CIREN DRIVE ON AND MAKE SURE THEY WIN WELL AT TAUNTON

Taunton Town 0

Cirencester Town 4

Cirencester Town knew that Taunton Town would be in their faces and very much wanting to turn their season around after their last League win at the end of August. And so it turned out, the home team pumping long balls down field in attempts to free their forwards but otherwise having to flood their midfield and erect as obstructive a barrier as possible in front of their goal. Ciren had all the options throughout the match but only broke through in the last minute of the opening half. Three solid second half goals clinched the Cirencester win, including a first goal for Academy forward Rob Hoskin, but The Peacocks had their goalkeeper Lloyd Irish to thank for keeping the scoreline below double figures.

Mr West did not have the talents of Tom Moody available, the clever left side attacker likely to be the main threat to Ciren, so put Darren Rice up the left and slotted Dave Anthony into his shirt at left back. Owen Irish, the more than capable central defender coming back from injury, was not risked in defence so skipper John Harris took the place beside young Neil Bailey. Swapping both the strikers from their previous game only underlined the problem Taunton have got. Goals just are not coming.

Mr Hughes decided to play Carl Brown in spite of the fact the iconic striker is due to have an operation to sort out his troublesome cartilage, so with Rob Hoskin and Jody Bevan also up front on the pitch Ciren were clearly challenging Taunton to find a way through a three man but very capable Ciren midfield.

Within two minutes Ciren had grabbed control and when Rob Dean very neatly stepped in to clear away from Luke Cole in midfield then slipped Carl Brown inside the bewildered Dave Anthony the after burners came on and Carl was yards clear and away. Unbelievably, the baldy lar with the flag just could not believe somebody at this level could (a) spot a pass so well and (b) get onto it from behind the defender. Gah. It was to happen a ridiculous five more times – either Carl has no idea about how to time a run (yeah, right) or the lino was wrong. Hmm.

Five minutes later it should not have mattered. Some lovely passing, crisp and on the deck, moved the Taunton defence around before Jody Bevan calmly knocked a 10 yarder on the deck and through the defence into the box. Carl Brown appeared from out of the ground, thereby confusing not only the defence but also the lino. So much Goal On I actually had my camera up. Our Carl took a touch, steadied then from 8 yards hooked an unmarked shot horribly wide. Ouch.

It was bang down the field for an already stretched Taunton and a collect for Matt Bath and a restart with a throw to the eager Lee Stevens and Mark Pritchett showing for him from the flanks. And up the line to Brown or Hoskin or an inside pass to one of Reid, Dean or the ultra available Thompson as Ciren tried and by and large succeeded in working the ball into danger areas.

Taunton were already having to concede free kicks, with Rob Hoskin getting a bunch of attention as he tortured Kristian Miller, same age as him but having a torrid time as pass after pass zipped in. On 18 minutes Pritchett sent a perfect free kick in beyond the defence, Neil Griffiths made his usual stealthy approach and connected with a superb header, full on and going into the net. Except Lloyd Irish was in the only place Griff should have not sent the header and grabbed it gratefully before remonstrating with his out-manoeuvred defence.

On 20 minutes Leroy Swaby got a rebound off Pritch and banged in a low cross shot from the right but Matt Bath was not having any of it and gobbled it up with but a slight shake of his head at the effrontery of it. And a quiet word with his midfield for letting the pass go wide in the first place.

More Ciren jousts forward, more sturdy Taunton defending to get the ball out with Irish getting down to stop sharp shots from Hoskin, Brown and Reid kept the game even. Until on 34 minutes Brown again got clear away up the right channel, courtesy of Bevan making the space with a sharp decoy run and the astute Thompson filling the space with a well paced pass. The exposed Irish could have let Browner go round him but chose to take his legs – and the yellow - with the ref judging that the covering Miller had not made him last man. As Jody Bevan belted the ball from the spot for inside his left hand post Irish pushed it away then bravely blocked the follow up shot.

Rob Hoskin was getting some lovely passes by now and on 37 minutes jinked in, won his race with Miller to the bye line, cut back and put the ball back across the six yard box. Carl could have scored (maybe) but when the ball was blocked back out Hosk sent his cross shot whizzing just past the far post. Minutes later Brown was away on the right, got all the way to the bye line and picked out Jody coming to the far post only for Clough to get in a great block and stop the certain score.

