THE SWANS WORK HARD TO NOTCH DESERVED FA CUP WIN OVER OUT OF TOUCH CIREN

Newport Pagnell Town 1

Cirencester Town 0

The Swans had never been past the Qualifying Round before. But, scoring a well worked early goal, their young team battled to contain an out of touch Ciren. They took full advantage of the sometimes bizarre decisions of an inconsistent referee as the Centurions misplaced passes and missed chances. And by the end their win was fully deserved

Cirencester on Saturday were visiting a team one League below them, one with three experienced players but otherwise comprised of eager youngsters who had grown up with their home town club. The scene was set for a classic FA Cup upset.

But Ciren surely would be aware of the dangers. And, after withstanding the expected early storm, they would ease through and put the upstart Swans in their place.

So much for the script. The Swans were indeed eager. Sometimes overeager, as time after time their warriors fell bleeding to the turf in a match with 8 stoppages for on-field treatment. And were sometimes also naïve in their play.

Time after time their back line were there to be breached by their illustrious visitors. But, as time after time on their part, Ciren gave the ball away with a poor pass, The Swans also showed that they could pass the ball better and keep it. They were eager and pacey all over the park.

But the ball rarely stuck once Newport reached the Ciren final third. The home team only had 4 shots on target all match, two in the last five minutes as Ciren battered urgently at the other end to rescue the match.

On 5 minutes Newport Pagnell cleared a Ciren corner. A strong run from Jordan Spruce took him from the edge of his own box. Harry Etheridge had only to get close and slow him down. But from too far away, and off balance, he challenged and was bypassed far too easily.

Moving right, Spruce next took on Robert Dean and was past him as well when again the player was not contained. The Centurion was left on the deck on the half way line. Next up was skipper Gary Thorne. But Spruce was now unstoppable and simply surged past him as he went inside.

When he was finally slowed by Kes Metitiri, deep in Ciren territory, Spruce had the composure to knock a pass forward to the veteran Darren Lynch. All it needed was a knock on to the player, in the clear 20 yards out, with Lee Spalding watching 10 yards away and unable to get a block on.

Right on script, the ball was moved on to Vinny Shrieves with the Ciren defence completely shredded. His unchallenged shot just inside the post bulged the Ciren net. It was not until the 44^th minute that Newport had their next shot on goal.

Before that time Ciren were often second best to an eager Newport, with Julian Alsop apparently singled out for attention by Mr Lugg while Lee Tinsley battered and thumped him without let-up. An early caution, maybe protesting a little bit too much after a purling challenge, meant he had to be careful. But that did not explain why Ciren appeared tentative, uneasy and generally out of sorts all over the park.

Their gradual assumption of dominance in the match was hampered by a series of miscued passes, carelessly overhit passes, and some poor choices in support of possession. But they turned the screw and started finally to move the ball effectively. In spite of some truly mysterious decisions by the referee, and Newport players going down with monotonous regularity, Ciren kept on opening up the Newport back line.

In the final 15 minutes of the half, Adam Heath had a shot charged down by Papadopolous after Julian Alsop managed to get to a corner and head it down without being penalised. Matt Williams, trying hard to get into the game but somehow not managing to get himself free to do any damage, fractionally delayed his shot when he was sent clear and Howarth managed to smother the shot.

On 43 minutes Julian Alsop contrived to volley past from 3 yards when a sublime Ben Pugh cross found him at the far post having made twenty yards to get to the ball at full stretch. And then came that second shot from Newport when Rob McDonald scooted inside Lee Spalding and forced Tom King to a save at his near post.

Second half Ciren kept the pressure on the Newport goal without ever really controlling the ball. Heath had a shot on target following a corner magically turned over at close range by James Howarth on 50 minutes.

Then, after incessant but ineffectual Ciren pressure as Newport battled to close down goal attempts, a move down the right then switched left saw Alsop in possession in the box and Heath again available beside him. The lay-off was perfect but Heath, maybe too eager, was early on the ball and shinned it wide of the post when it needed just a moment of calm and a drilled shot past the exposed keeper.

James Howarth somehow managed to hack a Minturn volley, at full stretch and off balance, off his line on 64 minutes . He was lucky when he came for a deflection and just managed to pouch the awkward bounce at the second attempt.

And the referee decided that a back pass by Nichols, with Harry Etheridge chasing him down, was an allowable pick up by the keeper. Asked afterwards, he said it was Big H that had toed the ball back to the keeper. Dearie me.

When Andy Minturn expertly netted a corner on 76 minutes the referee disallowed the strike because the cross had apparently swung out over the goal line on it's way onto Minturn's forehead. Certainly, the lino already had his flag up before the ball hit the net.

The match was becoming a battlefield. Vinnie Shrieves was wisely replaced by the Swans gaffer after he was yellowed for sticking his elbow on Gary Thorne. And Ben Pugh got a late tackle off Rick Armstrong, enough to have him replaced by Dan Thompson, as Newport tired and their timing was increasingly late in the tackle.

McDonald should have settled the match for Newport on 82 minutes but scuffed a cross from Lynch onto the bar. And then fired wastefully wide when veteran sub Aidy Mann sent him through on 88 minutes when Ciren were desperately trying to retrieve at least a draw at the other end.

Though Minno was very lucky right at the end only to be yellowed after Armstrong was again very late into a tackle and Minno then ruffled his hair, so to speak. About par for the standard of this ref – he had a poor game today – but he did not contrive to misplace all the Ciren passes or make the wrong choices on positioning. That was all down to Ciren and they paid the price today.

Newport Pagnell Town: James Howarth, Nick Papadopolous, Robert Tapp, John Thorpe (c) Y72, Lee Tinsley, Jordan Spruce Y58 [Matt Brooms 62], Danny Nicholls [Aidy Mann 75], Rick Armstrong Y78, Vinny Shrieve Y62 [Drew Mitten 66], Darren Lynch, Rob McDonald Y53

Cirencester: Tom King, Lee Spalding, Ben Pugh [Dan Thompson 75], Gary Thorne (c), Kes Metitiri, Andy Minturn Y 90+4, Harry Etheridge, Rob Dean [Steve Robertson 83], Julian Alsop Y10, Matt Williams [Steve Davies 58], Adam Heath

sub: Paul Hunt

Ref. Mr Lugg (Surrey) Very poor. Erratic. Neither team could suss why he was making his decisions. And sufficient were so off the mark as to make one wonder if he had forgotten to kick the cat on his way to the ground today. Bad day at the office for him. So two teams did that today.

Att: 117  Lots of cheerful Centurions, with a full bus, and I counted at least 39 had turned up by kick-off. It was a good gate and The Swans must have been pleased with the turnout. Though they had to give probably all the takings to the ref to pay his expenses.

Ciren Mom: Adam Heath and Kes Metitiri got a mention from the few people I consulted, with not many fans really in the mood to comment. Both did have steady games and appeared not to be affected by the general malaise spreading through the team today. But in my opinion, even though he too was sucked out of position for the goal, today on his overall calm and effective display, it was Andy Minturn