CARELESS DEFENDING LETS GOSPORT BOROUGH RETRIEVE A LATE DRAW

Cirencester Town 3

Gosport Borough 3

Cirencester let a two goal lead slip away against a feisty if one-dimensional Gosport Borough, battled to regain the upper hand through a typical Carl Brown goal but again lost focus to let their visitors escape with a very late second equaliser. Gosport had come out determinedly from the start, and whilst their football was way behind the steady play of Cirencester, they deserve credit for battling through to grab what, in an entertaining contest, was a deserved draw.

Mr Hughes still had Craig Curtis out, playing at Fairford to regain fitness and was lacking influential midfielder Jamie Reid required for a long standing family event. Skipper Griffiths was not fit to take his place in the centre of defence so Mr Hughes played Lee Stevens alongside Lyndon Tomkins, skipper for the day. With a battle on his hands, the Ciren gaffer was challenging the visitors to score more than his team by playing 3 up top.

Mr Pike already had 4 players out, the biggest loss being his goal ace Justin Bennett.

With Browner, Jody and The Griff all fouled within the first two minutes by Jones, Plunkett and Jones again, the early pressure was all on the young goalkeeper,Nick Hutchings, huddling under the Shed End. None of the free kicks, swirling away in the Corinium gale, came to aught and soon Ciren were themselves having to look sharp as twice the very lively Ashley Jarvis spun away from Lyndon Tomkins and made good ground inside the Ciren box.

First time, Tom Etheridge calmly cleared up but the second foray could well have been more deadly except Jarvis made a right horlicks of his far post pass. Though that did not stop Matt Bath quite rightly bellowing “Too easy, lads. Too easy”. He was right.

The defence got tighter and both Chris Williams and Nick Dunn got tighter on the Gosport midfield. Dunny not only has instant control but sees his pass very early and within 4 minutes he saw (sensed?) Egg overlapping up the left and the pass from Egg had Griff jinking inside the totem pole tall Ryan Hill and creating havoc inside the 6 yard box before Plunkett wellied away.

Dunn saw Browner offering on the edge of the Gosport defence on 8 minutes and an incisive pass had Browner collecting, scooting away up the left then, as he went back inside Hill, having his legs taken from under him. It looked as if he had got inside the box.  But Mr Morris, a long way back, tootled but kept his eye on the place and decided when he got there that a yard inside the box had transformed into on the penalty area line. Hmm.

Jody Bevan, when he was not being fouled by Paul Jones, was winning all his headers and on 12 minutes a lovely, crisp, move gave Ciren the lead. Egg was first to a ball up the left, transferred inside to Chris Williams and his pass up the park was carefully nodded down by Jody to The Griff who had apparently taken Plunkett away on a journey down to The Golden Farm. At least, that was how it looked as The Griff appeared 18 yards out and in loads of space. Scott Griffin does not miss those and his instant shot speared inside the near post, Hutchings completely taken aback by the instant reaction and then entertaining the Arena End by seeming to dive over the ball.

Gosport were on the rack for a good 10 minutes, seeming not to be able to control the ball for more than a few seconds before it was snaffled expertly back by the rampant Chris Williams. Carl Brown was popping up in the left side channel, up the right and floating wide whenever The Griff or Jody got the ball with Jody very impressive in his ability to come, collect and move the ball on.

Browner was taken out clumsily by Hill on 16 minutes and as the ball rebounded upfield Mr Morris played advantage as Jody set himself to collect.. Plunkett threw himself in from far too far away and as Jody nodded down to Griff clunked himself on our Evertonian's bonce to go to ground. The long stoppage for a blood wound ended with Plunkett trudging off when it became obvious the gash was too deep to be butterfly plastered.

On came Martin Louie, a youngster, and Gosport really were up against it. Ciren should have buried them in that period but with Craig Davis extremely competitive in front of the wobbling Rory Williams at left back they just about steadied themselves. Nick Dunn, calmness personified in the Ciren midfield and the only player on either side in the middle of the park seemingly able to pick his next pass, even as he was cleaning up, kept sending Browner or Zak Westlake up the right or more productively Tom 'Egg' Etheridge up the left with astute switches of play.

