Cirencester Utd

Posted by ChrisB on April 5, 2008, 7:25 pm

Cirencester United, unfortunately well adrift at the bottom of the league, paid their second visit of the season to Court Place Farm today, hoping to reverse the defeat in the Supplementary Cup here at the end of January.
Nomads had an early corner after some effective running by Lance Shaw, while United’s No8 caused some problems at the other end before the home side nosed in front on nine minutes when a precise chip into the box from Danny Castro found Rhys Denton in space. His shot was blocked athletically by Michael Bowman in the Cirencester goal but the ball fell kindly to Tom Holmes who had time to pick his spot and finish well.
Nomads continued to make the running and Castro put in a strong drive from 20 yards which Bowman confidently watched pass his post with inches to spare, while Gavin Lane went close with a header from another corner. Mark Janes’ pace was causing difficulties in the United defence, and one of the best moves of the first quarter saw Janes flick on a long clearance from Gareth Tucker to Castro and race on to the return only to sidefoot the ball just high of the bar.
Immediately after Cirencester’s first corner of the game on 26 minutes Lane worked the ball out of defence to Michael Sackey and his pass found Castro in acres of space on the Nomads’ left. His pace took him clear of the rearmost defender and, just as it looked as if he might have taken the ball too far, he finished coolly past Bowman’s left hand and into the net with a little assistance from the far post for, surprisingly, his first goal of the season.
Cirencester had a free kick in a dangerous position near the edge of the box but No.11’s shot was comfortably held by Tucker, but generally, from open play at least, the Nomads’ keeper was having a fairly untroubled afternoon.
The home side deservedly stretched their lead on 37 minutes as Mark Janes cut in purposefully from the left and his low shot beat Bowman’s dive just inside the near post.
Nomads finished the half in command and might have converted at least one more chance. An aggressive run took Danny Castro from the half-way line through three tackles, but he dragged his right-footed shot just beyond the far post; a deep free-kick by Mark Janes was headed powerfully by Rhys Denton into the side-netting; and a looping centre from Tom Holmes wide on the left just eluded Mark Janes’ lunge.

HALF-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 3-0 Cirencester United

Nomads continued in an attacking vein in the second period and within five minutes of the restart had added to their tally. Mark Janes worked his way into a good position wide on the right and fed Rhys Denton inside the penalty area who rolled off his marker and shot firmly beyond Bowman.
Five minutes later and United had pulled one back in unusual circumstances as Joe Parker overhit a lobbed backpass to Gareth Tucker who, unable to handle it, headed the ball vertically and could do little as Kevin Reape bundled the ball across the line.
The visitors’ elation at this life-line lasted less than a minute as, from the kick-off, Nomads pushed forward and won a free-kick. Janes’ accurate kick curled across goal and Gavin Lane just outjumped Bowman to head Nomads’ fifth of the afternoon. In challenging Bowman Lane picked up a painful gash to the head and Ben Moses joined the fray in his place when it became clear that some stitching may be needed.
At the end of the third quarter Cirencester had their liveliest spell and both No.3 and No.11 drew saves from Tucker, but, as in the first half, the home side looked much the likelier to add to their tally.
Castro just cleared the bar with a sidefooted effort when set up by Shaw; Moses curled a free-kick just wide of the target; and Bowman could only watch in hope as Castro’s powerful volley narrowly failed to find its target.
Milan Barisic replaced Denton for his out-field debut signalling the lifting of high balls into the visitors’ area in the hope that the erstwhile keeper, towering above his markers, would remember to use his head rather than his hands. But the best chance of the later passages of play came when Shaw nutmegged his marker on the goalline and his pass was flicked just past the post by Holmes.

FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 5-1 Cirencester United

Nomads: Tucker, Quegan, Lane (Moses 63), Jussi ?, Denton (Barisic 70), Parker, Holmes, Sackey, Shaw, Janes, Castro.

N.B. My apologies to those concerned for the lack of a number of names above.