CIREN HOLD THEIR NERVE AND WIN AS NORTH LEIGH ATTACK RELENTLESSLY IN A PULSATING FA CUP TIE

FA Cup First Qualifying Round

Cirencester Town 2

North Leigh 1

This was a fiercely contested First Qualifying Round FA Cup tie, the result being in doubt right up to the final whistle. Cirencester were well on top in the first half but for long periods in the second half North Leigh kept the ball and probed the Cirencester defence relentlessly. There was more direct work for the North Leigh keeper, the Cirencester forwards proving elusive and threatening all match. Whereas Matt Bath in the Cirencester goal was better protected and had only four direct saves to make in the match. As a tactical battle between two proud teams this was a match that may not have been silky smooth but most certainly was one that either side could have won.

Mr Hughes adjusted his line up a little after the Gosport match. With Neil Griffiths still not quite match fit, he paired Chris Thompson with Lyndon Tomkins in the middle of the defence and put Jamie Reid back into midfield with Lee Stevens going onto the bench. Mr Gee has lost a couple of his midfielders and two of his successful forwards of the previous seasons but in my opinion has added some real pace on the flanks and through the middle by bringing through his youngsters. We knew what to expect, with the core of his team now well established and having a lot of experience.

The two teams looked well matched and it was going to be a battle. Unusually, the wind was a nor'easter so both that and the slope would favour the team kicking towards The Arena End. Ciren had first bite at it and certainly had the better of the opening, though the calm Leigh defending and good passing out from the back meant there was also some early pressure at the Shed End. Twice Matt Taylor was beyond the defence off typically astute Andy Helby passes but was flagged off both times. He had looked onside to me and it was obvious Ciren would have to match the Leigh front men for pace or be torn to bits.

At the other end, Scott Griffin was getting the kind of passes on which he thrives, slick stuff sent accurately up to him on the deck and inviting him to come and meet it. Making himself big to control and setting the line surging forward by spreading the play, he was soon being tumbled by the forthright Huxley and Leigh were conceding avoidable free kicks.

Carl Brown was sent away by an early pass into the gap behind Futcher by Jody Bevan, picked out by a beauty of a pass from Nick Dunn. His well placed cross was just about cleared by Karl Dodds as Jody Bevan followed up his own move to challenge. When Nick Dunn picked out Griffin on the left on 6 minutes, his collect, check and spin took him past Aaron Posey only to fire just past the far post. Again Griffin was just off target on 16 minutes when a clever knockdown by Bevan off a placed cross by Zak Westlake gave him a sight of goal but his volley was mistimed onto the deck and from there looping over Warrell's bar. Ciren were visibly bossing the match at this point.

On 18 minutes Leigh went close. Bevan had again hung in the air to challenge for a cross, carefully nodding back to the unmarked Griffin only for Huxley to get a flung boot in the way and deflect. From the clearance a long ball up the left hung in the wind. Lyndon Tomkins did not quite manage to stay aloft long enough to get leverage on the ball and Matt Taylor collected the loose clearance to scoot past him only to fire far too early and inaccurately past Matt Bath's far post with Andy McCabe steaming in to the edge of the box and unmarked.

The Ciren screw turned. Aaron Posey had been impressively calm on the right flank of the Leigh defence, making sure his interceptions were played off to a team mate rather than being belted down the line. But he was ganged up on by Tom Etheridge and Carl Brown who worked the ball in and past him for Brown to cross and Jody Bevan to have his fierce far post shot deflected wide for a corner, over-ruled by the probably unsighted arbitro.

On 22 minutes Ciren scored a peach of a goal. Keeping the ball up their right, Simon Futcher had to go out to close down Zak Westlake. Ryan Curtin, impressively, stayed focussed and tracked back to pick up Brown. He was so busy trying to keep tabs on him he could not see the lovely zip of passes from Westlake inside to Dunn, the pass slotted up to Griffin and the inch perfect lay-off from him that gave Browner the gap. After burners glowing, he just cannot be legally stopped inside the box when he dips his shoulder, offers inside and goes. The lad tumbled as he was bypassed and Carl Brown had that half yard, gave the keeper the eyes and coldly slipped the ball past him and over the line. A year or so ago it might have been a blast. Now, it was a rapier thrust.

Within two minutes it was inches away from another Ciren goal. Again, it was cleaning up by the wing backs that started it, Tom Etheridge calmly chesting down and instead of blasting a line ball picking out Chris Williams inside. A one touch transfer to Nick Dunn, a pass through to the onrushing Jamie Reid and Carl Brown was onto the loose ball as Hole stopped Reid. One touch, his shot was going outside Warrell until he made a superb, leaping, stop with his left hand only for the ball to drop in front of the charging Griffin. Even quicker, Aaron Posey was in to kick the ball off Griff's toe and save a certain goal. Alert play and quick feet by the youngster; I'd been impressed by his performance so far and that was good defending after his team had been ripped to bits.

