Cirencester Town FC
The home of football, corporate events, courses and celebrations
Cirencester Town FC
The home of football, corporate events, courses and celebrations
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Match Report by Dave Pyzer
Cirencester made the long journey to Norfolk to play King’s Lynn Town who prior to this match were placed 15th in the Premier Division table with 15 points from their 11 games. In comparison Cirencester were 21st with 11 points from 12 games.
The current form guide table, based on the last 6 league matches, places King’s Lynn in 6th position and Cirencester 17th.
For their 3rd game in charge the new Management Team placed the emphasis on youth as the back five of the starting eleven consisted of Harvey Rivers (20 years old), Kieran Diaz-Benitez (18), Alfie Kilgour (18), Matt Liddiard (24) and Sindri Scheving (19) – probably one of the youngest ever put out by Cirencester. The midfield had James Mortimer-Jones in his customary ‘screening’ role and Andy Elcock and Adam Connolly in front of him whilst the wide players were Ross Langworthy and Ollie Knight with Aidan Bennett ploughing a lone furrow up front.
Adam Connolly started proceedings by playing the ball to Andy Elcock who slipped it left to Sindri Scheving (on loan from Reading for a month) and he chipped the ball down the flank to the left corner for Ollie Knight to collect and drive towards the home box. En-route he was fouled leading to the first free kick of the match that Elcock sent towards the near post where it was headed clear.
The home side responded with a break down their right flank that resulted in a corner kick. Michael Clunan took the kick from the right and played it short to Gary Mills, near the front corner edge of the Cirencester penalty area, and he chipped the ball towards the back post but none of his incoming team-mates could get a touch and the ball sailed out of play.
Three minutes later King’s Lynn attacked the Cirencester left flank and as they neared the corner the ball was crossed through the penalty area for Kurtis Revan to collect in the right channel of the box. An alert Harvey Rivers had adjusted his position and charged forward spreading himself for maximum coverage and blocked the shot with his legs but it rebounded to another home player, further out of the box, but once again the cross evaded his team-mates to pass the left post.
Within a minute the ball was at the other end of the pitch as Cirencester won a corner kick on their left flank. Elcock played the ball short to Aidan Bennett who returned it to him to cross but it was lost.
Shortly afterwards Bennett received the ball 10 yards inside the King’s Lynn half, facing his own goal, and moved left whilst playing a superb reverse pass into the path of Knight as he galloped down the left flank. As he reached the left side edge of the area he crossed the ball but it was cut-out and a corner kick awarded. The corner kick did not reach its intended target and was cleared.
A minute later Bennett cut in from the right flank and fired a left footed shot from the front corner of the penalty area but his effort was blocked and cleared. The clearance landed behind the Cirencester backline and an intended back-pass was ‘miss-hit’ forcing Rivers to dart out of his area and hurriedly clear as an opponent tried to latch onto it.
A couple of minutes later the home side won a corner kick on their left flank and when it entered the box Alfie Kilgour rose to head clear despite the attention of a home player but the referee decided he had been fouled in the process and awarded a free kick to Cirencester thus relieving the pressure.
James Mortimer-Jones popped up on the right flank and played the ball down the line to Langworthy who took it to the corner before crossing. The cross was cut-out and cleared but fell to a supporting Elcock who instantly fired a left footed shot at the target from the right channel, 25 yards out, that Alex Street in the home goal caught.
At the mid-point of the half Bennett received the ball on the centre line of the pitch, 15 yards inside the King’s Lynn half, and sent another terrific ball out to the right flank for Langworthy to collect as he charged down the right flank. As the winger reached the right channel of the home penalty area he shot towards the left post but Street parried his effort and a fellow defender cleared it down field before Langworthy could latch onto the rebound.
With 25 minutes on the clock King’s Lynn were awarded a free kick, 30 yards out right of centre, that Clunan stepped up to take. He struck the ball firmly towards the top right corner of the goal and it looked destined for the back of the net until Rivers launched himself to his left and pushed it around the post. A truly tremendous save. As the corner kick entered the Cirencester area King’s Lynn committed a foul and a free kick was awarded to relieve the pressure on their defence.
As the half hour mark approached Adam Connolly intercepted a ball near half way and played it into the path of Sindri Scheving as he charged down the left channel of the pitch and into the home penalty area. Once there he took it past his opponent and to the by-line before crossing towards the back post. The ball passed through the 6 yard box towards the back post where a team-mate attempted to collect and finish but the Assistant Referee had his flag raised and the threat was over.
A few minutes later Cirencester worked the ball down their right flank as Kieran Diaz-Benitez supplied the ball to Mortimer-Jones who fed it to Bennett further down the flank but he was quickly surrounded and the move ended.
With 9 minutes of the half remaining Langworthy attempted an ambitious bicycle kick from the right front corner of the home penalty area that flew past the far left post.
Four minutes from the interval Revan pushed the ball past Scheving and attempted to take the youngster on for pace down the right flank but the defender matched him and in the ensuing tackle they both fell to ground. The Referee awarded a free kick to Cirencester.
In the final moments of the half King’s Lynn were pressing and probing the Cirencester back line but it held firm.
Half Time: 0-0
After the interval Cirencester once again started confidently as they passed the ball about working it forward and within the first minute Diaz-Benitez slipped the ball to Kilgour who chipped it forward for Bennett in the right corner.
This was soon followed by a move that started on the right flank and ended in the left corner as Elcock slipped it to Diaz-Benitez, back to Elcock, left to Connolly, left to Mortimer-Jones, back to Connolly forward to the left corner for Knight to chase and collect. Knight was held up by an opponent but he slipped it to Scheving as he overlapped to the by-line and crossed – but it was cut-out and the danger for the home side over.
