SOUTHERN PREMIER SAT 5TH JANUARY 2008 3PM KO

Corby Town 2 Cirencester Town 4

That was some match. Ciren won it with power play, though never appearing to be bullocking their way through the game. They did it by reading the play, making themselves first to the ball, and supporting good passes with direct running.

Clinched through a fulminating shot from Scott Griffin, following a purler by Andy Chapman to open his account for the club, the best way to get the record of this match is probably to read the report in The Standard, here:

www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/sport/latest/display.var.1946533.0.football_ciren_rock_corby_with_four_goals.php

I can then use the rest of this space to list bits from a very full notebook.

Goal from kickoff. Griff > Snaky. Back to Jacko. Rolled wide to Lex. Well weighted up left, Chappo moving, meets it, layoff to Griff inside. Sticks bum out, turns Bonner. Looks up. Driven cross, Shax behind Hallows. Up, hangs, gentle nod back over line. No Corby touch - 18 seconds. Bedlam. [Forgot camera - sorry, Shax]

1 - 16 mins. Ciren giving it too long, Bonner, Brown easy headers, Corby collecting out balls. 8 [Scott] and 11 [Patterson] too easy to collect and move it on. Corby ganging up on Lex, double teamed by 2 [Nicell] and 7 [Wyles]. Ciren not getting defensive headers away, losing ball when it goes up front. Griff working hard, getting battered.

19: Lex isolated, cross in off 7. Poor clearance. 2 sends long cross right over. 3 [Hallows] shapes, hits from corner of area outside of boot?? ball screams back in round and over Bully into top corner. Good goal. Corby bubbling.

Ciren ballooning clearances, Snaky Griff chasing vainly to get possession. Ball keeps coming back at defence.

21: Half clearance from header snaffled by 8, sends Difante inside Lex, again double teamed. Shoots early, Bully palms out, Difante nets rebound for ugly goal. Crowd wakes up.

Could have been worse. 10 [Diggin] gets on end of low cross, under Bully but hits post. Ciren pull Shax and Chappo in and back. Start to work to control possession. Better.

Moly wins big tackle on Diggin, stands up, finds Lex. Looks up, slots to Chappo on deck, coming to meet it. Beats 2, great cross. Griff header goes over but 5 is blowing and tetchy.

25 – 45: Ciren grab control. Shax showing, Chrissy coming to support. Controlling passes, Corby being forced to move around. Griff Snaky making them work hard.

Stream of crosses from Chappo. Snaky great near post run, perfect cross, desperate block. Griff 3 shots, tipped over, tipped round, blocked. Corby defence very edgy. Chappo sent away by well timed Lex pass. Defence diddled, Chappo shot just wide. Corby wobbling. Crowd quiet.

Snaky shot after Nathan header rebounds and half cleared. Tipped round full stretch. Nathan hits bar again, Cocker just off the rebound. Cocker outrageous leap, beats keeper punch off corner, header hits post bounces away.

Ciren dominated last 20, Chappo torturing them off great service from Lex and Jacko. Corby had no more than a touch in Ciren half before defence snaffles ball back. Must score but 2 – 1 down at break.

Nervy. Snaky loses ball first four touches. Under pressure. Diggin inches off cross. Crowd pumped up. Not good.

49: Good move, keeping ball, Griff got onto pull back from Shax. Shot handballed by Bonner. No joy. Moment later, Snaky gets onto return pass in box, beats first man, has air shot. But, he got there and their defence are wobbling.

50: Ciren back in control. Defence calm, passing ball out well, Chrissy and Lex keeping ball in play on line passes, Shax and Chappy keeping ball. Jacko Nathan working socks off to support in middle, making themselves available. Corby having to go backwards. Snaky / Griff running them ragged.

Shax tormenting their 3. Muppets letting him know he is useless. Naughty. Their 11 has disappeared.

Bully now has option of hitting target on out ball, their big lads no headers to get. Chrissy and Lex confident and showing for retention passes. Moly not lumping it, Jacko coming to collect and giving Nathan runs beyond mid line.

56: Stonker from Shax. Nathan wins thundering tackle, standing up. Great win. Jacko nips onto loose ball, first time, Shax sent. Gets beyond Corby midfield. Griff taking defence left, Snaky cross over. Shax keeps coming, defence going back, just lets go from edge of box. Flew in. Griff screaming for it in space then goes ”Oh, OK” Big grin. Corby stunned. Muppets go bananas.

Griff amazing. Getting battered, won't let them have it, keeping ball moving. Snaky fading, getting caught on runs for channel balls, touch tired, not making the big 4 work so much.

Rain of corners. Corby pinned in.

62: Jacko collects off half cleared corner > Shax > Chrissy > Jacko > Shax.. Corby run ragged, Cocker stayed in goal mouth.

