CIRENCESTER TOWN V MANGOTSFIELD UNITED

Southern League Premier Sat 01 Sept 2007 3pm

We always play Mangotsfield early season and they always turn up sorted and ready. It has never been an easy game for us and this one was no different.

With the spiky Darren Wheeler signed from Blue South Eastleigh making his debut wide left they also had Luke Ballinger, the speed merchant up front looking for knockdowns from front man Alan Griffin.

Griff got the idea of knockdowns a tiny bit mixed up this time, knocking Moly down for a yellow within 2 minutes. Loved his “Oi, ref! It was my first foul” How many was he intending to plant today, then?

The 'Field started by playing it long. What was surprising was they then did that for the full 90, missing out the midfield. Gary Horgan and Jon French watched balls sail over their heads all day as the intended threat never happened.

What came in from the flanks was hurried and hit in hope. Even when a return cross did find a player in space, the finish was invariably misdirected wide.
The Centurion back line, with Matt Bulman impeccable behind them, took every thrust and absorbed it.

Chris Collins and Leigh Molyneux put not a foot or head wrong all game, the standout moment coming when Collins timed his tackle perfectly to rob the impressive Ballinger when he had spun off Ollie Holder on 26 minutes and sped into the area..

Holder, coming in for his first game in defence to replace the injured Alex Stanley, was doing well under the bombardment and won every header. Always moving early into space to offer for the out-ball, much of the set up play was coming through him.

When he had the chance he made sure that his passes out found a target. Snaky was moving well to collect up front though the passes-on were being cut off by a well drilled former Centurion Neil Arndale on the right of the Mango defence. Arnie had already collected 2 ticks for the inevitable MoM that had been tongue in cheek predicted on Centurion Chat.

Rather too often Phil Hall was allowing Gary Thorne to wait until he telegraphed his move and then finding the block snapping in to break up the move-on pass. You don't go through Thorner, you work it behind him. So it has to be a good touch back to the midfield and then spin and burn for the return to get anywhere. Two touches lets a defender of his class have an easy stop to the move.

Ciren’s wing backs Kevin Davies and Alex Rigley made themselves a lot of space but appeared nervous and too often got rid early without committing the defence. Kev Davies perhaps had been made too aware early on that Wheeler had a neat turn and change of pace.

Davo seemed to be wary, all match, about fully committing himself upfield. Diving in on Wheeler on 11 minutes, his impetuosity earned him a yellow when he could have stayed on his pegs.

On 18 minutes Ciren worked the ball up the left, Nathan Haisley and Harry Etheridge passing neatly around Alex Ball and Neil Arndale. Ex-Centurion favourite Gary Horgan tripped Rigley as the youngster dropped his shoulder to go past him as he collected the pass slotted up the flank. Riggs planted the free kick superbly into the run by Nathan Haisley inside the box.

Winning the header down, way above the towering but immobile Milsom, it fell to Snaky Stanley who spun and headed for goal. Tony Malessa did well to react and blocked it away. Falling to Hally, at long last in space and with a golden chance, the shot roared for the top corner until Sam Bailey leapt to his left and batted the ball away two handed to keep the Mangos net intact.

Incredibly, only Mr Halford saw nothing, with no reaction from the assistant suggesting he had been instructed not to flag incidents in the middle. How the ref thought Tony Malessa had made the second 'save' when he was still on the deck after stopping Snaky's header is known only to him. Bailey should have been off and a spot kick awarded.

To rub salt into the wound, Malessa then was indeed up off the deck to spread himself again and make a superb point blank block off Stanley’s instant snap shot on target after Kevin Davies had first timed the loose ball back into the middle.

Ciren were aggrieved but their response was to try and bring the ball down and make the Mango defence turn at the edge of their area. Nathan Haisley, Harry E and Jacko were putting their foot on the ball and looking to their front men to do their bit.

It needed a response but it was not happening enough to ruffle the visiting back line, who had hairy moments but were effective enough in protecting the increasingly vocal Malessa.

