ABINGDON UNITED NICK TWO GOALS FROM GENERAOUS CIREN DEFENCE AND DESERVE THEIR SHARE OF THE POINTS

Cirencester Town 2

Abingdon Town 2

Abingdon were pacy, passed well and unlocked the Cirencester defence more times than 'keeper Tom King would have liked. After a disjointed first half, when they could have been well behind, Cirencester grabbed hold of the game and deservedly took the lead. But they surrendered it again within a minute with some rank poor defending. At the end they could well have conceded a penalty as Abingdon drove on for the winner.

Big report this time. Interesting match and I got a fair few decent pictures.

Abingdon, still wiping the blood from the raw meat pre-match meal from their chins, rocketed into a startled Ciren from the off. On a slick pitch, they moved the ball accurately and closed down all over the park to give Ciren a very uncomfortable first half.

The Ciren midfield were hustled unmercifully and could not make their pattern work. Even though Abingdon conceded 14 free kicks in the first 30 minutes they did not let up the pressure. And gave Julian Alsop a right old fashioned going over as he rose to meet the high balls that far too quickly became the only Ciren attacking ploy

The home team could not keep Billy Beeches and Mark Burton in check as the pair not only moved well but made sure the ball stuck when it reached them. The cunning Jamie Brooks on the left was making it more than difficult for Lee Spalding to get upfield for Ciren and was a secure outlet for the U's.

With Jordan Parker and Tom Austin swarming forward from midfield to support their two sprightly front runners, the Ciren midfield were having to do a lot of chasing. And they were being bypassed with ominous ease, Mr Viveash watching with increasing dismay (and I suspect increasing irritation) as his players kept on making the wrong choices and not giving the Abingdon defence any problems.

On 13 mins Ben Pugh was caught upfield when Ciren lost possession up top. Mark Burton made a sharp break to fill the space and an accurate switch of passes rewarded his grabbing of the initiative and had him clear up the right.

Skipping outside the cover tackle, he looked up and slid a sharp, low cross for the near edge of the six yard box. Jamie Brooks was coming in from 20 yards away. On their blindside, he was in front of and across the Ciren defence to connect cleanly for an easy opener inside the near post.

Ciren dug in but, with debutant Matt Thorne never entirely sure where his passes were supposed to go and Adam Heath running himself into blind alleys and being closed off no matter where he went, the attacks were being stalled almost before they started.

The 3 5 2 formation needed the wing backs to be up and down and dragging the defenders out. But instead the wing backs were far too aware that losing the ball meant they had to be back and trying to contain the Abingdon thrusts.

Everything was coming through the work of Micheas Herbert, in the centre of midfield for Abingdon. One minute he was forcing Steve Davies to turn and slow the Ciren moves. Next minute, he was upfield of the Ciren midfield to collect and move the ball on to his front men. He was having a right purple patch and Beeches and Burton were loving it.

Abingdon continued to hustle Ciren into errors around their own penalty box, with Matt Thorne doing very well to keep his concentration and track back to head clear at the far post from a rampaging Burton on 20 minutes.

On 29 minutes a quick rattle of passes had Herbert sliding Brooks in up the left and goal side of Lee Spalding. Andy Minturn blocked that off but Brooks stretched a leg and hooked the loose ball back into the middle. It landed at the feet of Billy Beeches, unmarked 12 yards out. How Tom King made the save off the pointblank shot only he knows but his reactions saved Ciren at that moment.

A snap shot from Jordan Parker cannoned off the Ciren bar on 33 minutes when, again, Abingdon had men spare on the edge of the box in support of their attack. It was hairy.

But, significantly, even though Ciren were stretched and not really keeping the ball when it was upfield, the defenders were digging in and now containing the moves from Beeches and Burton

Ciren had to improve in the second half, and did so with admirable commitment. Now playing 4-4-2, with Andy Minturn sacrificed out of the back three to put Adam Mahdi in front of Ben Pugh. Matt Williams replaced Adam Heath to go upside with Julian Alsop, with Matt Thorne very clearly now planted in midfield and with targets for his passes.

Although, early on, Ciren had to defend well as a series of corners kept them pinned at the Arena End. Herbert got himself in front of Nathan to connect with one of them, and then Beeches swung at a half clearance only to send the ball over the bar.

It took a typically first to the ball clearing header from Gary Thorne to send Abingdon back into their half as he found Steve Davies. Who not only had James Organ going backwards but now had targets for his infield passes instead of no other option than have to try and find Julian Alsop's head from 40 yards away

Ciren had Abingdon looking back as they now made sure their passes found their targets. The U's defence were not only having to cope with accurate passes coming in, they were also being stopped from the easy outball they had enjoyed in the first half.

Matt Williams surprised Franklin with his pace as he reached a channel ball. While the big lad did actually get his boot to the ball to clear it, he did it by the simple method of going through the forward to get there. Nowt came of the free kick, with the 'keeper more than happy to go up and punch away with nary an intention of catching.

