Northern Premier League Midland Division Saturday 31 January 2026

Four incisive goals gave the Mikes the points, in a game between two relegation-haunted outfits.
They were without Jordan Gough (injured the previous Saturday), Pedro Lima (still suspended)
and Charlie Manners (who’d collected ten yellow cards). An eventual three goal cushion gave an
opportunity to blood youngsters Jack White and Ben Croot in the closing minutes. Sphinx (top of
the table after defeating us in the autumn) have since slid down to our level in the Division. Their
line up bore little resemblance to our victors back then: indeed, they were greatly changed from
their last match.

The Mikes got off to a dream start, scoring twice in the opening eleven minutes. After Jack
Burgess had clipped the bar with a first minute screamer, Kyle Byrne fired home from fifteen
yards, a feat soon repeated by Frankie Ealing from outside the box, after a silky-smooth five man
move down the left. There then followed a classic Boldmere kamikaze goal. The watchful vultures
gathered as the back line over-elaborated sideways passing; and when the ball fell between
Jonno Brown and Danny O’Callaghan, there was Devonn O’Sullivan to accept a gift on a plate, and
halve the deficit.

Play now epitomised two struggling teams, short passing movements inevitably losing
possession. A worried Sphinx bench made two substitutions before the break; and a howl for a
red card went up when advancing James Tague was floored by Patrick Zito. A yellow was
produced – rightly, we suggest – though animated discussion broke out between the home bench
and their nearest linesman! After Tague raised an “Oooh!” after hitting the post, Connor Armstrong
restored the two-goal cushion with another twenty yarder, in added time. (Editor’s note: This was probably the best first half performance of the season)

The visitors came out in determined fashion following the break, going close to reducing the
arrears three times in the opening seven minutes. As the half went on, the Coventrians gained the
upper hand, and with half an hour to go, you were already counting the minutes down. Brown had
to make a diving save and a ground level stop to keep Boldmere’s lead intact. With their tails up,
Sphinx’s bigger players winning more of the fifty-fifties, yellow cards bloomed like emerging
crocuses as everyone dug in – though most cards were awarded for poor timing, rather than
premeditated malevolence.

With a quarter of an hour to go, Jack Burgess sent in a low, hard corner. Fraser Doyle moved
intelligently in a crowded box, to head home goal number four. Game over, as the Mikes sat back
and preserved their advantage. On this showing, the opposition are more likely to be relegated
than ourselves.

Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown; Kye Bilton; Pierre Phillips; Daniel O’Callaghan; Aris Christophorou (Ben Croot 88); Connor Armstrong; Jack Burgess; Fraser Doyle (Jack White 86); James Tague (Tolani Omotola 83); Frankie Ealing (Harry Crook 78); Kyle Byrne (Ben Lund 74)

Coventry Sphinx: Jake Bull; Shakeel Brown; Njikingoue Sietambe (Finley Byng 83); Jack Downes; Patrick Zito; Jamie Draper; Roan Newey; Iddriss Fuseini (Jamal Adams 42); Devonn O’Sullivan (Damian Kelly 27; Harvey Watts 55); Arnold Masseys, (Alfie Wilkes 83); Jared Bradshaw.