COVENTRY Sphinx had goalkeeper Keelan Fallows sent off on 33 minutes in a 2-1 home defeat against Walsall Wood.
Fallows saw red just past the half-hour mark with Walsall already in the lead as Cameron Moore briefly drew Sphinx level in a chaotic opening at the Sphinx Industrial Supplies Arena.
The result means Sphinx sit 16th in the Northern Premier League Midlands table, six points clear of the relegation zone with three games left to play.
Walsall took the lead on 11 minutes when Kevin Monteiro showed excellent feet inside the penalty area before coolly finding the bottom corner.
However, Sphinx equalised seven minutes later as Moore’s sweetly struck shot beat Dale Eve in the Walsall goal after good work from Leo Wood.
The visitors reclaimed the lead on 24 minutes in a frantic opening to the game when Corey Cooper low free-kick went through the wall and into the bottom corner.
However, Fallows controversially saw red on 33 minutes after the referee adjudged the keeper to have fouled Walsall’s Charlie Manners.
Manners took the ball past Fallows before shooting wide off balance only for the referee to bring play back and award Wood a penalty for a foul by the keeper who was sent off despite making a genuine attempt to play the ball.
That meant Sphinx captain Callum Woodward took the gloves for the final hour as the outfield player made a superb save to keep out Monteiro’s penalty and the rebound.
Woodward finished the game with a clean sheet as he made a string of fine saves to keep Sphinx in the contest with the home side unable to find an equaliser despite a valiant effort.
Coventry are next in action at home to Shepshed Dynamo on Tuesday, April 9 with kick-off at 7.45pm at the Sphinx Industrial Supplies Arena.