North Leigh play it only one way. Very well drilled playing out from the back, invariably they worked the ball away when they had time, looked for and found either Andy Helby or the roving Stuart Hole and then looked to find a player roaring into the gaps ahead. Andy McCabe, once of this parish, is always supporting and invariably the one to change the point of attack if the defence can clear. On 27 minutes the system worked neatly, and ended with McCabe supporting Wyatt up the right, taking the inside ball and swaying infield to find Matt Taylor in the middle. Again over hasty, he spooned his shot wide. Moments later, Hole ran onto a loose ball as Ciren failed to clear accurately but drove an optimistic effort mistimed high and wide.

Ciren needed to cement their superiority. North Leigh have wily defenders and were starting to give Browner and The Griff a little bit of afters to test their stomach for the battle. And, amusing me at least, a moment when the ref called over skipper Huxley after Andy Helby had again downed Brown and pointed out that a tackle before the ball had arrived was just as visible as a late tackle!

Karl Dodds knows only one way to defend – if he can't get the ball then he makes it as difficult as possible for the forward to get it. He is a very effective back line player and Jody Bevan was doing very well, in spite of the occasional undetected lift into his back, to get up and deflect and to nod down. It kept Ciren moving on Warrell's goal.

On 33 minutes Bevan once again won the ball, Jamie Reid swooped to collect, moved his pass sideways to Nick Dunn and he slotted Griffin in with a beautifully paced pass through the gap. The cross was sent in and Futcher, caught out of position, was sufficiently aware of his location to put up a hand and swat the ball away to concede a free kick right on the edge of the area and take the yellow rather than let Bevan and Brown come in free to attack the cross.

Off the free kick, Bevan again got up at the far post, won the contact under huge contest from Huxley and as the ball dropped back towards the penalty mark Griff swooped to strike only to be taken out by Dodd just before he made contact. Looked very dodgy, lino flapped his flag, the ref waved it away and Griff needed a brief lie down and a count of his limbs before he dragged himself back up off the deck.

Still Ciren came at North Leigh, still North Leigh protected their lines. And still North Leigh tried to work the ball away whenever they could. On 38 minutes, collecting up the left, somehow Simon Futcher either trod on the ball or just plain turned his ankle but he was down, clearly in deep distress and was off to be replaced by Chris Allen. In my opinion, that was not a weakening because the veteran, though now not a wing back, is a very clever left side provider who was now going to give Zak Westlake a severe test. Back dropped Ryan Curtin to cover the back. And still Ciren attacked.

Jamie Reid broke onto a pass from Chris Williams, Griffin went right, Brown went left and the gap opened. It was obvious Reidy was going to have a pop and so he did as he reached the 18 yard line but powered just over the angle. Except, Brown had taken Huxley first one way, then the other and if Reidy had just slipped the ball 5 yards into the box Brown would have had a clean chance. Right at the death, Lyndon Tomkins was up for a corner, again Jody battled for contact and as the ball fell the big centre back, falling, had a bang at the ball only to see it zoom over the bar.

With the wind behind them, North Leigh were obviously going to give it big in the second half. It should have been beyond them when a flurry of Ciren moves on 50 minutes had shots blocked from Griffin, from a lovely controlled volley from Bevan well stopped by Warrell and inevitably from Brown. But Warrell, very vocal and insistent that his defence stay on song, survived the scrambles and Dodd drew a yellow for a detected infraction as he battled to keep Griffin and Bevan out.

Steadily, North Leigh got control as the Ciren passing accuracy wavered and Griff, Jody and Browner were now living off scraps as Dodd and Huxley made the most of the drop in quality coming to the front men. Chris Allen was now much more advanced up the left, with Matt Taylor and Stuart Hole supporting him admirably and some more than tasty ground passes being zipped up inside to Taylor and McCabe.

Mr Gee made a change, slotting Jason Smith in at right back and putting the alert and neat Posey into midfield to use his ability to see the pass and then to get it on target. Good tactical switch, it kept the pressure on and Ciren were having to work very hard to deny openings. Fortunately, far too often, any shots that were made were from far too far out and all off target as the line held.

More admirably, even though it sometimes looked hairy, anything on the edge of the box was closed down and blocked, with Zak Westlake twice hurling himself in to block as second balls after corners fell loose. Good defending, as good as the stuff at the back end of North Leigh's team. It was a cracking match but, with one goal in it, the unrelenting pressure had to be lifted and Ciren needed another goal. Chris Williams and Nick Dunn were now being outpassed in midfield, and their distribution from the back was being snaffled by the girly blue waves of shirts and Ciren were dropping deeper and deeper to hold on.

On 77 minutes, after being booked for an earlier offence when the ref had played a brief Ciren advantage, Hole stepped up to a free kick on the corner of the Ciren box. More and more free kicks were being conceded and this was an obvious good position for a pop at the top corner. Matt Bath organised his wall, bounced on his boots and as the ball zipped in got himself across and up and pushed the ball around the post. Good shot, equally good save. Interestingly, the first one actually on target in the half.

