Coventry Sphinx F.C.
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| Full name | Coventry Sphinx Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Sphinx | ||
| Founded | 1946 (as Armstrong Siddeley Motors) | ||
| Ground |
Sphinx Drive Coventry | ||
| Capacity | 1000 | ||
| Chairman | Dannie Cahill | ||
| Manager | Luke Hopkins | ||
| League | Midland League Premier Division | ||
| 2014–15 | Midland League Premier Division, 18th | ||
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Coventry Sphinx Football Club is a football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. They were established in 1946 and currently play in the Midland League Premier Division. They are currently the highest ranked non-League club playing in the city and play at Step Five of the National League System.
History
Coventry Sphinx FC were formed as a works team, Armstrong Siddeley Motors FC, from the Sphinx badge used on cars manufactured by that company, in 1946, playing in works leagues. Later they moved to a new ground in the Lower Stoke area of Coventry and changed their name to Sphinx FC.
Sphinx played in the Coventry Alliance with great success before joining the Midland Combination in 1993, where they were promoted in their very first season to Division 1, and also reached the semi-finals of the Birmingham Saturday Vase. In 1994–95 they were promoted again after a second-place finish. To coincide with their arrival in the top flight, the club's name was changed to Coventry Sphinx and the ground renamed Sphinx Drive.
In their first season in the top flight, Sphinx finished as runners up to Bloxwich Town after which Willie Knibbs took over as manager. Knibbs took Sphinx to the Endsleigh Challenge Cup Final in May 1999 where Sphinx lost out to Alveston in a match played at Villa Park. Knibbs reigned as manager for three and a half seasons before leaving for Racing Club Warwick but returned in 2001. Shortly after this, however, he was killed in a car accident returning from a cup game at Meir KA. The small covered stand at the ground (part seated, part standing) is named after him.
Richard Wade and Martin Ascroft took over as joint managers for the 2002–03 season and steered the team to a 7th-place finish. Steve Masters replaced Wade in the summer of 2003 but quit after six months due to family and work commitments. Martin Ascroft continued as manager to achieve a 4th-place finish. In the last two seasons under the guidance of then manager Paul Charnley, Sphinx have improved their standing even further with two consecutive 2nd-place finishes. In the 2006–07 season, Sphinx won the league, achieving promotion to the Midland Football Alliance. In the 2007–08 season the team have reached the quarter finals of the FA Vase drawing 3–3 away to Kirkham & Wesham.
At the end of the 2008–09 season Paul Charnley took the club to 7th in the Midland Alliance and resigned at the end of the season after three seasons. Reserve team manager Danny McSheffrey was appointed manager for the 2009–2010 season and led Sphinx to their first major trophy at this level, winning the League Cup by beating Westfields 3-1 at the Bescot Stadium. He also led Sphinx to 3rd in the league in the 2011-12 season. Carl Nolan took over for the 2012-13 season but only lasted 10 games before resigning and former player Luke Hopkins took over and led the team to the semi-finals of the Birmingham Senior Cup. Luke Hopkins completed the 2014-15 season as manager and the team finished in 18th place in the Midland League Premier Division, in a season in which many youth team players were integrated into the first team squad.
Players
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Youth set-up
As of the 2013-14 season the club has entered 10 teams in the Coventry Minor League. The U-16s play in the Midland Junior Premier League and the youth team play in the Midland Floodlight Youth League. In the past six years a number of junior players have been signed to local professional clubs such as Coventry City and Aston Villa. They are also the first Coventry team to win the U-16 BCFA cup. The club frequently win league and cup honours in the Coventry Minor League, often reaching at least three cup finals across all age groups per season. The junior teams are mainly based at Sphinx Drive but one or two teams play their home games at Highway Cricket Club which is about 10 minutes away from Sphinx Drive. During the 2013-14 season the junior sides won four local league cups. The following season the under 18 team were the Midland Floodlit Youth League Eastern Division champions and also won the Birmingham FA midweek Youth Cup, and a number of players played first team football for the senior team.
Honours
- Midland Combination Premier Division champions (1 time): 2006–07
- 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 winners (1 time): 2004–05
- Coventry Evening Telegraph Challenge Cup winners (2 times): 2004–05, 2005–06
- Coventry Charity Cup winners (1 time):2006–07
- Midland Alliance League Cup winners (1 time): 2009-10
Sources
- Coventry Sphinx at the Football Club History Database