Ciren Town remain in drop zone

CIRENCESTER Town manager Neil Hards sprang another selection surprise as this bizarre season unfolded.

Striker Ian McSherry was injured but he left forward, Phil Hall, on the bench and instead played centre-back Matt Jones up front.

The intention was apparently to give the Tigers' big defenders, Tom Hamblin and Lyndon Tomkins, a physical challenge because Hards needed to slot the returning Lee Molyneux in at the back.

Jones battled manfully at the point of the attack but to no avail as Ciren's midfield were overwhelmed, in the early stages, by a Gloucester team fully expecting a win against their struggling neighbours.

The Tigers purred, Alex Sykes and Neil Mustoe brushing the 'open all hours' signposts aside as they motored into the wide-open spaces in midfield.

Sykes was left all alone to have three clear shooting chances within 15 minutes.

Town goalkeeper Kevin Sawyer made an outstanding save off the first and then waved the other two over the bar.

Cirencester midfielder Nathan Haisley was playing a Trojan game to subdue ex-Centurion Marc Richards, one of three players who left Town last month after a club-versus-college row.

Haisley was also giving Town's forward pair something to run onto. Just as it seemed as if Ciren had battled themselves into the contest, Gloucester's Tom Webb picked up a Dedegbe miscue and bustled Michael Jackson off the ball.

He fed Jimmy Cox up the left channel. Typically all arms and legs, Cox bundled Ollie Holder over and crossed. Ciren were dreaming at the back.

Alex Sykes collected the half-clearance to launch himself into an extravagant bicycle kick and Scott Griffin - another ex-Centurion who left Town earlier this year - got the faintest of touches to deflect into the net on 24 minutes and grab an inevitable goal on his return to The Corinium.

Rampant, The Tigers roared down field and should have scored more through Reid and Griffin before Tom Hamblin, left woefully unmarked at a corner, put Gloucester 2-0 ahead on 37 minutes to clinch the match. It was embarrassingly too easy.

Hards re-jigged at half time, pulling Jones back to anchor the defence and giving Steve Leigh licence to sweep in front of the defence. It left just three at the back.

The first-half deficiencies had been obvious from the early minutes but this was a startling tactical challenge.

Jimmy Cox, revelling in the space, darted onto a long clearance within minutes and again bustled past and inside Holder to hit the post, with Griffin wildly hitting the rebound wide.

A loss of possession deep in Gloucester's half, on 49 minutes, was clinically punished by another long ball by substitute, Chris Thompson, which put Cox through the left channel.

Again bursting inside the cruelly exposed Holder, Cox steadied himself and with no defender nearby rammed past Sawyer, from 16 yards, for 3-0.

Ciren's response was to pile on more forwards, with Steve Cowe replacing Holder who did not deserve the implied criticism. The change had little effect. Long balls up to the front are never going to utilise Cowe's talents.

Gloucester again began to dominate but were held at bay by the defiant Haisley who, by now, had driven Richards into obscurity. Hards then played his next card, to good effect.

Danny Wallington replaced Dedegbe and proved a more potent threat against the hitherto dominant Luke Buttery.

Ciren's other youngster Dan Hilder pushed on from the left and at long last received passes to use his pace and trickery. Gloucester were pinned back. It was no surprise when they conceded on the hour.

Wallington freed Lee Smith, overlapping on the right, to dance beyond Buttery. He shot on target from an angle and Hamblin deflected the ball beyond Ray Johnston.

Wallington fired just over, as did Matt Bicknell as Gloucester struggled to contain the waves of attacks.

Ciren should have pulled another back when Cowe diddled Alex Allard with aplomb and crossed dangerously only for Leigh to miscue horribly from five yards.

With a bit of composure, Ciren's tactical dominance could have had them 4-3 ahead. This has been the story of a long and difficult season.

Sawyer was safe and composed at the other end, swooping to clutch everything sent into the area as the inevitable Gloucester counterattacks gave Cox and Sykes momentary openings.

However, overall, it was comfortable for Gloucester. They had done enough, in the first half, to take a disorganised and woefully uncertain Ciren to bits.

With some unsavoury physical contact, undetected by an increasingly flurried referee, Gloucester had kept their defiant opponents at bay as the fruitless attacks rained in during the second half.

Cirencester Town: Kevin Sawyer, Lee Smith, Matt Bicknell, Steve LeighY90, Lee Molyneux Y36, Ollie Holder Steve Cowe 50, Nathan Haisley, Michael JacksonY90 (c), Matt Jones, Olamidi Dedegbe Dan Wallington 58, Dan Hilder.

Unused substitutes: James Rowe, Harry Etheridge, Phil Hall.

Gloucester City: Ray Johnston, Alex Allard, Luke Buttery, Neil Mustoe, Tom Hamblin, Lyndon Tomkins Chris Thompson 27, Alex Sykes, Marc Richards, Jimmy Cox Matt Saxton 83, Scott Griffin Jason Walsh 68, Tom Webb.

Unused substitutes: Dave Wilkinson, Jamie Reid.

Man of the Match: Tom Webb Gloucester City. Cirencester Man of the Match: Dan Hilder.

Referee: Mr C Williams (Cheltenham) Attendance: 356