MATCH REPORT FIRST TEAM VS PEWSEY VALE

Friendly Tuesday 31 July 2007 7.45pm

Pewsey Vale 2 Cirencester Town 3

On a flat but bumpy pitch, the Hellenic West hosts took an early lead when player-manager Adi Viveash headed a clearance onto his own arm only for the referee to indicate a penalty.

Scott Ward despatched the kick expertly beyond Matt Bulman’s left hand for a 2nd minute opener. After an opening phase in which the home team had given the experimental Ciren team a good working over, with Ward and Adam Field up front proving lively opponents in the Pewsey attack, worse was to follow on 24 minutes.

Chris Oran got to a clearance just in front of triallist Dan Bishop to send sub Kevin Montague scampering up the right flank. Matt Bulman came out but then retreated, expecting Ollie Holder to come across on the cover. It did not happen and the young winger skipped around the by now exposed Bulman to net comfortably.

With Jon Else in midfield and Danny Wallington wide right providing most of the first half threats Ciren came back, but without forcing Stuart Thompson into a save, with Steve Carter very steady in front of him in an uncompromising Pewsey defence.

Harry Etheridge was working hard in midfield to free Nathan Lightbody, with the front man showing good control to keep the attacks moving. But the final ball was lacking and Pewsey survived in spite of constant Ciren pressure.

Second half the visitors rejigged, Dan Hilder coming in on the left to support Dan Bishop, Lance Lewis and Nick Stanley replacing Phil Hall and Nathan Lightbody up front, Els switching with Waddington now to go wide on the right and John Wyatt moving from left back to join Ollie Holder in the centre of defence.

Pewsey also swapped players around, bringing on some of their youngsters, but the presence of Lance Lewis and Nick Stanley up front changed the balance of play in favour of Ciren, with the two new players pressing the Pewsey defence and causing all sorts of problems with their swift interplay.

On 56 minutes John Wyatt expertly headed home a corner from Phil Hall, before Lance Lewis turned neatly to lose his marker to track and easily head home a Hall far post cross for 2 - 2 on 63 minutes.

Within 2 minutes skipper for the night Harry Etheridge had headed Ciren into the lead, reacting first to a cross into the box from Hally (again!) after Dan Hilder and then Jon Else had turned the Pewsey defence inside out with their forays up the flanks.

Triallist Dan Bishop, after an uncertain start, was now in full flow and he and Lance Lewis were pummelling the Pewsey defence, with the shots raining in on sub keeper Richard Gaye. He did well to turn a Nick Stanley piledriver over the bar, and did even better when Lewis ran cleverly onto an Els pass to fire for the far post.

Nick Stanley again had a close call, forcing Gaye to a fingertip save before Lewis, who had been clever and electric all night, forced three good saves from the young keeper before the close.

Ciren manager Adi Viveash was pleased with the workout “There will be maybe 12 or so who will get the nod on Thursday night and after next week I will have to decide on the last 6 or so who will make it to the final squad.”

“Again, after a bit of a shaky start, they are showing me that they all want to play for us and it is not going to be easy to tell some of these players that, just at the moment, we cannot offer them a squad starting slot. Me and Oggy will have some hard decisions to make”

Pewsey Vale: Stuart Thompson [Richard Gaye 66], Chris Oran [John Smith 68], Luke Sharp, Richard Carter [Jon Bailey 45], Steve Carter, Chris Goram, Alan Blake [Michael Purdue 76], Phil Penny, Adam Field, Scott Ward [ Kev Montague 29], Carl Marsh [Fred Winer 59]

Ciren Town: Matt Bulman, Danny Wallington, Dan Bishop, Ollie Holder, John Wyatt, Adi Viveash [Lance Lewis 45], Phil Hall [Paul ‘Oggy’ Hunt 70], Harry Etheridge (c), Nathan Lightbody [Nick Stanley 45], Ian McSherry [Dan Hilder 45], Jon Else

Ref: Mr M Smith (Calne)    att: 76     Ciren MoM: Jon Else