BRISTISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE MONDAY 18 FEB 2008, 7.30PM KO

Cirencester Town 1 Chippenham Town 2

Have seen the Bluebirds a few times recently – they were awful in those. So maybe we'd catch them while they were still searching for form? The last 2 times I've seen 'em they had that sparkle back, playing some sublime, first touch football. Ouch. This was going to be one heck of a challenge.

We've never yet beaten them in Southern League football. And after our awful display on Saturday, we surely wus chickies ripe for plucking tonight? Maybe.

Mr Viveash decided, in the absence of Lee Molyneux and Nathan Haisley, both injured after Saturday, to put three at the back and five in midfield because he knew that the Chipp's frighteningly quick and slick forwards would tear us to bits with just 4 at the back. So his team formation would be different.

Paul Cochlin declared himself fit, presumably with a tiny, wee cast on his broken toe. So Mr V put him and skipper Chrissy Collins in at the back. He took a brave decision and gave Second Year Academy student Aaron Stevens his debut in probably the most intense Southern League game you could have for a youngster having his first taste of what this League is all about. But, if he is good enough, he's young enough. He was.

More of the mix was to play Dan Wallington in his 'natural' position for the first time this year with Shax going to the bench, to give Andy Chapman the task of knitting play from a central midfield position. And, the biggest surprise of the lot, Oggy Hunt started up front to give Ashan Holgate something to play off with Oggy's undeniable ability to get hold of the ball and keep play moving.

Harry E was also on, in the middle to do what he does best. And that left a strong bench, with Jon Else perhaps unlucky not to start but Jacko was again given the nod for this game.

The Chipp have raided our ranks regularly over the years, not surprisingly given their ambition and willingness to pay big money. Tonight we had no less than 6 facing us who have worn the red and black in the past – Kev Halliday, well respected by Adi from when they played together for Ciren, Ozzie McEntegart made the trip to Hardenhuish looking for glory 4 years ago and had just returned after not making it with FGR and Lewes, and Sam Allison from our Academy who was recruited from there by Tommy Saunders.

Sean Seavill and Tom Etheridge were snaffled by the then Chippo manager Mr Perrin 2 years ago. Their current manager, Mr Mings, got Luke Hopper from Swindon in the summer but loaned him briefly to us in the autumn, when he scored that cracking winner for us against Brackley.

Mr Mings knows his local players and had prised Luke Gullick and Dave Pratt away from Suoermarine this summer to give himself pacey, eager youngsters up front, and raided Western League Corsham to get Scott Lye. His team have an age profile similar to ours and he has got them playing, quick, slick, confident football.

It certainly showed in the opening 15 minutes of this match. The Bluebirds literally blew us away on a flat, hard pitch in windless, cold conditions. Time after time Jacko was just brushed aside in midfield for Allison and Badman to slot Seavill and Pratt away into the gaps – very narrow gaps so it needed quality passes – between the Ciren defenders. It was breathtaking stuff and we were hardly coping.

Gullick shot wide when a corner was half cleared to him, Pratt very nearly got himself past young Aaron Stevens before being stopped by a well timed and solid tackle and we were desperately trying to keep them from getting through on the flanks where Gullick and Allison were taking up good positions and getting some crisp, tasty passes as Badman and Ollie Price were winning every ball in midfield.

A goal looked there for the taking and it came on 7 minutes when a bewildering set of passes involving Badman winning it, knocking to Allison in space, with the ball accurately transferred first time through the gap between Alex Stanley and Cocker saw Pratt (I thought it was Seavill at first) burst through.

He changed pace to get past Cocker and then looked up on the bye-line to leave Scott Lye with a simple sidefoot home with Matty Bulman drawn out to the edge of his six yard box to try and cut out the near post attempt. It was a stunningly good goal and on that evidence we were in for a real tonking tonight.

Within 5 minutes Lye had fired wide when well placed and Seavill, surging effortlessly past Alex Stanley, brought a smart save from Bully when it looked as if he was clear through and certain to score. Gullick fired wide, again, when a sublime Pratt pass set him free inside the box, and then Pratt had a chance but slashed wide and early with Stevens putting in a firm challenge. It was a shank but the ref gave a corner .. oh dear, not a dolly ref for this game, surely?

The Ciren efforts to lift the pressure and find their front men were always under challenge from a feisty Chipp, with some of their tackles being near the knuckle. It gave us the chance to catch our breath and play in some free kicks. Easily cleared, with Ozzie winning his early aerial battles with Ash, and Price close up the backside of Oggy and disrupting him enough to stop him controlling and passing Chappo on.