On 25 minutes a Dunn > Egg combination ended with Chris Williams collecting infield and his through pass split the Gosport defence, with Griff carefully dragging Louie into no mans land out on the left, to find Chris Thompson in the clear on the edge of the Gosport box. He could have had a steadying touch, in spite of the squeak from Browner to send the ball inside, but instead hit the ball first time and Hutchings, who should have been picking the ball out of the net, was instead watching it sail over his bar.

Two minutes later, after Zak and Nick Dunn had again passed through Rory Williams for Browner to go at the defence but only win a corner, Egg placed his flag kick tantalisingly for the far corner of the six yard box. Hutchings came poling out, Lyndon Tomkins was coming in unmarked and intent on connecting and it was his header that made contact to nut the ball firmly over the line, much to his and his team's delight.

That really should have been it. Gosport were, briefly, shambolic and Ciren should have creamed them. Griff, naughty, shot when Jody was clear in space to his left. Browner was oh so close to connecting with two delightful Jody Bevan passes into the edge of the box and Hutchings did marvellously well to come for and catch a horribly dangerous cross from the overlapping Zak Westlake in front of Bevan.

There had been nowt going forward for Gosport, both Lyndon Tomkins and Lee Stevens very much on top of Jarvis and the woefully inadequate Nathan Kirkby. So when, on 43 minutes, a way overhit pass up the left channel went through the defence Bathy's shout to collect and clear appeared routine. Maybe he was thinking where he would place his pass out. Maybe he saw Jarvis coming in. Whatever, he messed it up and Ashley Jarvis was cool as you like and buried the gift.

Gosport were cock-a-hoop at getting one back, they were back in the match, and at once dangerous. Bath had to work to get a Jarvis snorter tipped over the bar as the half ended with Ciren suddenly looking uneasy.

Clearly Mr Pike had had hard words with his team at the break. The Gosport marking and challenges back to the intensity they had had shown early on and they clearly now thought they could pull another goal back. Carl Brown, going for a loose ball 25 yards out, was put on the turf with an admirable block by Alex Ward in the only Ciren attack early on. Ciren just could not seem to get the ball moving.

Gosport had no such problem, the lively feet of the youngster Michael Turvey up the left now being fed time and again in the opening minutes with some lovely, crisp passes from Craig Davis. Mr Pike had seen a possible opening and Zak Westlake suddenly had a handful to deal with. Ashley Jarvis should have done better when he was beautifully slotted through after yet another foray down the left but put his shot way wide with the Ciren defence looking not only discomfited but, not good, starting to chunter.

On 50 minutes the Gosport momentum paid off big time. Lee Stevens turned to deal with a miscued high pass forward, made a pig's ear of his attempt to nod clear and when the ball dropped inside the Ciren box both he and Tomkins were nowhere near Nathan Kirby who lashed the ball in from 16 yards and inside Bathy's right hand post. 2-2 and guess which team really fancied the game now?

It was suddenly all to play for again, with Ciren mentally on the back foot having let a 2 goal lead slip. Back came Ciren, working Williams yet again, and on 53 minutes Carl Brown came onto a peach of a channel pass from Nick Dunn, danced outside Wayne Boud, and let go a scorcher arrowing inside the out of position Hutching's far post. Deflected wide by Hill, somehow the ref saw a goal kick. Poor, that. It was one heck of a deflection.

It made Gosport once again look backwards, and while there were still fouls conceded on Bevan and Griffin, they may not have conceded another chance, but were once again having to defend.

Nick Dunn was now bossing the midfield, first to every loose ball and bringing Egg and Zack into every move. The crosses rained in and Hutchings was not only positive but sure-handed as he came for and got the lot. Well done, lad.