Five minutes later, with Zak off the field after a tussle with McCabe, there was an inevitability about what was about to happen. Slightly disorganised, Ciren left a gap on the back post that Karl Dodd expertly filled to meet a corner placed to perfection and North Leigh were level and way, way now on top of the match. Dodd got underneath another corner to miss over the top but if the siege continued it looked very much as if the best thing Ciren were going to get now was a replay. North Leigh were on their pomp and going for it

Only 8 minutes to go plus injury time, Ciren popped the eager legs of Rob Dean into the slot in front of the back line and suddenly Egg had his 'final 10 minutes, nobody is going to stop us' mood take him over. From playing cautiously, he was collecting, slotting to Deano and going for the return. Manfully, Jason Welsh, on to give Dodd another problem with now two forwards who can hold the ball up, was coming to meet the ball and Carl Brown was zipping into space like mad to offer for the lay-off pass.

It was coming good for Ciren again, once again playing within 35 yards of the North Leigh goal. And, crucially, Jamie Reid and Chris Thompson were gobbling up the now first time clearances from the under pressure Leigh back line. Carl Brown caused conniptions on 86 minutes, collecting from Walsh on the left, steadying, battling, recovering when dropped by the first tackle and suddenly escaping two defenders and coming in on Warrell's right side post. The lay-off was to the lurking Griffin and was deflected by the flailing leg of Warrell (great save, that) and hacked out for a corner.

Now it was Ciren corners that were threatening and it was now North Leigh conceding the free kicks. Interesting to note, in the final 8 minutes of play Ciren did not concede a defensive foul and kept the pressure off themselves. Two minutes to go, again Egg combined with Rob Dean and surged forward. Jason Welsh was crowded out of that one but Chris Williams picked up the loose ball, fed Brown and he cracked a shot just inches past the far post. Warrell was quite rightly going bananas with his defence.

93 minutes played, again Jason Welsh battled, forced a hasty clearance, again Etheridge cleaned up and fed Chris Williams and he was fully aware and neatly popped the ball over the wall of blue midfielders to Carl Brown, coming back into space. The obvious option was to go at the defence and shoot when in range. Browner did it to perfection, dancing past Huxley as both Griffin and Welsh went wide to drag the defenders away then rasping a piledriver from 20 yards that was going in the top corner. It would have been a romantic and dramatic winner. Warrell did marvellously well even to reach it but no way could he do any more than touch it.

His parry fell to the right of his goal where Griffin was fastest to react and was first to the ball. No panic, he controlled, swayed and when he lured Karl Dodd in was away from him. Warrell was insistent his defence Stand Up Stand Up but in the heat of the moment, even the most experienced defender can get sucked in. Griff had drawn Dodd into an indiscreet lunge and was tripped. The penalty was clear cut. Scott Griffin buried the spot kick into the bottom corner and Ciren, after a ding dong battle against their very doughty opponents, had done just about enough on the attacking front to earn their away match at Abingdon United on 26^th September.

Cirencester: Matt Bath, Zak Westlake, Tom Etheridge Y72, Chris Thompson, Nick Dunn [Rob Dean 83], Lyndon Tomkins (c), Jamie Reid, Chris Williams [Lee Stevens 94], Jody Bevan [Jason Welsh 70], Scott Griffin, Carl Brown sub: Max Etheridge

North Leigh: Sam Warrell, Aaron Posey, Simon Futcher Y33 [Chris Allen 38], Andy Helby, Stuart Huxley (c), Karl Dodds Y56, Rob Wyatt [Jason Smith 58], Stuart Hole Y80, Matt Taylor, Andy McCabe Y62, Ryan Curtin subs: Harry Burnley, Alfie Saunders, Adam Lonsdale

Ref: Mr C Husband, Worcester Had an interesting afternoon, with both teams going at it, and was in position to deal with everything that came his way. Over-ruled his lino twice, once when Jody had forced a corner, flagged, and then waving away a first half indication that Griff had been taken out just as he set to shoot. Twice, early on, the fleet footed Matt Taylor had beaten the offside trap but had been flagged, much to the vociferous objections of some keen eyed Leigh fans on the sidelines.

Att: 144 Bit disappointed that a lot of our small band of regulars could not make it for a Sunday match. But, in compensation, a goodly number of fans made the trip across from beyond Witney, their noisy, young drummers in the stand taking great delight in telling our prog editor that they had spotted his deliberate mistake “We are NOT Leigh Town” they sang ...

Spotted a fella wearing a Tamworth shirt (remember that day we gave them quite an FA Cup fright at their place?) who was here 'just to enjoy the game and also ticking off another ground'. Seemed to be enjoying his half time cuppa soup, he did. Nice chap.

  MoM: MoB, in addition to doing the programme and the turnstiles, also had to take his Junior team for an early lunch time kick-off to be able to fit in this match. So, had not the time to produce the voting slips and took a poll afterwards.

A lot of the back 5, especially the redoubtable Lyndon Tomkins, collected votes, as did Jody and The Griff but the outright winner, by more than a few votes, was Carl Brown. And well deserved it was too.