But. But. Ciren weathered the storm. Chrissy Collins playing in the middle of the defence lets his voice be heard and he was organising well, with Aaron Stevens admirably calm when he got the ball and even under pressure getting his passes forward and on the deck to make it easier for Oggy to control and shield.

Chappo was everywhere, admirably supported by Harry E winning the loose balls and then passing cleanly to find Danny on the right and Alex overlapping on the left. It made The Chipp look to their back line, and they were conceding free kicks, though some of the whistles from Mr Robbin were at best a bit marginal. He was confusing both teams with what felt like inconsistent decisions.

As the play loosened, Ciren started to make advances. Chappo shot wide, as did H. And Ash was working really hard and forcing Ozzie to concede free kicks. On 23 minutes, 30 yards out, The Chipp wanted the line held at 18 yards. So, instead of a driven cross from Chappo Jacko played a neat one behind the line for Oggy to get to and drive into the middle where Ash did well to connect and Snoddy did equally well to close down his near post and block.

Ciren were starting to win the midfield battle, and it was a battle. The Chipp don't give ground without a fight and there were some tasty ones going in after the ball had gone. Mr Robbin was not seeing those but had a yellow for Chappo for some unseen event on 31 minutes. Dissent? Being the smallest man on the pitch? Making the most audacious passes?

It was turning into a cracking match and by no way were Ciren in the shadow of their opponents, spreading the play and making them work hard in defence. Oggy sent Ash in on 34 minutes with a superb disguised pass, well read by the striker and bringing Snoddy to a smart save. And, oh dear, Alex Stanley got on the end of a lovely Chappo corner that found him in space but the header did not test the keeper.

Chipp are never quiet and when on 35 minutes Allison was put wide right his lovely cross was placed just right for Pratt coming in on the run. He should have done better, unmarked, than lift his volley over the top.

As should Mr Robbin, with Price and Badman winding Chappo up with some tasty stuff just a bit late and just a bit high as they tried to stop him wriggling away and passing clear. Though he yellowed H on 43 for a dive in, that Pratt saw coming and easily skipped over. The ref was becoming a bit too prominent in a match where he should have been concentrating on looking after the play and not showboating on largely irrelevant stuff.

On 48 minutes he whistled for a Chipp foul (what for?) deep on their right. Chapman sent his cross in to exactly the right spot just outside the six yard box for Paul Cochlin to rise in front of the defenders and smack his header home. Just like the Chipp goal, though delivered through a different route, it was unstoppable.

And, just like Chipp did to us in the first half, this time Ciren surged forward with good passing and had what was now looking like an ordinary side play to their tune. The defending was not at all confident, Seavill had not got away from the defence for an hour, and Badman was tangling with Harry E and losing out. Ciren could nick this.

The ref had to have his say. Yellow for Chrissy Collins for what? And one for Ollie Price for yet another illegal block as Ashan got past him. The game was becoming stop start. And, in spite of a flood of free kicks, Ciren could not actually test Snoddy. So, the Chipp defence indeed can do their job effectively enough. Most teams would have crumbled.

Snoddy did on 65 minutes. Under pressure, his clearing kick was dire and Snaky, on the pitch just moments before, put out a long left leg and brought it down. He actually had ages of time, with no defender within 10 yards of him and Snoddy panicked and rooted to the penalty spot. From inside the D Snaky shot just a bit too quickly and fatefully inches wide with a goal for the taking.

Rampant, Ciren raged forward. Great feet and vision by Ash and equally good support running from Chappo saw our little playmaker sent into the box to draw a good save at the expense of a corner. Moments later, a half cleared free kick fell to Ash 12 yards out but his instant volley flashed over the top. Cocker again got on the end of a corner and this time his header beat the defence – but also the post. That close, we could smell a win.

Come on, Ciren! Just the tiniest hint of home support was now out shouting the murmuring from the ShedEnd where our woad bedaubed cousins were starting to chunter about the long ball game Chippy were now playing.

Martin Paul the veteran forward, was on for the by now out of ideas Seavill. And Matt Shaxton replaced Chappo, who had done a magnificent job in tying the link between front and back to keep Ciren going forward positively and had played his best game so far in his short time with us.

We needed to be calm on the ball and make a break but with Jacko still not quite showing the accuracy of pass to get through the Chipp back line and Snaky, in spite of all his brave efforts, not quite giving Ash the support that Oggy had provided it was never looking as dominant as it had been 10 minutes before.

It was looking like a draw unless one side made a mistake. Ciren nearly did that on 76 minutes, a huge hit and hope from Kev Halliday up the left being expertly brought down by Sam Allison who instantly fed Luke Gullick into the box only for Matty Bulman to tip his snap shot over the bar.

