ERREA CUP 3RD ROUND MOMDAY 19 NOVEMBER 7.30PM

Cirencester Town 2 Cinderford Town 1

The Centurions scored in the 92nd and 94th minutes through Max Shaxton to win a match that Ciren dominated but could just not put away. And that was after The Men from Bear Country had taken a strongly disputed lead on 76 minutes through Tim Haddock.

Cinderford, lacking only Daryl Addis, fielded their first choice team while Ciren gave all their bench players a game. The Ciren youngsters were on top throughout, pushing Cinderford back and having almost all the possession, but were made to work hard by a determined and ultra competitive Foresters who by the end must have been thoroughly peed off. ..

With Alex Frost playing on the right of defence allowing Dan Wallington freed to play ahead of him up the right, and Chris Collins at long last partnering Alex Stanley back in the middle of the defence, Scott Griffin and Steve Cowe were kept in check. Although, on 4 minutes, Cowey should have done better than fire wide when Griff's neat pass sent him into space on the right of the Ciren box

Unable to turn their overwhelming possession into chances, with Nick Stanley time after time giving the ball up after being played into dangerous spaces, Ciren became increasingly frantic and hurried as the first half progressed.

Some truly awful final passes meant that Paul Tassel in the Cinderford goal was never really tested. Sure, it was wet and slippery but it is difficult to understand how it is possible to miscue a cross or pass when there is no pressure on the passer. It was frustrating and it showed.

Jon Else stood out – he put his foot on the ball, knew where his next pass was going, and did a manful job in keeping the pressure on the Cindy defence. He did well to read a miscued speculative long shot when Nick Stanley tried to send the ball past the stranded Tassell on 21 minutes only for Greg Lewis to make a brave block on his on target shot.

And deserved better on 28 minutes when, after sending Nick Stanley free up the right, he made a superb support run into the open space to make himself unmarked in the box only to see Snaky turn and try to beat Tassell from the edge of the box.

Losing Mark Tait to a red card after he inexplicably decided to kick Harry Etheridge on the head after a tackle on 40 minutes gave Cinderford a real hill to climb. Their spirit is unquestioned and they really made a contest of this one.

They were lucky when on 13 minutes Nathan Haisley had headed in a short corner from Andy Chapman only for the linesman not to see that the ball had crossed the line by at least a foot after it bounced off the bar and then down and out again. Maybe the rain was affecting the linos because, though the ref was doing a good job in an increasingly testy match, they were seeing offsides that nobody else could see.

Snaky was getting away from Neil Griffiths time and again onto passes drilled in by Alex Frost and Alex Stanley, seeming to time his run right, only to be called back when he clearly had started from behind the defender.

When you are so dominant, that kind of call back is not easy to swallow. Alex Stanley, especially, was getting very aerated by the misreading of the game since it was his brother who was suffering at the hands of the decision makers. The ref was admirably tolerant about his complaints.

Matt Bulman had to make a good stop on 27 minutes when The Griff sent Craig Tait in for a furious drive from 20 yards. On 39 minutes when an Alex Stanley slip let Dave Wilkinson have a sight of goal 20 yards out, Bully's quick feet and good reactions saved Ciren and he tipped the placed shot around the post.

Alex Frost, Jon Else, Harry Etheridge (and Jon Else again) all had chances blocked with Paul Tassel beaten, credit being due to a determined Cinderford defence in which Neil Griffith was obdurate.

Oggy Hunt had showed his class time and again, moving to collect those passes out of defence that were timed to reach him at nearly zero velocity and thereby laying off well to the supporting Dan Wallington to drive on. Dan thrived on the service and showed that, driving up the right, he has a lot to offer. Few of his passes first half were off target and deserved better.

But, twice early in the second half Oggy was nigh on tearing his hair out when great set up play ended with first Chappy and then Jon Else put into lovely positions to send in crosses with the Cindy defence shredded by swift passing moves only to skew horribly with their passes with our Oggy lurking and waiting to net..

Oggy is far too experienced to stray offside when he can see all the way along the line and on 64 minutes got himself free to collect a pass wide left only to be called back by the flag waving plonker on the far side when it was plain to see it was a duff decision. Poor, that.