Though he was back to his unsteady ways on 68 minutes. Davis dived in and conceded a foul against Westlake when a bewildering zip of passes had his team chasing every which way. Chris Thompson's cross was far too wicked for the Gosport defence. Hutchings again came, failed to gather and while Bevan's header was half cleared, Dunn expertly cleaned up, fed Egg and The Griff collected his inside pass, laid back to Dunn, collected the return on the edge of the box and seemed to wait an age.

Hutchings had no idea whether Griff was going to shoot, wavered, and when instead Griff slipped the ball 5 yards to his right Browner was far too fast in thought and movement and was goal side of Williams. Hutchings was accused later of being too slow out but that gives no credit to Carl Brown who was lightning quick, onto the pass and calmly slipped it past the plunging Hutchings and inside the near post. Don't think Browner can say Griff never passes to him. That was a perfect opening, expertly created and expertly finished.

That should have been it. No it was not. Turvey was still giving Zak problems and on 75 minutes skipped round him when his equally young opponent got too close, got off his feet and was passed. Ashley Jarvis was put clean through off the inside pass and missed horribly past the far post. Bath had to work again when again Turvey skipped away and this time it was Kirby hitting the shot and Bath had to get down to his right and grab and hold on to a right fizzer.

Hutchings did marvellously well to get up and tip over a Jody Special on 80 minutes when his defence was shredded by Williams winning a boss tackle in midfield and then Dunn > Griffin > Brown carved the opening for Jody. Ciren had turned the screw, carefully and calmly doing their best to keep the ball, and should have had a clincher on 83 minutes.

A series of corners were collected on the edge of the box as they were just about cleared by Gosport and off the last one, Griff was put clear on the left by a sublime, first time and arrow sharp Dunn pass, fed Jody and his stonkin' shot was scooped away from inside the near post by Ryan Hill. With his arm. Massive appeals, and the ref tapped his shoulder. I don't think so ref, I think you messed that one up. Tapping your LEFT shoulder was a bit of a give away ...... to make it worse, a goal kick was awarded. Pfft!

Gosport had by no means given up but were by now wellying it upfield and hoping for a mistake. They got it, but the mistake happened outside their own box. Hill got the ball, Browner let him go without challenge and the lad found Boud centre circle. His wide pass left was returned into the middle by the hitherto hapless Williams, about to become a hero, and between themselves Lee Stevens and Lyndon Tomkins failed to close the ball down.

Jarvis in possession outside the box, calm head, fed Brookman (just onto the park and looking lively) on his right and Bathy did marvellously well even to get down and block. Michael Turvey, racing in, did even more marvellously well to pop his right leg up as the ball was going past him, find that it had hit his heel and was delighted to see it bounce into the net. Fair play to Gosport, they had kept themselves going to the end, and there is no denying that they were clinical in their punishment of some duff Ciren defending.

Cirencester: Matt Bath, Zak Westlake, Tom Etheridge, Lee Stevens, Nick Dunn, Lyndon Tomkins (c), Chris Thompson, Chris Williams, Jody Bevan, Scott Griffin, Carl Brown

subs: Jason Welsh, Rob Dean, Max Etheridge, Marvin Thompson, Keith Knight

Gosport Borough: Nick Hutchings, Ryan Hill, Rory Williams, Andy Puckett [Martin Louie 16], Paul Jones, Wayne Boud, Alex Ward [Chris Brookman 85], Craig Davis (c), Ashley Jarvis, Nathan Kirby, Michael Turvey

subs: Dan Wooden, Rob Pitman, David Hook (G/K)

Ref: Mr K Morris, Hereford Kept control though there were moments mid and late first half and mid way through the second when he lost concentration. Two inexplicable decisions on pens but overall, hey, it is a hard enough job without giving him gyp for those.

Att: 110  

MoM:    No voting papers so MoB collected the votes and while Egg, Lee Stevens, Chris Williams, Jody and Griff all got deserved mentions it was by a margin Nick Dunn who got the bottle of gash bubbly from the Chairman today.