CIREN WORK HARD TO WIN AT A FEISTY CLEEVE WITH JULIAN ALSOP PROVING IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTAIN ON A BLUSTERY DAY

Bishops Cleeve 1

Cirencester Town 2

Cirencester Town have not had a win over Bishops Cleeve in a long time. With seven former Centurions on their team sheet and no goals conceded in their unbeaten record, Cleeve were well up for this derby match in a tough start to the Centurions' season.

The Cleeve pitch looks flat but under the long grass are ruts and lumps – this was a difficult pitch on which to play. Mr Viveash and Mr Hunt set up their team to control the back, flood the midfield and ask the runners to do all the hard work up top.

Andy Minturn was added to a back three, while tactically Steve Davies was benched with Harry Etheridge in as the extra mid pitch steel. Mindful that next week Adam Mahdi would doubtless be kept out of the FA Cup so as not to close an option for his loan club the in-form Adam Heath was popped in as the front end runner.

We do not usually play 3 – 5 – 2 and it does depend on the flank men Lee Spalding and Ben Pugh getting up and down all day. Ciren were taking a risk and with Nathan off with a foot injury within 2 minutes it was a big challenge for young Rob Dean as he replaced him.

Playing with the strong wind going straight down the pitch Ciren had to take advantage but play to their strengths and play controlled football. Even while Adam Mayo and Ben Gascoyne were bustling in midfield to get the ball Ciren were making sure that when they got the ball they kept it.

It was tight. Matt Williams has a good touch, was moving well to make himself available and even under pressure was making sure the ball stuck.

He was helped by some very good running for space so Big H, Adam Heath and Ben Pugh were getting the ball off well paced, accurate passes to keep the moves going and keep Cleeve chasing.

Within 15 minutes Jamie Moore in the Cleeve nets had made two blinding reaction saves off Julian Alsop, the first a power header off a superbly placed Andy Minturn cross.

The second save, even closer in, came when the Cleeve defence let a huge throw from Ben Pugh bounce in the six yard box. Moore dived to block the shot from Alsop and diverted the ball over the bar.

Cleeve were not lagging and had a free kick just outside the box only for Mike Davis to miscue his attempt to curl into the top corner and instead hit the wall. Very soon Ciren were back in control and back on attack.

Ben Pugh was very careful to make his corners count and found Julian Alsop free off his marker in a great in and out move that shredded the Cleeve defence and produced yet another save, a full stretch tipover, from Jamie Moore

With Adam Heath very mobile up front and dovetailing very effectively with the lively Alsop, the Ciren midfield had targets to hit and were doing a calm, patient job of keeping possession until the right opening arrived.

The opening goal on 28 minutes was a peach. Rob Dean was set up by Lee Spalding finding him inside. He looked up, stepped outside the challenge from Gascoyne and passed Adam Heath into space.

He had Sam Avery up against him, set him onto his right foot knowing he could go the other side and skipped by and drove in to the byeline.Ciren knew there was something on and had attacked the box in numbers.

Matt Williams came to meet the low cross, deflected it cutely behind the defence and when Big H went for the connection and missed, the Cleeve defence were turning full circle with Julian Alsop gambling and in the clear behind them 8 yards out to sidefoot home.

Interesting to note where Ben Pugh had got himself as the move had built from Lee Spalding on the right, busting a gut to get into the middle as Heathy took on Avery.

Who is still desperately trying to get the cover on after the ball has hit the net and Heath turns inside with Job Done written all over his face. Good goal.

Cleeve had hardly been able to mount a consistent attack, so it was no surprise when Ciren scored again, on 34 minutes. Again, in spite of Cleeve hustling to try and close down space and cut off the angles, the passing was slick, timed, and well paced.

Ben Pugh got himself way upfield to receive, sucked in Ed Ward, and then released again.

Not sure what happened next in a blur of red and black shirts.

Adam Heath was sent clear again up the left. Either he or Ben sent in the cross but, whatever, it was a driven cross instead of a wafting, loopy curler. Defenders hate them, especially if they have been driven dizzy by concentration and are out of position. You can't make up the space in time if you are caught out.

That sort of cross is meat and drink to a forward, who just needs to get a head on it. Julian Alsop was coming in from the far post on the run, climbed above Lyndon Tomkins and placed his header unerringly inside the post.

A minute later an identical move had Julian again winning his header but this time Jamie Moore made his third stonking save to tip the header, sent back across him, up and round the post. Minutes later he was at it again, a knock back from a far post corner coming down only for Moore to block and deflect high past the post.

It was not all one way, with Tom King having to punch a couple of crosses out and both Lee Spalding and Ben Pugh needling to scurry back as Gascoyne fed Michael Jackson and his passes sent the Davis brothers scampering wide. Ciren needed a clincher and with the wind maybe could have tried snap shots from the edge of the box.

But the only attempt had been a somewhat wayward swerver from Big H off a lay-back and Ciren concentrated more on keeping possession and not trying for grandstand stuff. But, second half, they knew Cleeve would come at them.