Jon Else was surprisingly sacrificed just past the hour to give Steve Robertson a run up front – without a playmaker, how were Ciren going to work their way through? But there you go, the management make the decisions.

Having been pinned back in their own half for a full hour Cinderford then made their own decision to try and change the match. They bravely challenged Ciren by putting Jodie Taylor on as an additional attacker to work with The Griff up front and to try and keep Alex Stanley occupied on the Ciren left. Taking Neil Griffiths off and leaving just 3 at the back was brave indeed.

Within 10 minutes Turner escaped up the right, taking the ball on from what looked like an offside position then unselfishly squaring to Tim Haddock for the opening goal on 76 minutes. And, not good, he had got away with the Ciren backline advancing so Turner's collect off a rebound from Ben Gasgoyne made it an absolute nonsense of a decision.

His pace and trickery after that unexpected lead certainly kept a hitherto comfortable Ciren defence fully occupied. But Ciren should have done better in exploiting their man advantage, by time and again plying Andy Chapman with passes up the left, only for the final ball to be squandered.

Until that final flurry when Shaxton kept his cool and took advantage of his fleeting moments of space and time in front of goal to net twice from 16 yards.

On 92 minutes, with me standing by Moley and muttering imprecations, Chappy again was sent free up the left. His cross was arced in, escaped the driving Oggy Hunt and squirted out to the right. Caught by Dan Wallington and driven back in, low, Cindy were in disarray and Matt Shaxton coolly controlled, stepped inside the tackle and slotted past Paul Tressell's right hand.

Ben Gasgoyne, who had been driving forward at every opportunity in the final ten minutes and cutting inside from the right to make Ciren's defence very edgy indeed, tried that trick once too often and fatally lost possession. I've no idea who passed the ball into the penalty area D, on the deck, but it was just what was needed.

Matt Shaxton reacted quickest – obviously, the lessons from Lynn had struck home – and controlled. Then survived two heavy tackles from first Ollie Holder then from Greg Lewis to stay on his feet, take the ball around Tassell and roll in the winner.

Got to admit, after that horribly miscued display of attacking passes throughout nearly all of the 90 minutes that was a get out of jail card. Well done to the lads for going all the way to the end of what must have been a horrible match to play. That is the spirit and guts that our Adi is looking for.

Shax clearly knew us loyal speccies did not fancy extra time, not with the lottery of pennos possibly to follow. We wanted to go home - we'd had enough.

Of course, if it had come to that Bully would have seen us through. But the end, when it came, was more than welcome.

Centurions: Matt Bulman, Chris Collins (c), Andrew Chapman, Dan Wallington, Alex Frost, Alex Stanley, Nathan Haisley, Harry Etheridge Y68 [Steve Robertson 78], Nick Stanley, Paul Hunt, Jon Else [Matt Shaxton 67]
sub: Michael Jackson

Foresters: Paul Tassell, Ollie Holder, Greg Lewis, Neil Griffiths (c) [Jody Taylor 67], Dave Wilkinson, Jack Hadland Y13, Ben Gasgoyne, Craig Tait R40, Scott Griffin, Steve Cowe, Tim Haddock
subs: Marvin Thompson, Jamie Addis, Derek Lightstone

Ref: Mr J Busby [Oxford] Excellent - let down by his linesmen making some truly bizarre decisions. But he has to rely on them and stand by them. Not in a position to see the Nathan 'goal over the line by a foot' incident.. And did very well to book Big H for a late tackle on The Griff after he had first let play go on for advantage. Smart lad.

Att: 36 paid tonight. Counted 56 actually watching but that would include the comps and those of the club helpers who get to the ground well before the match to make sure that it all goes smoothly.

Mr O'Brien gets a mention for trogging off to collect more than a dozen balls belted out of the ground second half, though I hope Eddie remembers that there is one still on the clubhouse roof and gets it tomorrow.

MoM: Greg Lewis [Cinderford] was solid and covered valiantly. Including preventing my favourite Jon E notching his first goal for the club. Ciren MoM? No poll taken so all on my ownio I'm going for Paul Hunt who for some reason has lost the blistering pace of his youth but did a good job tonight in trying to keep what was an increasingly frustrated Ciren team going right to the end.