SOUTHERN PREMIER THURS 29 NOVEMBER 2007 7.45PM KO

Gloucester City 0 Cirencester Town 0

The Tigers, with five former Centurions in their ranks, again failed to win a League game at home. A determined Cirencester staved off an early pounding and then took the game to a desperately poor home team for the next hour.

Steve Robertson, leading the line well and making Gloucester keep 3 at the back throughout the match with his mobility and ability to control the ball, nearly beat former Centurion Kevin Sawyer on 8 minutes with a shot from the edge of the box that was sent for just under the crossbar.

He then fizzed a header over the bar on 36 minutes, connecting with a Nick Stanley cross at full stretch, and was very unlucky to be nudged off the ball and stumble when the best move of the match on 40 minutes involving neat interplay between Matt Shaxton and Andy Chapman freed him up the left and into the penalty area.

Early on, The Tigers had looked dangerous. Lee Smith, eager to do well against his former club, was far too tricky and quick for Alex Stanley in the early stages and twice got away to send dangerous low crosses into the penalty area.

From the first Jack Pitcher got his feet in a tangle and shot weakly from 5 yards and off the second Chris Collins made himself first and nicked the ball off the toe of the lurking Alex Sykes.

But Alex Stanley girded his loins, settled himself, and together with Andy Chapman neutralised the danger from Smudger. So much so that within 20 minutes Smith was being forced to defend behind his own right back as Ciren kept the pressure on a very shaky Gloucester backline with Andy Chapman cleverly making himself space and being found with good passes from Jackson and Shaxton.

Most of the Ciren invention was coming through Matt Shaxton, playing in central midfield and quick to control and move the ball and set Nick Stanley running against an uncompromising but always embattled Ashley Thomas in the centre of the Gloucester back line.

The pressure was such that the Gloucester skipper, Neil Mustoe, spent much of the match in the backline to stem the flow. In contrast, Gloucester had but one attacking ploy.

It was to send the ball long and hope that Jack Pitcher would control and escape into the gaps. It looked promising in the early phases, with Lee Molyneux having difficulty containing the sprightly front man.

But, with Collins solid beside him, Moly too got on top of his game and the danger was snuffed within 20 minutes. It was impressive defensive organisation and team play from the lads from The Corinium.

Behind them, Matt Bulman was control personified. Calmly directing the defence, quick to come out to collect the many over hit Gloucester passes, his game was in strong contrast to that of his opposite number Kevin Sawyer.

Having left Ciren in the summer to join what he had thought would be a better bet, he was constantly on edge as his defence struggled to contain Stanley and Robertson. Bellowing and gesticulating, he was showing his lack of confidence in the line in front of him.

Ciren were controlling the match and forcing Gloucester to keep 6 and sometimes 7 players back within 35 yards of their goal to contain the threat. I love Snaky to bits but sometimes wish he would ally his never to be doubted spirit and pace to a determination to keep the ball and move it on to players up in support of him.

Three, four times Shax or Jacko worked him into position to get the ball right at the edge of the Glos defence. With Robbo and Shax getting themselves rapidly into spaces to support it needed a lay-off and go again to break through the line. Trying to trick his way past Ashley Thomas or Muzzie, Snaky was being robbed and the ball was sent back down the field for the Ciren defence to collect and start again.

The Ciren pressure had to be made to pay off, with Gloucester visibly wilting. Robbo did wonderfully well to get up to connect and head just over the bar on what was undoubtedly an attempt at a left footer aimed for the top corner by Snaky.

And when Robbo repaid the compliment with a wonderful dip of the shoulder, run and cross Snaky was clear inside the six yard box and just failing to connect, with Carlsberg Kev sprawling at his near post and beaten. It was that close.

But Kev earned his not inconsiderable corn on 54 minutes. A half cleared Ciren corner, the second in quick succession, was nodded by Nick Stanley into the path of Matt Shaxton on the run into the box on the right.