Minutes later Bully collected a wayward, overhit goalward cross by his post, moving to meet it, and was amazed when the lino signalled a corner. His protests, justifiable because it was a completely wrong flag from the lino, got him a caution.

End to end stuff and nowt coming from it was enlivened when again Pratt got free when Jacko allowed himself to lose a ball he already had under control only for Chris Collins to make a stunning tackle to stop the chance. That was on 82 minutes.

A minute later, with Ciren attacking again, perhaps a bit too gung ho, possession was lost when Wallo turned back instead of making Kev Halliday work and the counter into the space he had left behind him saw Allison collect wide left. Jinked inside and crossed to Pratt, it was a dangerous moment.

Except Pratt mistimed it and the ball shanked wide right off him to Martin Paul. He looked a yard offside, with Chrissy Collins calling it as the cross came over and the defence stepping up as one to close down Allison's play to Pratt.

Nowt from the lino. At least a yard. Worse, Paul crossed, spot on, to just outside the six yard box. From my angle, in line, it seemed as if Bully was going to be there to collect. He didn't.

And Allison, who had come inside from the by-line and had to be offside because he was now active, made a big jump, connected, and netted. Glory be, nowt from the lino. Poor, given it had been such a cracking match, to lose out to a plain bad decision.

But – maybe – Ciren should have closed the game down and taken the point and not played as if The Chipp were never going to score. Any team can score if the cards fall right. And they did.

Centurions: Matt Bulman Y80, Chis Collins (c)Y62, Alex Stanley, Harry Etheridge Y43, Aaron Stevens, Paul Cochlin, Andy Chapman Y31 [Matt Shaxton 78], Ashan holgate, Paul Hunt [Nick Stanley 64], Dan Wallington
subs: Steve Robertson, Jon Else, Sean Bailey

Bluebirds: Chris Snoddy, Kez Metitiri, Kev Halliday, Ollie Price Y61, Matt McEntegart, Sam Allison, Scott Lye Y87, Mark Badman (), Luke Gullick, Sean Seavill [Martin Paul 70], Dave Pratt
subs: Iain Harvey, Iain Carr, Tom Etheridge, Luke Hopper

Ref: Mr S Robbin, Bristol     Seen him many a time and he always seems to lose control of his games, gets himself wound up with cautions nobody can understand yet misses much bigger things. Just not up to the pace of the game and he did not help this one with some weird decisions.

Second half, pass out wide had Allison coming from his own half to collect a ball. Could not be offside. As the pass came out, Gullick ran across Cocker and blocked him as he went to close down. Chipp did that kind of thing a lot – they are cunning and take the Laws of the Game to the limit ....

Lino flags. Mr R whistles. Was it an offside? If so, wrong decision. If it was Gullick's block, then show it as so and don't leave the speccies, and players, thinking that the lino has flagged for something that is daft. Simple. Why doesn't he do it?

Att: 282    Loads of freebie managers from other teams in today plus more than normal five a siders having a gander after their exertions in the Big Tent. Lot of Ciren fans sporting the headgear and scarves – the cold night obviously had a big impact on the merchandise sales tonight. Nice to see my favourite Cheltenham Town fan in the ground and wearing his new Ciren scarf ...

One poor note. Lot of bigging it up from the Chipp fans. Even had the front to tell us we had no crowd. But, apart from just one pair, every single man jack of them disappeared after the game. And, not many took a Golden Goal?

If they are gearing themselves up for the golden land of Conf South they have certainly already qualified as somewhat mean spirited. Non-League lives and dies by the fans mucking in, but if The Chipp are above that, then they are doing their reputation no favours.

MoM: up to 15 minutes it was a bit like Saturday. Nobody has shown so far. By 90 minutes we had lots of candidates. Aaron Stevens, apart from one excusable shank of a pass into the stand second half, never passed once to a yellow shirt. Great distribution done with complete concentration and delivered with great timing and pace. Oggy loved it.

Chrissy showed me at least that if he is not going to play in the middle of the back once Moly returns then he needs to be playing just in front of them, cleaning up. His voice, organisation and telling people what to do was just what was needed.

Chappo battled, won many ugly balls, passed on target and made more runs to support and move the ball on than I've seen so far this season. Makes my sponsorship seem like a snip!

I voted for H but, not surprisingly the majority – and it was a big vote from a lot of fans who though disappointed with the result were appreciative of a display that suggests we won't be beat much this season – went for Paul Cochlin. He limped in at 6pm and limped out at 10pm but what a performance!