Coventry Sphinx put in a great performance to win 2-0 at Tipton Town in a Midland Alliance game tonight.

Sphinx travelled to take on a much changed Tipton side, whose club offices were burgled yesterday, from the team which played at Carlisle in the FA Cup last season.

With manager Danny McSheffrey away, Coach Lee Knibbs shuffled the team for this match at Tipton Sports Academy due to the unavailabilty of Terry Ward, Paul Saunders, Luke Williams and Karl Konadu due to work committments. Sphinx were ahead after four minutes  when a Tom Muldoon shot was pushed round for a corner and the resultant corner taken by Ashley Jackson was met by the head of Pavel Tomczak at the near post and into the net.

James Cooper fired over for Tipton when well placed before Sphinx Captain Jamie McAteer hooked a 19th minute shot into the keeper's arms.

Sphinx, with Dion Barnett pulling the strings in midfield, kept the keeper busy with the custodian having to push away a Danny Fraser cross and in the 31st minute Cox dived to his right to push an Ashley Jackson volley from the edge of the area for a corner.

Tipton had their best move in the 36th minute when David Bate fired wide following a four man move.

Tomczak had a couple of efforts before Tom Tonks hooked wide at the other end.

Into the second half and O'Neill saved on his line from a Chris Russell shot on the turn, McAteer just missed a long free kick before O'Neill beat away a Cooper low drive from the left for a corner.

Tipton were having a lot of the ball but rarely caused O'Neill any worries in the Sphinx goal. Sphinx had a good ten minute of pressure resulting to two Tom Muldoon efforts one which sailed over and another Cox got down to with no real problem

Tomczak went close in the 62nd minute just before Lee Knibbs made his first change bringing on Chris Hayden in replacement for Dion Barrett also changing the formation from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2.

With fifteen minutes to go, Tomczak played in Muldoon but Cox got to his right footed shot. Jack Edwards fired wide as Sphinx started to get a grip on the game.

O'Neill was called into action when he made a great stop with his legs as Chris Russell broke down the left.

Tipton piled forward in search of an equaliser but in the 89th minute, Sphinx wrapped up the match when Pavel Tomczak beat the offside trap from a Danny fraser clearance to surge into the box round the keeper and tap in the goal to give Sphinx a thoroughly deserved victory.

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Sphinx: O'Neill, Long, Fraser, Bilic, Kay, McAteer, Edwards, Barrett (Hayden 63), Tomczek, Muldoon (Donaldson 93), Jackson. Subs Hayden, A.Wlliams, Daffern
 

Tipton: Cox, Plows, Parker, Bate, Henley, Huckfield, Tonks (Bistle 46), Forrest, Russell, Downing (Taylor 78), Cooper. Subs Haycock, Bowden, Pugh.

 

 

Attendance: 78

 

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