CENTURIONS COPE WELL WITH A LIVELY FAIRFORD TEAM AND SCORE TWO GOOD GOALS FOR THE WIN

Fairford Town 1

Cirencester Town 2

The Centurions, watched with interest by a much larger than usual group of cheerful fans who had made the short trip down London Road, coped well with a youthful Fairford Town and clinched the result with two good goals.

Mr Hughes is still looking hard at his squad, wanting to find the last pieces in his jigsaw. It looks like he has a solid backline and enviable versatility up top but is still looking at the shape his team will play. That will determine how he sets up his midfield though there is no doubt each game will be taken on its merits and he will switch players to suit the situation.

This time he played a very solid 4 4 2, with Tom Etheridge taking the wide left side slot and young James Robbins the wide right side with Jamie Reid and Nick Dunn sitting in the middle. Chris Williams, the last of the Bristol City youngsters he has been looking at, has been training over the past week and partnered Lee Stevens in the middle of the back four. He had an impressive debut, coping calmly with a lively Fairford front pairing and dovetailing neatly with the always effervescent Lee Stevens.

Carl Brown was played up at the sharp end and he and Jason Welsh soon showed that they can form a dangerous partnership, the experienced target man sending his speedy partner on runs into the gaps from the off. Fairford just about managed to keep him out but the pressure at the front gave the midfield plenty of opportunity to control the game as they picked up the clearances.

Jamie Reid was his usual authoritative self, his touch and eye for the telling pass well matched by the mobile Nick Dunn who was constantly in space and confident enough on the ball to be willing to bring it down and give the wide men chances to go behind the Fairford back line.

The opener came from wide on the left – Egg enjoys rampaging onto passes into space and on 18 minutes Dunn picked him out with a clever pass after completely flummoxing the Fairford midfield with a neat collect, turn and surge into space.

It was good set up play. What followed was just what we expect from Tom Etheridge. Looking up and expecting to pick out Jason Welsh on the far post he spotted the keeper just too far out and so drove the cross shot in and inside the far post for a very satisfying opener. The delighted laughter from the pitch and the far side suggested Tom was trying a cross but, as he assured me afterwards, he'd seen the gap and was delighted to plug it.

Even better was the clincher on 40 minutes from Carl Brown. Again, Nick Dunn moved smartly to collect in midfield and picked out Jamie Reid and James Robbins filling the space on the right. A drilled pass, an astute lay-off from Robbins back inside to Reid and a foul. Reid at once placed a superb pass in for the near edge of the six yard box where Carl Brown was far too quick for the defender and got there first to lift the ball unerringly into the net. Typical Carl and the Muppetts were very chuffed.

Second half Fairford (could not get a team sheet so have no idea who their players were) made a couple of changes and Mr Hughes replaced five on 55 minutes. Interestingly, he left the back line untouched but replaced the whole midfield with The Griff trotting on to replace Carl Brown up front and wrapping the armband on as Reidy trotted off.

The shape changed to a 4 3 3, with James Guthrie doing the down and dirty collect and carry down the left while Max Etheridge went up front on the right to give Fairford a different set of problems. It took a bit of time for Rob Dean and Adam Little to gain ascendancy, though Rob did not take too long to get himself into the groove, coming back to collect from Williams and Stevens and then getting himself up front to re-direct play and link well both with Griff at the sharp end and with Max ranging along the right side of the front line.

Fairford were not letting Ciren have it all their own way but their attacks were being expertly rebuffed by the fleet-footed Stevens and Williams; the latter twice saw chances to surge upfield and drive past the Fairford midfield when his buddy calmly played him into space with his clearances.

First time, Welsh was inches off connecting with the adventurous Williams on the final wall pass to send him clear. Second time, Griff was flagged when in the opinion of some the burst behind the line onto a clever pass had been perfectly timed but too cute for the lino. Enterprising stuff from Chris Williams, that. Makes defences wobble when an extra man appears on the horizon.

James Guthrie has a blistering change of pace and when finally Marvin Thompson had the chance to send him clear down the left he skipped past the full back and found Max Etheridge on the far post with a perfect cross. Getting up above the defender, Max guided his header carefully back from where it came and over the keeper only for the ball to smack off the bar and just out of the line of the lurking Griff.

Griffin had a shot charged down after Max Etheridge collected a neat pass from Zak Westlake and surged past his defender to cross; the openings were coming Ciren's way but they were not being turned into clear shooting chances as Fairfield dug in and refused to be turned over.

On 85 minutes, Matt Bath having safely collected everything so far sent his way, Fairford sent in a long far post cross from the right and when Ciren failed first to clear and then to cover Jack Tertoir popped the ball into the net when it fell to him 6 yards out.

Cirencester: Matt Bath, Zak Westlake, Marvin Thompson, Chris Williams, James Reid (c) [Rob Dean 55], Lee Stevens, James Robbins [Max Etheridge 55], Nick Dunn [Adam Little 55], Carl Brown [Scott Griffin (c) 55], Jason Welsh, Tom Etheridge [James Guthrie 75]

No idea who the ref was tonight; guessing, the crowd was around 100. As always, very welcoming in the Fairford Clubhouse and I can recommend the Bass if anybody decides to pop down again when we are a long way away on our travels ....