Cirencester were displaying confidence and composure as they passed the ball about and worked it across the back line and into midfield but the home side were gradually working their way into the half and 7 minutes in Jacek Zielonka won a corner kick on their left flank that Matt Liddiard headed out.
Back it came as Leon Mettam crossed from the right corner towards the far post where Mills was unable to collect.
Ten minutes into the half King’s Lynn broke down the pitch, right of centre, as Mettam latched onto the ball behind the Cirencester back line. As he neared the front edge of the Cirencester penalty area Diaz-Benitez had read the situation and dashed across from his flank to take the ball of the strikers toe but collided with the forward in the process and they fell to ground. The home players and crowd bayed for a Red Card (suggestions of last man) but the Referee awarded a free kick to King’s Lynn 4 yards outside the Cirencester penalty area. Mettam took the kick himself and slipped it left to Mills, in space in the left channel of the Cirencester penalty area, who volleyed it into the mix where it was defended and cleared.
Two minutes later King’s Lynn won another corner kick on the left which was sent to the back post where Toby Hilliard headed into the waiting arms of Rivers.
The home side were cranking up the pressure on their guests and on the hour mark were awarded a free kick near the left side edge of the Cirencester penalty area. The ball was blocked on the line at the back post and put behind for a corner kick from the right that was successfully defended.
Two minutes later Mortimer-Jones fed Knight as he broke down the left flank to the corner. Once there he crossed towards the near post where Bennett charged forward to head but in the process he was adjudged to have fouled his opponent. Free kick to King’s Lynn.
Ollie Knight was having a busy spell as he was released down the left flank again and produced a deep cross from the corner. A back-peddling Street pushed the ball out and over the head of an advancing Bennett who quickly turned to gather but his attempt to slip the ball to a supporting Langworthy was intercepted.
With 20 minutes of the half completed Revan crossed from the right and Liddiard cut it out to concede a corner kick. Zielonka sent the kick towards the penalty spot where Mettem rose to head in the direction of the left post. A well placed Diaz-Benitez, guarding his post, cleared the effort off the line and it ran loose to Danny Emmington who was charging forward down the left channel of the box but he blazed it wide of the left post from 12 yards.
As is often the case a narrow miss at one end leads to a goal at the other and two minutes later ROSS LANGWORTHY collected the ball in the left channel of the home penalty area and seeing his way blocked cut back to his right and towards the front edge of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches as he moved right and rifled a low right footed shot inside the right post to give his side the lead. 0-1.
King’s Lynn pushed forward and a Mettam cross from the right was blocked by Liddiard enabling a counter attack down their left flank as Knight slipped it to Bennett who returned it to the former as he continued his run. The resulting cross was collected by Street as he beat Bennett to the ball and launched it down the right flank.
Either side of the half hour mark King’s Lynn mounted another couple of attacks as a free kick was caught by Rivers quickly followed by a deep cross from Dylan Edge on their left flank that Rivers tipped over his cross-bar. The resulting corner kick from the right was pushed out by Rivers and fell to Zielonka who fired wide of the right post from near the penalty spot.
At this stage of the game Zielonka was seeing plenty of the ball, either from corner kicks or general play, and another of his crosses from the left was caught by Rivers at the back post.
With 6 minutes of normal time remaining King’s Lynn had a strong shout for a penalty kick as Revan cut in from the right and both he and Scheving fell to ground as he attacked the by-line but a well placed Referee ignored protests from the home players and crowd.
On the stroke of full time King’s Lynn finally made the breakthrough they had been searching for when a long ball into the Cirencester penalty area was headed out and fell to LEON METTAM, to the right of the penalty spot, and he drove it inside the right post to level the score. 1-1.
A couple of minutes later Langworthy broke into the home penalty area and won a corner kick from the left that reached Scheving who saw his left footed strike deflected for another corner kick that was defended.
Deep into added time Zielonka sent another cross from the left through the Cirencester penalty area and when it found its way back to the left a chipped cross was tipped over the bar by Rivers and the resulting corner kick defended.
Final Score: 1-1.
A well earned point for Cirencester but it could so nearly have been all three.
The young defence showed great resilience and they all played their part in a determined performance.
Harvey Rivers made a number of outstanding saves on the occasions that King’s Lynn got past the other youngsters in front of him, whilst they exhibited a calm confidence and stubbornness not to be beaten despite this being the first time they have played together.
The midfield harried, defended and started forward moves and the forward line attacked with great energy.
Another promising performance for the new Management Team to dissect.
Attendance: 575
Referee: Mr D. Geary
King’s Lynn Town:
1. Alex Street
2. Danny Emmington
3. Jordan Yong
4. Sam Gaughran
5. Gary Mills
6. Dan Quigley
7. Michael Clunan
8. Eoin McQuaid
9. Jacek Zielonka
10. Leon Mettam (C) 90
11. Kurtis Revan
12. Liam Fryatt
14. Toby Hilliard (Eoin McQuaid-46mins)
15. Alex Clunan
16. Dylan Edge (Gary Mills -76mins)
17. Luke Pearson
Cirencester Town:
1. Harvey Rivers
2. Kieran Diaz-Benitez
3. Sindri Scheving
4. Alfie Kilgour
5. Matt Liddiard (C)
6. Adam Connolly
7. Andy Elcock
8. James Mortimer-Jones
9. Aidan Bennett
10. Ross Langworthy 67
11. Ollie Knight
12. Ben Brown
14. Ka’lum Youngsam (Ollie Knight-87mins)
15. Charlie Buse
16. Charlie Griffin