Jacko hears Chappo shout inside, feeds. Chappo touch, change of pace, step inside. Bang, goal. Right foot.

Bench go wild, Adi jumps up, Muppets really giving it big.

Corby crowd giving their team hell. Abbers says “we must get a clincher – we are playing 'em off the park.”

63: Snaky drives on, gives it everything, flies just wide.

64: subs 8, 11 off. 12, 14 on. Their playmakers gone, playing his hoary old pros now. Don't let 'em off the hook. Jacko incredible. Seems to have time to light a cigar. All one touch, getting great support from Lex and Shax. Game looks easy played like this.

Chappo sliding wicked crosses in, swinging far post, slid to near post. Keeper hates his defenders!

66 Cracker for Snaky near post, Brown purple faced trying to get there. Snaky late to react, chance slips away. Fading – run himself to bits today.

68 Corby getting tetchy. 10 Y – late, high on Lex. Brown blindsides Snaky. Nasty. Ref is a fool, he can see what is happening. Somebody will get hurt.

Ciren in total control, chances not being converted but Corby dragging themselves around pitch. Must be dead on feet. Shax sprightly, Chrissy gets nosebleed reaches edge of box. Griff shot blocked, Snaky reply blocked.

76 Griff piledriver tipped over. Cocker gets to corner, ball loops to Griff lurking, collects, steps inside Bonner. Pick that one out. Beauty. Moly liked it. Muppets entertain their keeper. Very funny.

Even more funny, tannoy gives goal to Jacko. Griff gives his 'annoyed' look. Jacko giggles.

79: sub 14 off injured?? 17 on.

80: Brown over top on Griff. Bad one. Riot. Brown swinging punches ???? ref takes too long to control it. Brown off, crowd “Yr nae fit tae wearrr the shurrt”. Football savvy speccies, these. But they give their manager some fearful stick. Yellow Nathan. What?

Game over. Ciren just passing it around, Griff and Snaky not at full pace to score with possession more important than gung ho.

84: Snaky subbed by Hanin. Sprightly, makes Wilkinson puff and lets Lex know he wants one earlier.. Lex waves, no snarl. This team is together. Hanin overheads one off Griff's nose, wide.

86: Jon Else subs Griff – gets ovation, including from stand. Fair minded speccies. Griff has had an amazing game. Hanin and Jon lively up front, both get half chances to notch, get bustled out with Corby desperate not to concede more.

The ref plays 8 added minutes. Moly lights cigar. What a performance. Not cocky, no show boating, very sorted. Abbers smile broader than the Mersey.

Steelmen: Dan Crane, Liam Nicell, Dom Hallows, Olly Wilkinson, Tom Bonner, Derek Brown (c) R 80, Adam Wyles, Richard Scott [James Gould 64], Chris Difante, Steve Diggin, Jamie Patterson [Wayne Duik 64, Paul Muzsayai 79]
sub: Rob Richie-Smith

Centurions: Matt Bulman, Chris Collins (c), Alex Stanley, Nathan Haisley Y 80, Lee Molyneux, Paul Cochlin, Matt Shaxton, Michael Jackson, Scott Griffin [Jon Else 86], Nick Stanley [Hamid Romdhane 84], Andrew Chapman
subs: Oggy Hunt, Harry Etheridge, Dan Wallington

ref: Mr J Thornhill, Ilkeston. He didn't half fancy himself, was erratic in deciding what was and what was not foul play, and could have got somebody badly injured when Corby decided to dish out some nasty stuff just past the hour.

Att: 182 Not much more than a dozen Centurions made the long trip but, boy, did they enjoy this one. Rockingham Triangle is a strange place to watch. Huge stand, all their fans stand along the back row. Loud, they are also very unhappy with their team and you could hear the torrents of abuse once Shax had equalised. Must make it a hard place for a home player.

MoM: It is a team game and to be honest, to pick one would have been daft after that team display.

I'll declare my hand now. I was the only one to vote for Griff, who I thought had an absolute brahma. Was close to most of his play and he was getting himself in front al the time, first touch spot on and was wasting no time or breath flapping his hands but just getting on with it. Great front play today.

If I'd had a second Alex Stanley would have come into it. Horrible opener, belting the ball away and giving Snaky and Griff little chance. But, he kept his cool, shook his head and buckled down. And for an hour hardly misplaced a pass. Well played, la. And Jacko. Unobtrusive, no fuss, he was on to everything. Passes were not only played at the right pace, they were angled so the receiver was safe. Class, really good play.

The votes went to Andy Chapman, well deserved. And the winner was Matt Shaxton – not only willing, like Chappo, to put his foot on the ball first half and try and make things happen, he was perpetual energy and was getting himself into the right place, time after time. Must have been a dream for Chrissy Collins and Jacko to keep looking up and seeing him in space