A quick shimmy and turn of speed took him past the otherwise admirable Michael Noakes. The fierce shot was going inside the far post until Kev got down to knock the ball away, up and around the post. Superb save and it turned out to be the vital moment in the match.

Matt Bulman, hitherto untroubled, had his defence to thank on 78 minutes when a shot from sub Jody Bevan, another former Ciren favourite, thundered in and bounced away. Alex Stanley blocked the first return shot from the out of sorts Alex Sykes which deflected and came off the post to bounce invitingly in the middle of the penalty area.

As Will Mogford pounced to bury the loose ball skipper Chris Collins was in with a match saving cover tackle to block the shot which was then scooped up by the relieved Bulman.

Gloucester were gambling in the last 15 minutes, leaving just three at the back as they pressed forward to get through a by now dominant Ciren backline. It meant that if Ciren could get possession and thread through a pass they could nick what would on the balance of play be a deserved winner.

Increasingly anxious, and conceding free kick after free kick as they strove to retain possession, Gloucester should have been punished when Marc Richards, also a former Centurion and battling manfully at the back for the Tigers, was now faced with the speedy and tricky Chris Davis subbed on after 79 minutes in place of Nick Stanley.

Ricco was comprehensively out-thought deep in defence on 83 minutes and allowed a cross to come in only for Mustoe to get the ball off the toe of Robertson at full stretch.

It was becoming frantic. Gloucester were roaring passes forward in a vain hope that Ciren would crumble. And Ciren were coolly picking them off, with the groans from the by now throughly disillusioned home fans resounding across the stand, and countering.

Molyneux, working well with Dan Wallington in front of him, controlled one loose ball forward, took advantage of a momentary lack of organisation in front of him and was slotted past the first line.

Brushing aside an attempt to foul him by Rose, he knocked Shaxton into space on the right and it took a superbly timed block by the indefatigable Mustoe to stop Robbo making the crucial breakthrough.

Matt Rose, in midfield for Gloucester and yet another former Ciren player, albeit from our very early Southern League days, had been conceding numerous free kicks in his attempts to stem the Ciren tide.

When, on 87 minutes, he dived in late and high on Andy Chapman after he had been outwitted by the very impressive Ciren wing back deep in his own half, Rose was rightly red carded by the very calm and impressive referee.

Manager Mr Viveash was pleased with the defensive discipline of his team, especially after they had been put under considerable pressure early on. He may well have been unhappy that we could not quite get ourselves enough in control up front to nick the vital goal. But he could not have faulted the effort and desire of his squad on what was a feisty local derby evening.

Tigers: Kev Sawyer, Jamie Reid [Alex Allard 45], Michael Noakes, Neil Mustoe (c), Ash Thomas, Matt Rose R87, Tom Webb [Will Mogford 45], Marc Richards, Jack Pitcher [Jody Bevan 73], Alex Sykes, Lee Smith
other subs: Adie Harris, Michael Whittington

Centurions: Matt Bulman, Chris Collins (c), Andy Chapman [Jon Else 87], Nathan Haisley, Alex Stanley, Lee Molyneux, Dan Wallington, Michael Jackson, Steve Robertson, Nick Stanley [Chris Davis 79], Matt Shaxton
other subs: Harry Etheridge, Paul Hunt

Ref: Mr E Smart, Smethwick

Att: 244 sadly, our game failed by just a tad to be the lowest home League gate of the season for The Tigers. I blame the fact that, even on a cold, clear Thursday we still managed to get more than our usual 30 away speccies up to the very impressive New Lawn.

Incredibly, only 242 turned up on a Saturday when the Tigers played top of the league Hemel on 6th Oct in another 0 – 0. Seven League games at home now and nary a win for Gloucester. They are a team in worse trouble than Ciren. Seriously poor.

Ciren MoM: Chappy, Nathan, Jacko (again!) and Robbo got honourable mentions but the best player on the pitch by a mile was Matt Shaxton. Constantly showed for the ball and, more important, always willing to control it, stay aware of what was happening around him, and slick and accurate with his passing.