skip to content

Newsletter Sign up

Corinium Facilities

Centurion Football

Our Sponsors

  • Tiger Turf
  • Mainstream digital
  • Spire House
  • McDonalds Cirencester
  • Costwold Water Park Hotel
  • Total Teamwear
  • David M.Coe Financial Planning
  • SpecSavers
  • Networld Sports
  • Thifty Car and Van Rental

Evo Stik Southern League 2017/18

West Division

 

AFC Totton   2 – 1   Cirencester Town

Match Report by Dave Pyzer   
Cirencester were on the road again for their third away match on the bounce as they travelled to Southampton to face AFC Totton who have only lost once in their last six games and sit in 5th place in the ‘6-Match Form Guide’ table (ten places above Cirencester).
 
Prior to this game the home side were in 9th place in the West Division table (Cirencester 18th).
 
During the week Charlie Griffin had secured the services of Louis Spalding (brother of Henry) on loan from Swindon Town for a month and he started at left back with Ellis Dunton moving alongside Alex Albert at centre back and Adam Connolly returning to his usual mid-field berth.  

 

Report from Danny Hall

CIRENCESTER TOWN endured another frustrating afternoon, playing superbly but coming away from Totton with nothing.

Rarely can the home side, who are just outside the play-off positions, have been played off the park so comprehensively as they were in the opening 45 minutes when their man of the match, keeper Shaun Murphy pulled off a string of fine saves.

And yet they went in 1-1 at the break after Tommy Anderson's 38th-minute goal, his first for Cirencester, was cancelled out in stoppage time by a Craig Feeney penalty.

A Ciren mistake led to Feeney scoring his second in the 51st minute. The visitors' day was summed up late on when sub Henry Spalding was sent off for a second yellow and Ben Whitehead's stoppage-time shot on the turn came back off the bar.

Cirencester gave a debut to Swindon Town scholar Louis Spalding at left back – he played well – with Ellis Dunton moved across to centre half and captain Adam Connolly restored to midfield. Aidan Bennett was preferred to Louis's brother Henry on the left of midfield, while young Bristol Rovers keeper Thom Jonkerman ended his month-long loan spell between the sticks. Former Centurion Tony Lee lined up for the Stags.

Ciren attacked from the outset and maintained a relentless assault on the Stags goal for the entire half.

Murphy denied Whitehead in the fifth minute and did even better to keep out a Bennett curler in the 19th minute.

But the pick of his stops came in the 28th minute. Swindon Town loanee Tommy Ouldridge, playing in the hole behind Whitehead, did everything right with his downward header off a beautiful, teasing Ellis Dunton cross and turned away in disbelief when Murphy somehow got down to claw the ball away.

A minute later Murphy got his hand to a goal-bound Anderson header. And then he kept out a sweetly-struck Connolly drive at full stretch.

Ironically, after all their slick football, Ciren's goal resulted from an ugly goalmouth scramble when Anderson, surrounded by three defenders, got enough of a touch to trickle the ball over the line.

But in added time, the canny Feeney turned in the box and went over Ellis Dunton's outstretched foot before calmly sending Jonkerman the wrong way from the spot.

Half Time 1 - 1

Buoyed by the lifeline Totton were a different proposition after the break with Jack Masterton in commanding form in the Stags midfield.

Again their goal came out of nothing; Whitehead was dispossessed near the centre circle and one pass later Feeney was running in on goal before slotting past Jonkerman.

Without producing their excellent football in the second half Ciren were always in with a shout in a much less eventful second period.

In the 90th minute Stags sub Dave Allen struck the bar from a great position, before Whitehead swivelled and struck the bar at the other end, and there was still time for Spalding to be dismissed for his second yellow.

Totton celebrated at the final whistle like a team that knew they had got out of jail.

As the saying goes ‘ a game of two halves’ as Cirencester dominated the first half and should have had at least a three goal lead - had it not been for ‘keeper Shane Murphy who was subsequently voted Man of the Match.

Attendance:     262                                          Referee:          Declan O’Shea

AFC Totton:

 1.  Shane Murphy
 2.  Connor York
 3.  Ian Oliver
 4.  Jack Masterson
 5.  Jack Barker
 6.  Jack Smith
 7.  Curtis Young
 8.  Alfy Whittingham
 9.  Craig Feeney                                               45p, 54
10.  Tony Lee   
11.  Charlie Gunson       

12.  Tobi Adekunle                                (Tony Lee-67mins)
14.  Patrick Nolan                                 (Alfy Whittingham-82mins)
15.  Robin Nicholls
16.  Callum Chugg
17.  Dave Allen                                      (Charlie Gunson-87mins)                                  

Cirencester Town:

 1.   Thom Jonkerman
 2.   Will Christopher
 3.   Louis Spalding                                          
 4.   Alexandru Albert
 5.   Ellis Dunton
 6.   Michael Pook        
 7.   Tommy Anderson                                       38
 8.   Adam Connolly     (C)
 9.   Aidan Bennett
10.  Ben Whitehead
11.  Tommy Ouldridge 

12.  Alan Griffin                                  (Will Christopher-75mins)
13.  Mateusz Wieczorek   (GK)  
14.  James Mortimer-Jones
15.  Mason Lewis
16.  Henry Spalding                             (Aidan Bennett-61mins)

Cirencester Town FC © 2011 - 2024