STOURPORT SWIFTS 1-1 COVENTRY SPHINX: FULL REPORT & IMAGES...

Stubborn Stourport Make A Point As Woodward Slams In A Penalty For Sphinx 

Stourport Swifts 1-1 Coventry Sphinx

A busy match at Walshes Meadow ended level, although neither team really created too much in the way of goalscoring opportunities. Indeed, both defences dominated the affair mostly, with home skipper Shaun Griffiths and his sidekick Matt Fulloway both looking formidable and rarely offering Sphinx striker Joel Grandison a sniff of a chance. In fact it was the other two Coventry forwards, Charlie Faulkner and Ryan Harkin who missed the target a few times between them, although right-wingback Leigh Phillips forced home ‘keeper Dom Richards into one brave save. It took the craft and invention of Mr Tricky himself, Josh O’Grady, a second-half replacement for the visitors to assist Harkin in winning a penalty, which was despatched by skipper Callum Woodward to claim a point for the guests. This must have been tough to take for Swifts, although in all fairness, the visitors had taken the game to their hosts and subsequently deserved some reward.

A SWIFT START...

Stourport’s goal from a corner had been contested by Sphinx goalie Tom Cross, who complained that he had been backed into by goalscorer Mark Danks but the impish and wily forward’s clever actions left the watching referee unimpressed with Cross’ claims. Cross actually made the save of the game from the lively Drew Canavan during the second period but many of the threats from Canavan and the willing Nick MacPherson were countered by Coventry’s sullen back three of Aaron Stringfellow, Louis Guest and Michael Quirke. However, Sphinxman Faulkner will no doubt mull over his first-half miss time and again before it disappears into the mists of his memory later in November…

FAULKNER RUES HIS MISS...

SLEVIN: ALWAYS ABOUT WHEN THERE'S DEBATE TO BE HAD...

The fast start by Swifts, as their name suggests, nearly brought a very early goal when Danks’ in-swinging delivery towards goal from the left was missed in the penalty-box by two combatants which fooled Cross and the goalie fell left to parry the ball straight to Joe Billingham’s waiting left boot. However, a combination of Lewis Hudson and Cross deflected the ball across goal and off Guest, before Canavan’s drive was blocked superbly, I think by Guest’s instinctive lunge. Left-back Lewis Platt started so well for the hosts and Coventry’s Phillips too often found himself attempting to check the runs of both Platt and Danks at the same time. Woodward did well to deflect a Platt drive away for a corner, a Martin Slevin free-kick was nodded well off target by Griffiths and after the opening goal, Billingham shot poorly wide for Stourport.

"CAN I HAVE A WORD, SHAUN?"

WOODWARD IS ALWAYS AROUND WHEN THERE'S A BIT OF HASSLE TOO...

Slevin was coolness itself as a passer in the middle of the Swifts’ midfield but was also fiery in the tackle and of course, despite his stature he was the possessor of a fine leap for heading duels. His in-swinging right-flank corner dropped onto Danks’ boot just three yards from goal, as he leaned against the much taller Cross and the ball flew into the net.

DANKS LEANS...

...SHOOTS...

...& SCORES...

1-0...

The visitors had seen an early break by Harkin on the right end with a decent centre as he slipped and had just got past the covering Declyn Cummings but the ball evaded Faulkner in the middle. Harkin would later clip a 25 yard free-kick over the goal-frame but by then, Faulkner had squandered his one opportunity. Sphinx counter-attacked after defending a corner and Faulkner was actually fortunate as the ball deflected off Cummings and himself to free him from the half-way line. He ran on, colleagues on either side of him, drew Richards but slipped a poor shot past the left upright, to the chagrin of Grandison. As the interval approached, a fine pass by the influential Jackson Downie saw Phillips raiding at inside-right and he battled off the attentions of the commendably defending Danks but Richards was quickly off his goal-line to save at the ex-GNP Sportsman’s feet.

A GLUT OF FACIAL EXPRESSIONS...