It looked a clear penalty on 40 minutes when yet again Hoskin was put into space behind the defence, sent his cross crisply on the deck to the back of the box and as Brown shaped to shoot Harris desperately pushed him over in a heap. Maybe the ref thought Carl did not have the ball in his control – he was actually running on to it to shoot but was dumped just as he arrived to belt it into the net. Or over. Or wide. Or whatever. No penno. Lucky escape for a very much beleaguered Taunton.

Again Harris dived in on Brown, again Pritchett flashed in a searching free and when Carl nodded the ball back to Jody Bevan his first time shot was charged down. Rob Hoskin was coming in on the rebound just outside the six yard box and cracked it for the roof of the net. How Irish got up to deflect it onto the bar and then scorching away to the far side only he and the doctor who has the medical records on his reflexes will know. Great save.

Rob Dean was alert enough to chase wide to retrieve, collected, side stepped Anthony and sent a superb, clever cross way back over the charging defence, cutting out the by now frantic Irish to pick out the head of Neil Griffiths coming in unmarked from the back of the box to score a stunner.

Half time must have been difficult for Mr West. Just two noteworthy attacks after vainly sending long balls downfield was not helping his defence. And now they had both the slope and the wind against them. Must also have been difficult but different for Mr Hughes. 'Don't get sucked in, keep the ball, don't over hit down the wind. Keep sending it wide, keep it tight in midfield.' That, or he said 'Two sugars please, you lot carry on and you'll win this'.

On the evidence, he had no sugars because the team did exactly what my imagination has Mr Hughes saying. Within a minute Rob Hoskin had been placed wide off yet another lovely passing combination on the deck between Pritchett and Thompson, scooted outside the already fed up Dave Anthony  and slid a wicked centre in on the deck to the on charging forwards with the defence turned. Bevan shot charged down, Brown off the rebound charged down, Reid piling in had his goal bound shot deflected. Pin ball? All within 10 yards of goal? Something like that. But honest, brave defending.

Second half my notebook has Ciren attacking for nigh on 40 minutes with only 3 goals to show for it. The most remarkable fact is that it was not until 86 mins that Taunton got their first and only corner. Though, on 84 mins there was an embarrassing moment. The red and black defence seemed to evaporate as Rice had a slash at a loose ball falling on the left and Bath watched the shot float over his bar. No Taunton attempts on target second half tells its own story.

As does the fact that five times a last ditch stop kept Carl Brown from getting clear on goal. What a battering he took. But, in spite of some fearsome free kicks in, Irish or his defenders on the second ball kept everything out. So where did the goals come from?

On 55 minutes a half cleared corner was played back inside, cleared to Carl Brown and his piledriver, low shot from the edge of the box was got off the line by Miller on the post. Lyndon Tomkins pounced, had a shot, had it blocked again and as Brown again shot for the net, Tomkins had a swing to divert it, the ball again came off Miller, diverted off somebody and Rob Hoskin cutely had enough presence of mind to be in the clear and nick the ball through his legs with his right boot and into the net. The piley on was quite a celebration, the youngster at long last notching his first goal for the first team.

On 66 minutes Carl Brown for what seemed like the umpteenth time had a ball in space, scooted past the last man and had his legs taken off him. Rice finally got the yellow his efforts to keep Browner away from his goal had been inevitably been leading towards. It was inside the box but so quick had been the attack the ref had a tiny reason for not being close enough to see it. The baldy lino had less of an excuse ...

Jody struck an absolute stonker off the free kick to bounce just in front of Irish. Somehow he got down and scooped it away and as Hoskin and Pritchett swooped to finish Anthony first got a block on the first ball then somehow managed to stop Pritchett notching the rebound, diverting the effort for a corner. Brave defending.

Harris collected a yellow for yet another foul on Brown, upending him inside the box off a huge, long range dive in on the wet turf, but the ref some distance away seeing it just on the line. Again, Irish got his hand to the free and put it over for a corner. He did even better when Brown was put through again on 76 minutes, coming out and forcing a miss as Browner struggled to regain his balance after Bailey had slid in, missed but nudged him just enough to unbalance him.