Nathan tried his luck, after Harry E brushed past Alex Ball in midfield to set him up, but shot too early and lacking direction. Kev Davies forced Milsom into a clumsy challenge right on the edge of the box on 32 minutes after Jacko and Moly had combined well with crisp, first time passes to put him into the space. It was Milsom's third dive in and lucky to get away with it.

As was Sam Bailey, who had been surprised by the speed of Harry E in getting on to a through pass up the flank and reacted aggressively after the youngster had got there first.

Again the lino saw what happened, and actually was on the pitch to stop the nonsense.

But seemed not to have a word with the ref, who took E off for a chat.

Meanwhile Bailey continued with his own truculent verbals having been the one who had actually done the In Yer Face move on E.

If you're going to be a plonker, Sam, then don't be surprised if the crowd tell you that. Grow up.

Moments later, the lino on the other flank flagged and E was in the book. Afters, anyone? I'd had a 'referee moment' and had seen nowt.

Again, just before the break, Ollie was on the end of a calm clear up from the Ciren defence and sent Riggs away. With the Mango defence stretched what we needed was a burst beyond Arnie, already getting a bit rattled, and a low hard cross for the penalty spot. It did not happen. It must if we are to make chances.

Second half was a repeat of the first, with the Ciren defence by and large now totally dominating a one dimensional Mangos attack. Griffin was plunging around, and getting nowhere against an imperious Moly. You got to admire the persistence of Griffin but he will burn out before he is 25 if he is asked to charge around for 50 matches a season without anything happening for him.

Three times Moly had to do a bit of containing in the box, with the tricky Ballinger flittering in front of him. Last year, it would have been a dive in. Not now.

Stand up, get his space and just block. No risk of conceding a penno. Moly had been watching Thorner? Listening to Adi on the training pitch? It was quality focus from Moly today.

But, inevitably in an end to end game, there were defensive lapses, with both Kev and Riggsy letting long crosses get driven in. Most were within Bully's reach. And when he decided to punch, punch he did. Well away from danger. But some did go across, dangerously.

Gary Horgan could have done better than stretch to nod a long cross gently at Bulman on 57 minutes. And Ballinger was out of luck with possibly the best cross of the day. Sent in on the hour by Alex Ball, after he and Jon French had reacted quickest to a misplaced Rigley clearance, the cross was arrowed into the open space 12 yards out.

Ballinger had read it better than Kev Davies and was in off his blind side and onto the ball as it arrived. It found him at full stretch and able only to toe-poke at Bulman. Bit of luck there for Ciren.

Nathan Haisley once again majestic in the middle but also defending well, Harry E ignoring the threat of a second yellow and competing fiercely were both complemented by Jacko popping up to keep sending flank balls to Davo and Riggsy.

It needed the attack to feed off their breaks, with the Mango midfield frequently being left behind and not covering back, and get behind the defence.

It is a gamble to go all out on attack. Bailey may be a plonker but he keeps his eye on the ball. And neatly stopped a hesitant Davo when there were acres of dangerous space behind him.

With Davo stranded and Wheeler already streaming into the huge gap up the left, Bailey achieved Master Plonk status by then lashing the ball over the touchline and generating merited jeers from the Muppetts.

Lucky for Mr Gregan and Mr Perrin that they have no hair left. Any remaining strands would have been torn out after that display of total plonkness.

With Riggsy also failing to test the 'Field defence, making one break onto a rapier Jacko pass but then not going past Thorne to tempt him into a tackle in the box, the Ciren lack of threat up front was all too obvious.

In the end, and it is not a compliment to the forwards that he had to do this, Oggy put himself on and gave a five minute masterclass of committing the defender and making himself big (at 5'7”) in the box. It drew 3 MoM votes after the match, which tells you a lot about how some of the fans felt about our attack.

Three times Oggy took on Milsom and burrowed past him. And in my opinion drew a good penno shout when, at long last, Davo got to the bye-line and fired in low.

Oggy was in front of Milsom in a flash, collected first touch (now, there's a skill to practice until your boots rot), stood strong and as he turned was wrestled down to the ground.

No response from the ref but in the panic the ball was swiftly collected again and relayed to Nathan breaking at the edge of the box.