THE INTERVAL REACHED, SWIFTS' 4 & 7, LAYTON & SLEVIN LEAVE THE FIELD HAVING DONE WELL...

The break was reached with a 1-0 lead for Swifts but Stourport found the second-half a little tougher as Woodward and Downie began to exert their authority on occasions and Harkin in particular might have won the match for Sphinx. Fine work by Slevin especially and some strong physical effort by Kirk Layton, who had been cautioned during the first period, kept the damage to a minimum though. Hudson drove way too high, Faulkner continued to look frustrated and irritated but it was only after a couple of efforts at goal by Swifts that Coventry began to feature more offensively. Griffiths headed a Canavan free-kick too high and following a stunning rush by Platt into the 18 yard box, the ball fell for Canavan, whose rising shot was superbly turned over his crossbar by the reactive Cross. 

THE SECOND PERIOD BEGINS...

HASSLE, SO GUESS WHO'S ABOUT?
YEAH, SLEVIN & WOODWARD...

SURELY SOMEONE ISN'T TAKING THE PISS OUT OF O'GRADY'S GLOVES?

LINE-DANCING PRACTICE...

And so O’Grady, minus his tightly fitting party suit, donned his mittens and entered from stage right, wearing several layers of bluish apparel to keep out the cold and damp of the River Severn environs. He didn’t run much, he doesn’t really ever sprint but when in possession he is as difficult to barge off the ball as Steve Claridge used to be, shoving an arse into his marker, arms outstretched and twisting like a genie from a bottle of lager. His smart pass through inside-left for Harkin saw the forward fall over Griffiths’ challenge and a penalty was awarded. Woodward smacked it into the centre of goal and effectively, Stourport were left to clutch onto a point.

THE SPOT-KICK GOES IN...

...IT'S 1-1...

...& WOODWARD CLAPS HIMSELF...

A fine O’Grady pass released Harkin at inside-left then, but with only the advancing Richards to beat, the striker clipped his 18 yard effort over the right angle of crossbar and upright. Incredibly, Harkin was offered another chance to convert a possible winner, this time from Phillips’ low centre, after a fast run to the byeline. This time, with the home defenders wrong-footed, Harkin clipped a 7 yard shot again past the upper reaches of that right stick and his afternoon thus became even more unmemorable. At the death of the encounter, Sphinx were awarded a 22 yard free-kick at inside-left when O’Grady’s yellow boots were upended. It seemed certain that Tricky’s left canary would at least work the goalie, perhaps even snatch all three points but Downie took the shot instead and the referee was so shocked at how far off target the midfielder’s right boot effort drifted that he blew his whistle to end the affair.  

O'GRADY HAS A TRICK OR TWO HIDDEN AMONGST HIS CLOTHING...

THE END IS NIGH...

Woodward was typically committed for the guests, as was Harkin and certainly Downie, backed up by Phillips’ dashes and the general solidity of the three central defenders, whilst Slevin, Layton, Fulloway, Platt and Griffiths featured strongly for the hosts. 

ALL OVER...

A decent battle which lacked some excitement… 

TEAMS:

STOURPORT SWIFTS:

DOM RICHARDS, DECLYN CUMMINGS, LEWIS PLATT, KIRK LAYTON, SHAUN GRIFFITHS (CAPT), MATT FULLOWAY, MARTIN SLEVIN, MARK DANKS, NICK MACPHERSON, DREW CANAVAN, JOE BILLINGHAM.

SUBS:

JOE HANSON, JIM HANSON, KYLE BELMONTE, JOSH COOKE and the inimitable CHRIS CONWAY warmed up too…

COVENTRY SPHINX:

TOM CROSS, AARON STRINGFELLOW, LEWIS HUDSON, JACKSON DOWNIE, MICHAEL QUIRKE, LOUIS GUEST, LEIGH PHILLIPS, CALLUM WOODWARD (CAPT), JOEL GRANDISON, CHARLIE FAULKNER, RYAN HARKIN.

SUBS:

SCOTT LOWER, JOSH O’GRADY, SAM JACKSON, LIAM ROCK, RAMZI SHAHEEN.