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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Click photo to view a slideshow of photos from the match
Courtesy of Steve Rolfe Photography
Match Report by Dave Pyzer
Cirencester avenged their 2-1 defeat at Street earlier in the season with an impressive 5-0 victory at The Corinium Stadium to maintain the pressure on their ‘play-off’ rivals and in the process scored their 100th league goal for this season.
In the reverse fixture, shortly before Christmas, ‘The Cobblers’ produced a late rally to score two goals to overcome a 1-0 deficit to take the points and even though they have announced that they intend to resign from the Southern League at the end of this season they are in a good run of form – defeating Moneyfields and drawing with Evesham and Blackfield & Langley in their last 6 games to be placed 10th to Cirencester’s 3rd in the ‘6-Match Form Guide’ table – and as such were expected to be dangerous opponents.
There were no changes to the Cirencester starting eleven from the previous match against AFC Totton.
The hosts pressed from the kick-off, playing towards The Arena end of the ground, as they worked their flanks with both Ellis Dunton and Will Christopher seeing plenty of the ball as they continually drove forward in support and during the early stages of the game Jack Freeman (three times) and Owen Windsor (who played 90 minutes for England Schoolboys the previous evening in Ireland) had shots blocked, saved or were narrowly wide of the target.
It was not all one-way traffic however as Street were quick to counter and home ‘keeper Sam Ayres had to dart out of his box to head clear on one occasion and Craig Herrod flashed an effort wide of the right post.
Cirencester were stringing passes together as they worked the ball forward but the breakthrough came about courtesy of an under-hit back pass just before the mid-point of the half. The Street defender attempted to play it back to ‘keeper Liam Kingston as the lively OWEN WINDSOR closed him down and the error enabled the home striker to dart round him to push it past the advancing ‘keeper and carry it along the left by-line before sliding it inside the far right post from a narrow angle with his right foot. 1-0.
The visitors responded to this setback by working the ball down their left flank, with several players involved, culminating in a free kick just outside the home penalty area that was fired high over the cross-bar.
Moments later Alan Griffin released Tommy Anderson to the right channel of the Street penalty area for a 1v1 with Kingston that the ‘keeper did well to block. Anderson recovered the ball to shoot into the net but was adjudged to have committed a foul in his recovery and the ‘goal’ was disallowed.
Around the half hour mark Cirencester won a series of corner kicks but could not add to their earlier goal as the visitors defended for all they were worth.
As the half entered the final ten scheduled minutes there was time for a ‘pirouetted drag back turn’ from Mike Pook to create space for a pass to Christopher who sent a shot whistling past the right post from 25 yards - soon to be followed by a fierce strike from Freeman that was narrowly wide of the left post.
In between these various home efforts Street had threatened through the pace of Steve Murray.
The half ended with a neat exchange of passes between Anderson and Griffin that led to the former sending a cross towards Freeman as he darted forward to volley over the bar.
Half Time: 1-0
When they returned after the break the home side might have been wondering if they had missed their chance to secure victory with so much possession and threat and not enough reward to show for it but within two minutes nerves were settled as Griffin supplied a clinical finish to a flowing move. Babz Jarra won the ball just outside the home penalty area and decided to charge down the centre of the pitch for 25 yards or so before sending the ball forward to Windsor, 25 yards out – right channel, and he in turn, back to goal, flicked it into the path of Freeman as he darted forward into the penalty area to slip it left to ALAN GRIFFIN who placed his right footed shot inside the left post. 2-0.
Street responded to this setback to win a corner kick and shortly afterwards get the ball in the back of the home net but this was ruled out for ‘offside’ earlier in the move.
Sam Ayres delivered this free kick with incredible precision to the head of Dunton on the left touchline and he nodded it on to Aidan Bennett who back-headed it on to ALAN GRIFFIN, near the left front corner of the Street penalty area. The striker collected the ball, back to goal, and moved to his left, turning as he did so to face the goal and seeing his way blocked he dummied and moved right a couple of times until he was near the centre front edge of the penalty area and once there he unleashed an accurate low strike that nestled inside the left post. 3-0.
A minute later The Centurions Captain had the chance to complete his hat-trick as he received the ball in space in the Street penalty area - he advanced to a position just outside the line of the left post and level with the penalty spot where he struck his left footed shot agonisingly wide of the far right post.
Shortly afterwards Cirencester had a strong penalty appeal rejected when Tommy Anderson was bundled over as he burst forward but the winger was soon back again as he carried the ball some 50 yards down the centre, riding tackles as he went, before slipping it to OWEN WINDSOR, right channel of the penalty area, who slotted home inside the far left post. 4-0.
Just before this goal Street had played a through ball into the home penalty area for Oscar Latas to collect to the left of the penalty spot. Ayres advanced and pushed him wider and the resulting shot struck the bottom of the left post as Adam Connolly got back to cover.
With nothing to lose the visitors pressed forward after the mid-point of the half and created a number of openings – Dave O’Hare fired wide of the right post, Josh Bennett fired over the bar then Phil Ormrod brought a fine diving save from Ayres before a Bennett ‘chip shot’, from the edge of the box, rebounded off the top left corner of the woodwork.
Cirencester survived this period of pressure from their visitors and even countered during it with Jordan Morris nearly getting on the end of an Aidan Bennett cross as soon as he took to the pitch and firing over the bar a few minutes later.
As the final whistle loomed Cirencester worked an opening for Anderson as he darted to the right front corner of the 6 yard box to have his shot bravely blocked by Kingston.
With a minute of ‘normal’ time remaining Murray chased a ball into the right channel of the Cirencester penalty area for a 1v1 with Ayres who parried his effort to be cleared and moments later the action was at the other end of the pitch as a sweeping move reached JACK FREEMAN who exchanged passes with Griffin inside the Street penalty area before tucking the ball inside the far left post from right of the penalty spot to score the 100th goal of this league campaign. 5-0.
Full Time: 5-0
This was a very professional performance from Cirencester with a number of fine performances and clinical finishes - against a side who kept trying until the very end – and maintains the pressure on the other ‘play-off’ contenders.
Attendance: 225
Referee: Mr S Durnall
CIRENCESTER TOWN:
1. Sam Ayres
2. Will Christopher
3. Ellis Dunton
4. Michael Pook
5. Baboucarr Jarra
6. Jack Freeman 90
7. Tommy Anderson
8. Adam Connolly
9. Alan Griffin (C) 47, 54
10. Owen Windsor 21, 64
11. Aidan Bennett
12. Jordan Morris (Owen Windsor-67mins)
14. Louis Spalding (Adam Connolly-75mins)
15. James Mortimer-Jones (Aidan Bennett-79mins)
16. Declan Lehmann (GK)
17. Charlie Griffin
STREET F.C.:
1. Liam Kingston
2. Josh Bennett
3. Lewis Waldy
4. Ben Amghar (C)
5. Ross McErlain
6. Matt Hurley
7. Sam Hedges
8. Jamie Short
9. Steve Murray
10. Phil Ormrod
11. Craig Herrod
12. Oscar Latas (Craig Herrod-61mins)
14. Dave O’Hare (Sam Hedges46mins)
15. Aidan Chainey
16. Nathan Rudge
17. Richard Fey