He actually had yards of space but nobody gave him the shout of 'Time!' and he slashed first time and past the angle. It was the clearest open chance of the half.

On 87 minutes the 'Field got their one open chance of the whole match. Sub Dave Burborough, who had in his few minutes showed an admirable inclination to put his foot on the ball and look up first, passed in Griffin. He should have done better but also slashed at it too early and the shot was too close to the supremely confident Matt Bulman.

89 minutes and Oggy forced an error from Bailey as he got behind him onto a quick Ciren free kick slid behind the defence and was into the box. Malessa came to block and lost it with Oggy immediately driving a low cross into the 6 yard box with nobody gambling so Alex Ball had the chance to fire the ball away.

Working to get a defence under so much pressure that they can't control the ball out is a key part of a forwards job. Keep the pressure on and the gaps do arrive. Oggy was doing a superb job in his cameo.

Asking somebody to gamble in the 89th minute is perhaps a bit much. But the need to develop that feature of your game was obvious for both sides today. They ain't done enough of those drills, yet.

Michael Jackson could have won it on 90 minutes, his snap shot from 18 yards beating Malessa but also the crossbar by an inch after he had been set up by Haisley and Etheridge.

Maybe the gambles should extend to making use of all the subs? It is debatable. Mangos had replaced Horgs just after the hour, though the much vaunted Dutton made no impact on the rampant Haze and Big E.

And the disappointing Arnie, no chance today of an MoM award even from me, was replaced by the feisty Ellis Wilmott. Who also spent much of his time getting up to speed in the game and made little impact on turning the match Mango's way.

But Bilborough was different. He very nearly changed the game. Though Ballinger had been impressive, he had worn himself out against the totally calm Chris Collins, again showing what a class act he is, and did not know what to do to change it.

I don't know if Dan W or Dan H would have made a difference for Ciren on the flanks in the last 20. It is a risk, with not much time to go.

Put on 'fresh legs' may give you that momentary break. However those fresh legs may just be topped by a head that has not had enough time to get up to speed in the tempo of the match. You risk conceding a goal with no time to get it back. Part of the fun (not) of being in the dug-out and having to make the changes, eh?

Cirencester: Matt Bulman, Kevin Davies Y11, Alex Rigley,Ollie Holder, Lee Molyneux, Chris Collins (c), Nathan Haisley, Michael Jackson, Phil Hall [Paul Hunt 85], Nick Stanley, Harry Etheridge Y36
Other subs: Dan Wallington, Ian McSherry, Jon Else, Steve Robertson

Mangotsfield: Tony Malessa, Neil Arndale [Ellis Wilmot 70], Sam Bailey, Gary Thorne, Paul Milsom, Jon French, Alex Ball, Gary Horgan (c) [Brian Dutton 65], Alan Griffin, Luke Ballinger [Dave Burborough 77], Darren Wheeler
Other subs: Matt Beadle, Darren Hawkins

Ref :Mr M Halford [Bristol] No comment. No point really – he made a bad mistake and that's it.

Att: 214 While I wander around The Corinium, looking for a spot to get a picture, the regular Ciren fans' faces have become very familiar. Today I counted only 12 'Field fans as 'stranger faces'.

Many of the 'Field fans are known to me but of course I never travel away with them. Maybe there were a few more today than those I recognise from my many visits to Cossham Street over the seasons. In the past they have brought between 40 and 50 with them and that lower than expected gate was disappointing today.

Got to say, having seen that display, I'm not surprised so few would bother to travel. It must be painful to watch that kind of percentage football week in, week out.

We do also need to recognise that we ain't exactly been playing the goal laden footy that attracts more casual fans in from the town. Can't blame the Mangos for our poor gates!

MoM: Chris C, Ollie H, Harry E, Nathan (and of course the mischievous but well observed 3 for Oggy) all collected multi-votes in a fully canvassed and full clubhouse. But by 2 in front of Bully, and then just 1 in front of Jacko, this week it was Moly, Lee Molyneux.

Zack Bougen from the Under 14's, who had just spent his pocket money in sponsoring Oggy, gave Moly his prize.