With the ball now dropping anywhere, Ciren had to get up and snaffle the second balls and keep Abingdon pinned. Matt Thorne finally got Adam Mahdi free on the left and when the cross was half cleared Steve Davies had a shot that deflected onto the post, with Nathan stretching to reach but sending the rebound over the top.

Steve Davies was much more on the front foot now, getting himself into position to receive and going at the defenders. He won a race for a loose ball 30 yards out on 57 minutes, with Herbert coming the other way. His boot was up and it was he was down for 3 or 4 minutes, though Davo was a bit disgusted to discover the ref had awarded a free the other way.

Not sure about this but Nathan and Jools were in discussion with the ref and it was at that time I think that the skipper was carded for dissent. Abingdon had not pulled back from anything all match. And Thorney was himself on the deck for a good few minutes after he got a late one on 70 minutes .

After going very close several times, Ciren finally equalised on 65 minutes. Steve Davies had a look up, set to go wide, looked again and then swung a cross in. Julian Alsop was coming at it from beyond the far post and, even with both Franklin and McCalmon making a Julian sandwich, he reached the ball and nodded down. Matt Williams, much more alert than the defence, spun off Herbert and scored decisively into the far corner.

Abingdon tried to come back, with Ciren needing a great block from Kes Metitiri on Mark Burton on 73 minutes. The defender read both the run and the pass to get to Burton and stop him comprehensively on the edge of the box.

Though the balance of the game had definitely swung to the home team, Abingdon had a great opening on 81 minutes when Parker and Beeches worked the ball up the right in a swift break then switched inside to Ryan Curtain, on as sub for Brooks. He had the whole goal to aim at but shot wastefully over the top.

Sam Warrell repeatedly had to punch clear to keep the ball away from the increasingly threatening Julian Alsop as both Mahdi and Steve Davies swung over a series of juicy crosses. And Steve Davies was just eased out of it when a series of passes sent him into the box for a shot that Warrell blocked at his near post.

On 83 minutes Julian Alsop moved to the near post to connect with an Adam Mahdi corner and send it zimming under the Abingdon bar. Warrell touched it but fell back into his own net.

With four defenders standing and watching, Matt Williams was electric in coming in from the far post to slam the rebound home. Nathan Haisley was almost standing on his toes but wisely decided that from less than a yard Willo was going to get to the ball first.

That should have been it. Somehow, four passes later without Ciren touching the ball, Burton was again passed clear up the right. And again, the scorer came in on the blindside with the defenders asleep.

So when Jordan Parker connected for another simple tap to make it 2-2 in you had to admit that Abingdon possibly did deserve the draw. But you also had to choke on the fact that a Ciren win was there to be defended.

Next minute, Matt Williams could have notched his third, connecting with a superb cross from Alsop and beating Warrell only for the ball to shave the far post and bounce wide.

When Beeches drove into the Ciren box on 88 minutes and then went down when Metitiri stopped him, it could well have been a penalty. The referee decided the tackle was spot on – and, as he had been for all of the match, he was only 5 yards away from the incident.

It could have gone the other way with some refs and it needs to be noted that even at that moment of high tension the Abingdon players kept their cool admirably. And kept their own goal intact for the remaining 5+ minutes of this end to end match.

Cirencester: Tom King, Lee Spalding Y88, Ben Pugh, Gary Thorne (c) Y66, Kes Metitiri, Andy Minturn [Adam Mahdi 46], Matt Thorne, Nathan Haisley, Julian Alsop, Adam Heath [Matt Williams 46], Steve Davies

subs: Steve Robertson, Oggy Hunt, Lee Stevens

Abingdon: Sam Warrell, James Smith, James Organ, Tom Austin, Tom Franklin Y53, Julian McCalmon, Jordan Parker, Michaes Herbert, Billy Beeches, Mark Burton, Jamie Brooks [Ryan Curtain 70]

subs: Nathan Woodley, Mark Burton, Luke Holden, Luke Farrow

Ref: Mr J Busby (Oxford)      All 3 of the Black team were superb. Worked together, and were decisive. All too often you see some refs who play as if the linos are there merely to be meat and drink for The Muppetts.

Att: 113     On a soggy day, that was better than I expected, with Abingdon bringing a few faithful fans with them. One youngster was making his first ever visit to The Corinium and while, at barely 18 months old, he was more interested in wriggling on his dad's arm, his dad sure knew his football and sussed the way the match was going very well.

MoM: I was very impressed with Micheas Herbert of Abingdon, their Number 8. Editing the more than 50 reasonable piccies I got, he was in most of them. Which means he featured at both ends of the field as well as in the middle. Or, of course, he just may be a photo showboater. I don't think so. Remarkable display from him and Abingdon owed him a lot.

Ciren MoM: Fair range of votes, which always suggests the fans have seen a match they have enjoyed even if they did not like the result. Tom King, not surprisingly in view of the at least two stonking saves he made, got it just ahead of Gary Thorne