Cirencester Town FC
The home of football, corporate events, courses and celebrations
Cirencester Town FC
The home of football, corporate events, courses and celebrations
32.jpg)
Click photo to view a slideshow of photos from the match
Match photos supplied by Graham Hill
Report produced from Social Media comments
At the third attempt - postponed for waterlogged pitch and abandoned after a floodlight failure being the previous attempts - The Centurions finally completed this Third-Round fixture in the Marsh Sports Insurance (UHL) Challenge Cup against their neighbours HIGHWORTH TOWN and following an exciting match and a Penalty Shoot-out they were rewarded with a place in the Fourth Round of the competition.
Due to the performances of players from the U18’s squad, in the Floodlit Cup match against Kidlington Reserves and the previous attempt to play this match - which was abandoned at the interval with Cirencester Leading 3-0 through goals scored by Finley Bell, Aidan Bennett and Bonsa Teshome – the Cirencester Manager James Mortimer-Jones elected to include four members of the U18’s in the starting lineup and include two more on the bench.
To ensure the match was played Highworth forfeited their home advantage and agreed to reverse the fixture to The Talent Hire Stadium and from the start there was action at both ends as Highworth were awarded a free kick just outside the Cirencester box and a minute later an effort from Ed Taylor struck the Highworth bar.
With only 12 minutes on the clock Cirencester opened the scoring when BONSA TESHOME let rip with a thunderbolt from the edge of the Highworth Penalty Area that flew into the top left corner. 0-1.
Cirencester continued to press throughout the first half with Harley Arnold firing wide of the target, Taylor drawing a fine save from Oliver Gargett and Finley Bell shooting over the bar from a tight angle.
Half Time: 0-1
The second period also began at a pace with a curling effort from Teshome narrowly wide in the first five minutes.
As the hour approached Cirencester ‘keeper Ronnie Newbery was called into action to prevent a low strike towards the bottom left corner levelling proceedings and immediately his counterpart, Gargett, pulled off a double save after some excellent movement from his opponents.
During the next 15 minutes Bell and Javan Matumba had narrow misses whilst Teshome had an effort saved and one wide of the target, before Bell and Taylor combined for the former to fire over.
Following a further miss from Arnold, after he and Teshome combined, it began to appear that Highworth had survived the pressure as a counterattack resulted in a firm, diagonal strike from LUKE WHELAN that found the bottom corner to level the score. 1-1.
Back came Cirencester as Bell and Teshome linked up to create a chance for Bell that Gargett saved and as the half ‘drew to a close’ Kyle Pitts was called upon to block with his body whilst his colleagues pressed at the other end – and it was all over – PENALTY SHOOT-OUT.
FULL TIME: 1-1
Highworth went first, and all five penalty kicks for each side were converted:–
Highworth scorers:– Josh Davis, Rhys Wells, Dan Comer, Leon Morrison, Piers Walton.
Cirencester scorers:- Bonsa Teshome, Christian Oliver, Jordan Morris, Finley Bell, Jack Horrell.
On to ‘sudden death’ territory:-*
Highworth missed, Cirencester missed, Highworth missed, Cirencester scored as KYLE PITTS planted his strike into the bottom left corner and it was finally all over.
Cirencester had won the Penalty Shoot-out:- 6-5
A very entertaining game complete with a Penalty Shoot-out.
Attendance: 79 Referee: Paul Herbert
HIGHWORTH TOWN:
1. Oliver Gargett
2. Liam Haines
3. Rhys Wells
4. Tom Griffiths
5. Dan Comer
6. Ash Taylor
7. Piers Walton
8. Matt Cheetham ©
9. Leon Morrison
10. Gio Wrona
11. Luke Whelan 80
12. Josh Davis
14. Jacob Newdick
15. Connor Johns (GK)
16. Ted Hawkins
CIRENCESTER TOWN:
1. Ronnie Newbery
2. Ogaga Edward
3. Edward Scott
4. Kyle Pitts
5. Dave Bampton ©
6. Harry Titchener
7. Bonsa Teshome 12
8. Harley Arnold
9. Edward Taylor
10. Finley Bell
11. Javan Matumba
12. Christian Oliver (Javan Matumba-75mins)
14. Jack Horrell (Harry Titchener-87mins)
15. Aidan Bennett
16. Jordan Morris (Dave Bampton-70mins)
17. James Griffiths (Edwaard Taylor-75mins)