But Irish was completely exposed a minute later, a diagonal ball catching the defence out of position. Coming to meet the pass 25 yards out Rob Hoskin spun Bailey, was past him and as Irish rushed out calmly side stepped him then ran on to score a spectacular 1 yard net trundler to clinch the win. No messing, score the goal. Hosky's dad even clapped that one.

Substitutions were coming rapidly, first the very impressive Deano for Fred Ward to have his first significant impact on a game. And he did. Then Jody to a rousing ovation from the travelling fans who knew exactly what he had done in this game and then Browner for Ryan Parker. The Peacocks defence may have been glad to see the back of Brown after all the bother he had caused.

They must have been horrified when Jamie Reid and Ted Ward proceeded to ply Rocket Ryan with passes, some perfect, some over hit. No problem for him, Ryan reached nigh on all of them and his crosses caused all sorts of bother for a defence by now weary, shell shocked and thoroughly teed off with their day.

Fair play to them for sticking to their last in the face of a constant barrage but it cannot have been much fun. On 87 minutes at last came a moment we have waited for – Ryan Parker got an inch perfect pass, set himself and sent in a deadly cross and Jason Welsh who has waited week after week to get a clean opening was not going to be stopped and hit his header on the run into the back of the net. Classic cross, classic centre forward's goal. He loved it. We loved it. And I got the photo of the cross then watched open mouthed as Jason roared in. Sorry, fella, I missed it on the camera. Again.

As Robert said afterwards, it was a nice result to get. Somehow, on every other visit something had gone wrong. An injury, a dodgy pass, a miskick and we've not got the result we felt we deserved. Not this time. It was a result, by no means through sweet, slick football but by doing the basics well enough to make chances and to put them away. Made the long trip back from Wordsworth Road a rare treat.

Yeltz away in the League Cup on Wednesday night – so far, just me and Michael signed up to travel and neither of us sing at all (!!) so it could be an interesting night. Then Uxbridge at home on Saturday. One of those teams with an experienced goal scorer, Warner, and a solid enough defence to mean that once again 3 League points have to be won by doing the simple, basic things well and putting the chances away.

Peacocks: Lloyd Irish Y34, Kristian Miller, Dave Anthony, Luke Cole, Neil Bailey, James Clough (Ben Newby 75), Leroy Swaby, John Harris (c) Y72, Lewis Irish (Shaun Anthony 64), Alexis Piper, Darren Rice Y66
Subs: Owen Irish, Leon Simpson, Cooper (GK)

Centurions: Matt Bath, Lee Stevens, Mark Pritchett, Neil Griffiths (c), Chris Thompson, Lyndon Tomkins, Rob Dean (Ted Ward 73), Jamie Reid, Jody Bevan (Jason Welsh 75), Rob Hoskin, Carl Brown (Ryan Parker 78)

subs: Scott Griffin, Dan Wallington

Ref: Mr M Whaley, Plymouth I thought he did well enough, and kept what could have been a match likely to boil over very well in control. Was tolerant towards the Peacocks defence in the last 30 minutes, recognising their desperate lunges to try and keep Ciren in check were more a question of timing rather than malice. Used his noddle not to dismiss the keeps on the penno. Though, IMHO, bottled three more times when Carl was dropped inside the penalty area. Moving the ball back to the line is not the answer ref!

Att: 184 Impressive home support given the woeful recent displays from the Peacocks, above their average so far for the season. Cannot get access to their Forum though somebody told me they had been grumbling, in a gallows humour manner, for the past couple of weeks so I thought it would be way down. Full coach and a fair few Centurions in cars leads me to think we got very close to our upper limit of 40+ on this trip. And for sure all of them enjoyed their day out.

MoM: By miles their keeps Lloyd Irish should have got the vote in the clubhouse but they gave it to the striker Alexis Piper. All the votes bar two from the Ciren fans went to Rob Hoskin. Rob Dean got one and the other very perceptively for Thommo. No argument with the decision but this was, by a mile, a team win.