayden.
A minute into the second half, Sphinx attacked down the left through Ashley Jackson who fired in a cracking shot which Matt Gwyne expertly dived to his left to push round for a corner that Jamie McAteer headed over.
Being down to ten men, Westfields had doubled their efforts for the second half and were matching Sphinx blow for blow in a game refereed with common sense rather than a display of cards.
Kyle Rhodes fired over from a 56th minute free kick and seven minutes later, Sphinx had a corner cleared away before Danny McSheffrey made the first of his substitutions bringing on Pavel Tomczak for Tom Muldoon.
Sphinx continued to look for openings but with Westfields bringing on another defender, chances were becoming something of a premium.
Kyle Rhodes went wide from a 79th minute corner whilst at the other end, Aiden Thomas attacked down the left. Had he looked up he would have spotted an un-marked team-mate on the right but Thomas went for goal and fired wide.
Adam Bilic came on as the Sphinx defence dealt with the ball being in their penalty area in the 87th minute.
Bilic, who has come through the club’s ranks had a cross beat away before Pavel Tomczak agonisingly missed with a stoppage time header which meant that all both sides had to show for a good team performance was a point.