Coventry Sphinx F.C.
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| Coventry Sphinx | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Image:Covsphinx.jpg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Copentry Sphinx Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | City | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1946 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Sphinx Drive Coventry |
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| Capacity | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager |  Paul Charnley |
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| League | Midland Combination Premier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | Midland Combination Premier, 2nd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coventry Sphinx F.C. is a football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. They were established in 1946. For the 2006-07 season, they are members of the Midland Football Combination Premier Division.
Coventry Sphinx FC started out as Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft FC in 1946. AWA progressed through the works leagues before moving to a ground just off Siddeley Avenue, situated in the lower Stoke area of Coventry and changed their name to Sphinx.
Sphinx were major players in the formation of the Coventry Alliance and won all the major trophies en-route before deciding in 1993 that a new challenge was needed and so applied to join the Midland Combination. Sphinx reserve team competes in the Midland Combination 3rd Division.
On joining the Combination, Sphinx were promoted in their first season in Division 2 and also reached the Semi-Finals of the Birmingham Saturday Vase. The 1994/95 season saw Sphinx promoted again after a second place finish in Division 1. On appointment to the top flight, Sphinx, under the chairmanship of David Kite (former Coventry Sporting Manager and Chairman) decided to link the name of the club to the city in which they play - hence the name Coventry Sphinx was born. The ground was also named Sphinx Drive and a stand erected and opened with a game against Coventry City XI. Floodlights were purchased from the now defunct Armitage 90 FC.
In their first season in the top flight, Sphinx finished as runners up to Bloxwich Town under the leadership of Stuart Gallagher and George Blower, who resigned at the end of the season. Their replacement was Sphinx stalwart Willie Knibbs, along with his assistant Joey Fletcher. Knibbs' finest achievement, under the chairmanship of David Kite and the late Ron Cooper, was steering Coventry Sphinx to the Endsleigh Challenge Cup Final in May 1999. The final, against Alveston, was staged at Villa Park just two days after the stadium had hosted the last European Cup Winners Cup Final. But unfortunately luck was not on Sphinx's side and Alveston ran out 2-0 winners.
Willie Knibbs' reign as Coventry Sphinx Manager lasted for three and a half seasons before he quit to join Racing Club Warwick in the Dr Martins Western Division. Sphinx stalwart Joey Fletcher took over the reigns as caretaker Manager until Marcus Law was appointed first team Manager in April 2000. Law left to join Bedworth United in February 2001.
With new Chairman Vic Jones at the helm, his first appointment was to recruit Willie Knibbs and Carl Davies as first team Managers for the season 2001/02.
After a great start to the season tragedy struck on November 3rd when Manager Willie Knibbs was killed in a car accident returning from a cup game at Meir KA. This was a great loss to Coventry Sphinx and football in general, but credit must be given to the management team and committee for carrying on under very difficult circumstances. The team performed wonders on and off the pitch, finishing second in the league and winning the Challenge Cup (Willie Knibbs Cup) against our old rivals Coventry Marconi.
It was always the wish of Willie to have a Junior’s Club connected to the Club, and now his wish has come true with 12 Junior teams carrying the name of Coventry Sphinx Junior’s Football Club and wearing the Sky Blue and White with pride. They will be the future crop of players to take the club forward.
Just keeping Sphinx playing Combination football has been a major achievement by its officials and supporters and with a recent formation of a youth team and a number of junior sides, the future of Coventry Sphinx FC looks bright.
Carl Davies left the club at the end of the season with Richard Wade and Martin Ascroft taking on the roles of joint managers for the 2002/03 season, finishing in a very respectable 7th position.
Richard Wade departed the club in early 2003. Steve Masters was appointed joint manager with Martin Ascroft in the summer of 2003 but was soon to resign this position after 6 months due to family and work commitments. Martin Ascroft continued as manager to achieve a very impressive 4th place finish. The reserve team achieved promotion to Coventry Alliance 1 and a new third team has been formed for the start of the 2004/05 season.
Gez Halton has been appointed Assistant Manager after successfully lending his support at the end of the 2003/04 season, as the club have taken the decision to revert away from joint managers. Paul Charnley also joins the club from rivals Massey Ferguson as first team coach.
[edit] Honours
Midland Combination Premier Division Runners-Up (4 times):
1995-96, 2001-02, 2004-05, 2005-06
Midland Combination Division One Runners-Up (1 time):
1994-95
Midland Combination ‘Willie Knibbs’ Challenge Cup Champions (1 time):
2004-05
Coventry Evening Telegraph Challenge Cup Champions (2 times):
2004-05, 2005-06
[edit] External links
| Midland Football Combination Premier Division 2006-07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alveston | Barnt Green Spartak | Bolehall Swifts | Brereton Social | Brocton | Cadbury Athletic | Castle Vale | Coleshill Town | Continental Star | Coventry Copsewood | Coventry Sphinx | Feckenham | Heath Hayes | Highgate United | Massey Ferguson | Meir KA | Nuneaton Griff | Pershore Town | Pilkington XXX | Southam United | Walsall Wood edit |
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