INJURIES DISRUPT CIREN BUT DO NOT EXCUSE AN INCREASINGLY INEPT PERFORMANCE

Shrivenham 4

Cirencester Town 0

Cirencester went to their second match of pre-season, after nearly two more weeks of intensive training, and looking to build on their winning opener against Bath City on 9^th July. They did not enjoy it, failing to cope both with an uneven, hard pitch and lively, direct hosts who last season finished high up the Hellenic Premier.

Worse, injuries to Lyndon Tomkins, Craig Curtis, Zak Westlake and Jamie Reid left them with concerns for the three matches coming up within a week before their final game against Swindon Town on 4^th August.

Mr Hughes had Matt Bath, Chris Thompson, Jason Welsh, and Andy Minturn. unavailable because of work or a late return from holiday, with Lee Stevens sidelined and nursing a strain. He fielded 2 more triallists who have been with us over the past fortnight. Anselmo Carvalho, a Portugese forward who approached us for a trial and Nick Dunn, recently released from the Bristol City Academy and starting on the right of midfield, were joined by Rob Dean for his first pre-season start..

Ciren opened brightly enough, with Scott Griffin proving elusive and holding the ball well, and looked to spread the play and try and pull the Shrivenham defence around the park. Within a couple of minutes Carvalho shimmied beyond Scarfe with an outrageous change of feet and pace but as he hit his cross the ball bobbled and was sent way beyond the forwards lurking and ready to pounce.

It was becoming obvious that the pitch was proving more of a distraction, with Carvalho then Griffin both working themselves into good positions but both times the final ball was off target as the lumpy surface affected their attempts to slip their partner through. Shrivenham on the other hand were kicking through the ball, and from midfield looking to send their two speedy front men in behind the Ciren defence.

It was something to deal with. Shrivenham were playing their own game with increasing confidence and Ciren had to play to the conditions. They made a poor fist of it. Apart from trying to get George Boon away on the left – and he was finding, like Anselmo Carvalho, that the bobbles were making it difficult to put his final cross in with any degree of certainty that it would go where he was aiming – Nick Dunn and Rob Dean were winning the ball well and being fed with neat passes from Chris Burns siting in front of the back line. But their passes to hit the gaps were missing big time and increasingly overhit.

Marvin Thompson was working well from the back, sending Boon away whenever the sprightly flanker offered for the ball, and on 27 minutes one of their links slid Scott Griffin behind Flanagan. The Griff is probably in better pre-season shape than since his Academy days and he not only reached the ball with time to steady but then found a perfect cross with Carvelho getting the jump on Jon Aikenhead and first to the ball. From 6 metres the connection was solid and aimed for inside the far post but Luke Alford had anticipated, shifted his feet and got down and across well to punch clear.

Ciren had been disrupted, with Lyndon Tomkins going down with what looked like a twisted ankle, and Chris Burns slotting back to go beside Craig Curtis with Jamie Reid coming on into midfield. On 31 minutes a Ciren pass went off cue, Joyce collected the neat sideways outball and immediately slotted the ball over the top. Blaine Fitzgerald, who had strayed offside five times already, this time was put through into the right channel from Mark Peter's instant pass into the middle and slotted calmly inside the far post from close in.

Ciren never really got going and in spite of a lot of possession within 25 metres of goal, never got a return pass on target, with Griff disgusted with himself as his attempts to put Carvalho in took nicks off defenders or deflected wildly off the weeds .... Shrivenham made them pay when Chris Burns collected in defence, stepped away from Silvanus then lost the ball to a horrible bobble. Blaine Fitzgerald again nipped in, stepped forward and slotted home without pressure. Two down and not playing well, Ciren started to unravel and lost both their shape and whatever accuracy they had shown so far.

It was scruffy. And made worse when Jamie Reid turned his ankle and tried to run it off but visibly failed to recover. Even Griff had a miss; a superb run and collect off a lovely disguised Carvalho pass on 43 minutes gave him space to jink inside but sent his 10 metre volley over Alford but skimming off the bar

With Reid replaced by Tom Etheridge at half time, Ciren worked hard but fruitlessly to get through an increasingly confident Shrivenham back line. George Boon made an incisive break down the left on 52 minutes, Griff at last managing to get his pass through the undergrowth to put him away but Carvalho not only slipped as he came in to connect unmarked 10 metres out but was then beaten by yet another bobble.

Further defensive disruption just past the hour, when Zak Westlake hobbled off, followed soon after by Craig Curtis, now had Marvin Thompson at centre back with George Boon at left back and James Guthrie on the left flank. Rob Dean had dropped back to right back which gave Egg and Nick Dunn a lot to do in midfield with Carl Brown sent on to make a third attacker.

They did it well though were always vulnerable to the counter attack on the ball over the top as possession continued to be lost with some wayward passing. Griff got half a chance on 72 minutes, Tom Etheridge and Boon again combining well but our lad had to scuff his shot from under his feet as the ball came in and could only send it straight at Adam Miller, who had joined Shrivenham from our Academy.

Inevitably, Shrivenham had worked the clinching goal from a loss of Ciren possession on 70 minutes. From left back the ball went up through Mike Silvanus then neatly, and accurately, inside to Joyce 20 metres out. He slotted Gill Taylor through an embarrassingly large gap and he finished expertly from 14 yards.

On 80 minutes accurate passes after Shrivenham cleared up in defence sent Paul Sander through the makeshift Ciren back line. As he reached the edge of the box he popped his shot beyond the rapidly advancing Joe Popley to bulge the net. No arguments – it had been an inept Ciren display and Shrivenham had done their job well, played to their strengths and ruthlessly exploited their openings.

Shrivenham: Luke Alford [Adam Miller 45], Chris Flanagan [Luke Quince 78], Mike Scarfe, Jon Aikenhead, Shaun Carter, Mike Silvanus, Dan Thomas, Taylor Gill, Mark Peters [Paul Sander 45], Blaine Fitzgerald, Frazer Joyce

Cirencester: Joe Popley, Zak Westlake [James Guthrie 70], Marvin Thompson, Lyndon Tomkins [Jamie Reid 22, Tom Etheridge 45], Craig Curtis [Carl Brown 73], Chris Burns, Nick Dunn, Rob Dean, Anselmo Carvalho, Scott Griffin, George Boon

Ref: Mr C Carter, Swindon

Att: 142 More than a fair few from The Corinium. Shriv missed out methinks – no dosh taken on the gate though they probably more than made up for that with a healthy bar take.