CHELTENHAM TOWN U16 2 - 11 CIRENCESTER TOWN U16

 
Cirencester remain top with their unbeaten record still in tact after a second half recovery secured three points at Cheltenham.
Cheltenham started the brighter winning second phase possession on almost every occasion. Cirencester were not at the races with players looking slow and sluggish after the Christmas break.
The home side were dominant but never really troubled the Ciren keeper with most efforts being struck from outside the box. The game never really got started with Ciren giving the ball away cheaply and Cheltenham
failing to capitalise and exploit weaknesses in the Centurions’ line up.
Against the run of play Cirencester scored when an Ellie Maynard corner eluded everybody and eventually fell to Sammie Smith who bundled the ball in at the far post. The goal did nothing to boost the away team as they struggled badly to recapture there pre Christmas form.

On 37 minutes the Ciren of old flickered into life when a flowing move down the right from Ellie Maynard injected some pace into an otherwise dull affair and almost immediately Emily Allen set up Aimee Thomson but the shot straight at the ‘keeper summed up the first half.
The next attack saw the second goal when Sammie Smiths’ cross eluded the Cheltenham keeper for Aimee Thomson to pounce and nod home from close range. Just before half time the Cheltenham centre forward, who worked hard the whole game, picked her way through the Centurions defence but was unceremoniously dumped on her backside by the Ciren Captain Nelly Forbes and from the ensuing penalty Cheltenham pulled one back as the ball flew into the top left hand corner giving the Ciren ‘keeper no chance. 

Half Time Score 1 - 2 

Cirencester started the second half with something to prove to themselves and their Manager & Coach and within five minutes of the restart had made the game safe with two goals in quick succession.
The first was from Emily Allen who raced through the middle before unleashing a powerful shot which the ‘keeper spilled into the net and the second was a superb individual effort from Frances Wilson who eluded several tackles in and around the eighteen yard box before calmly picking her spot in the far corner.
After 51 minutes it was five when Sammie Smith, who was now running riot on Cirens’ right flank, drilled another quality ball across the Cheltenham penalty area to Aimee Thomson who set up Emily Allen for an easy fifth.
The Cheltenham keeper was struggling with high balls and it was no surprise when the unfortunate keeper dropped a corner at Aimee Thomsons’ feet, giving her the simplest of tap ins to make it six.
Sammie Smith was having the half of her life and creating space for herself with intelligent running and movement and her persistence paid off with three goals in five minutes. The first and her second, was a rocket shot from an acute angle, her third was a cool finish in off the far post after another probing run and her fourth saw her cut in from the right again and unleash another rocket leaving the Cheltenham ‘keeper helpless.
Sammie continued to dominate her full back and with six minutes remaining the winger added her fifth with a cross come shot which eluded the Cheltenham keeper and ended up in the net.
Cheltenham scored a consolation goal when their right winger, who had looked sharp all game, finally got the better of her marker to score from close range.
The bizarre change of attitude and commitment from the Ciren girls came to a fitting end when Ellie Maynard scored directly from a corner to give Ciren their biggest win of the season from what had looked like, based on the first half performance, a difficult day at the office.

The old football cliché "A game of two halves” had never been more true.