Inevitably what had to be stopped instead happened. Cleeve opened with a flourish. First corner saw Mike Davis send in a teaser, Ciren tried to head away when maybe concede another corner was the better option given the body shape of the defender.

The ball came back in, Lee Davis collected, neatly turned inside Lee Spalding and crashed a left footer past the exposed Tom King. Game on and only 48 on the clock. Five minutes later Gareth Hopkins raced onto a through ball but under pressure from Thorne chose to shoot early and Tom King had his angles right and scooped it comfortably.

Cleeve bustled thereafter to no real effect as Ciren closed down midfield space with Harry Etheridge back to his best and making it very hard for Jacko and Gascoyne to get the angles for their passes. The back three, with Kes Metitiri unflappable and Gary Throne at his imperious best denied Gareth Hopkins and Lee Davis any more shots on target.

It was getting a bit tasty as Ciren kept stopping Cleeve from dominating. Lee Spalding was lucky to escape a yellow when he gashed Mike Davis on 61 minutes, former Centurion (from quite some time ago and only briefly) Kacey Johnstone coming on to replace him in a clear indication that Mr Collicut was still going for goals.

Adam Heath did collect a yellow when he dived in on Johnstone, also yellowed, as the ball went loose in the Cleeve box. And the referee continually irritated Julian Alsop, not seeming to recognise that, big as you are, if you are shoved off the ball it is nowt to do with size and more to do with balance.

A clear take out on 64 minutes by Sam Avery on Julian Alsop looked like a stone cold penno but the ref was having none of it. It was turning from tasty to tetchy.

Andy Minturn, who had tracked and contained very calmly on the right, made the block of the match on 69 minutes when Kacey Johnstone lashed a fierce grounder for the far post.

Tom King did enough to get a hand to it and as Lee Davis swooped for the tap-in Minno had tracked him back and made the stop way over at the left hand post. Good defending against an attacker on the front foot.

Mr Collicut went for broke, former Centurion Jacko replaced by another goal scorer in Kevin Slack and Adam Mayo, yet another Centurion with 100+ red and black games under his belt, replaced by the big, rangy Mike Rhodes.

With Steve Robertson now on in place of Matt Williams as the withdrawn forward with the midfield Get and Keep It job, a lot now rested on Big H and Rob Dean keeping control. They battled, with the three behind them keeping it tight.

So much so that Adam Heath and Ben Pugh worked themselves up the left on 78 minutes, Heath skinned Tomkins then had his legs chopped as he went past Mansell in the box. The ref again waved his hands in a 'I'm not giving a penalty for that' move that sent the numerous Centurion fans into a chorus of protest.

It could have been costly. Tomkins was left free on the back stick for a header, thankfully sent way off target, off a Mansell corner on 87 minutes. On 88 minutes Steve Robertson collected a beautifully paced and placed pass from Rob Dean to lope clear on the right.

Closed down by Avery, he shielded in the corner and was dumbfounded to be whistled for using his arms. Eh? Moore, desperate to get the ball back down field dashed across and at once lashed the ball away. It hit Julian on the backside on the corner of the area and Adam Heath instantly shot the loose ball for the empty net but missed by a whisker.

Still time for Gascoyne to surge onto a pass, maybe with the option of trying to find Slack inside him but instead shooting for the near post and another calm stop from the unfazed Tom King reading the play spot on and in the right place at the right time.

After warm down was all over, the red and blacks were in a circle and all gave themselves a round of applause before coming off for a not at all shabby curry and rice and a smiling Mr Viveash. Good to see.

Bishops Cleeve: Jamie Moore, Sam Avery, Richard Mansell, Ed Ward, Michael Jackson [Kevin Slack 75], Lyndon Tomkins (c), Ben Gascoyne, Adam Mayo [Mike Rhodes 75], Lee Davis, Gareth Hopkins, Mike Davis [Kacey Johnstone 61 Y63]

subs: Allton Axton, Keith Knight (all former Centurions in italics)

Ciren: Tom King, Lee Spalding, Ben Pugh, Gary Thorne (c), Kes Metitiri, Andy Minturn, Harry Etheridge, Nathan Haisley [Rob Dean 4], Julian Alsop, Matt Williams [Steve Robertson 75], Matt Heath Y63

subs:Adam Mahdi, Steve Davies, Paul Hunt

Ref: Mr R Lovegrove, Redditch Difficult match to control, by and large he did fine but allowed tetchiness to creep in with a few bizarre decisions in the second half that puzzled both teams

Attendance: 162 Good gate for a Glos derby, with a full Centurion travelling crowd including quite a few making their first away trip of the season

Ciren Mom: When you get a win the fans have a range of reasons for choosing the player they think had the most influence, especially when the really key point is that this was a full, team performance.

Every player got at least one vote, many two, with Adam Heath, not surprisingly, got a lot of nods, as did Andy Minturn and even more for Gary Thorne.

Rob Dean (more than a few votes), Matt Williams and Harry Etheridge also featured but, again and no doubt because today he was not only a handful but scored the goals, it was Julian Alsop who came out on top.