Pre-season Match Report: Coventry Sphinx 0-3 NTFC
Harry Jackson rises above the Sphinx defence to head home NTFC’s second goal. Photo by Matt Davenport
Boro sign off Pre-Season in style
Sat 27 Jul 3pm - Match report
Nuneaton Town headed down the A444 on Saturday afternoon to Coventry to face yet another Step 4 side Coventry Sphinx in their final pre-season game. Nuneaton Borough met Sphinx in the Birmingham Senior Cup only last season.
New signing Harry Jackson was given a first start along with player/coach Justin Marsden. On 3 minutes, Sphinx flashed a cross from the right across the box but no-one in sky blue managed to get on the end of it.
On 19 minutes, Sphinx had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside. However, it was the team debuting their mint green away shirt for the first time, who got themselves in front on 24 minutes. A throw in directly into the box found the head of Justin Marsden and fell to a wide open Aaron Williams, who made no mistake in volleying the ball past the Sphinx keeper’s outstretched right hand. (1-0 Nuneaton)
A bit of a mix up just before half time nearly gifted Sphinx an equaliser, as a misplaced backpass had Bache scrambling, but he got there in time to deflect the ball out for a corner.
Half time:
Coventry Sphinx 0-1 Nuneaton Town
The 2nd half started with the same 11, and within 4 minutes Boro were 2 in front. Loyiso Recci whipped in a perfect cross, which allowed Harry Jackson to celebrate his first game since signing by powering a header to the helpless Sphinx keeper's left and into the net (2-0 Nuneaton).
The goal enabled Nuneaton to ring the changes, with ex-Hinckley duo Chandler Pegg and Dec Somel on along with a trialist.
It was the trialist who made the final telling impact as he latched onto a through ball. In preventing him from getting his shot away, the Sphinx defender was judged to have fouled the trialist and conceded a penalty. The same trialist then dusted himself down and sent the keeper the wrong way as he fired to his right (3-0 Nuneaton).
More subs took place with another recent signing, Harrison Bruce, getting some minutes.
Boro nearly added a fourth in stoppage time, but 3 shots in a few seconds were well blocked and a 4th went over the bar.
All in all, a happy end to pre-season and a big confidence boost ahead of Nuneaton Town's first league game on Saturday 3rd August at home to Paget Rangers.
Full time:
Coventry Sphinx 0-3 Nuneaton Town
Att 131
Team: Bache, Edwards, Batchelor, Currithers, Daly, Recci, Hendrie, Mullan, Jackson, Marsden, Williams
Subs: Pegg, Somel, Bruce, Baker, Birta
Josh Whitehouse, Trialist
Joint manager Darren Acton commented after the game:
'Another good win for the lads, we're looking very organised, we came here with confidence after another good result Tuesday'
On Harry Jackson:
'I think he's done well, come in and done what we've asked him to do and he's scored a goal which is great for the lad. There's been a lot of supporters pressuring us into signing him! We were always likely to sign him, we just wanted to give him a bit more time and see what he was all about and he's done fantastic for us.’
On pre-season in general:
'I think it's gone unbelievably well. Me and Russ have come in with games already planned and we've had to deal with them, but I don't think we've looked out of place as a team at all. Obviously, we have to take that into next week.
On next week's first league game:
'We're looking forward to it, we've had a great pre-season but we've all said don't drop the standard even with a different level of football. We've got to respect them, and they'll be coming to us, possibly treating it like a cup final so we've got to be ready for it'.
By Matt Jones
Photos by Matt Davenport
Nuneaton Town begin their Midland Division 1 campaign at the Oval against Paget Rangers on Saturday 3rd August 2024. You can find out more match day information on our website at: https://www.nuneatontownfc.co.uk/match-day-information
