Penalty decision robs Cirencester Town of a likely victory (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Penalty decision robs Cirencester Town of a likely victory

CIRENCESTER Town stretched their unbeaten run in the Dr Martens League Western Division to eight games on Saturday in a 2-2 draw away to Ilkeston.

However, it could well have been eight straight wins for Cirencester but for a questionable penalty decision in the very last minute of the game.

In the end, this gave their Ilkeston hosts a share of the points that they neither expected nor deserved.

Town manager Brian Hughes will surely feel aggrieved when he reflects on the result, wondering as to why Cirencester had two seemingly legitimate claims for penalties totally ignored.

The home side got the game under way on a very greasy surface, but it was Cirencester who mounted the first serious attack.

Gareth Hopkins, Andy McCabe and Ben Fitch all linked up well but, unfortunately, Jody Bevan just failed to get on the end of Fitch's ball into the six- yard box.

The home side countered with a great run from Aaron O'Connor and Gary Wotton did well to clear for a corner.

From the flag-kick, the home side took the lead when Paul Eshelby latched on to the loose ball and fired home a superb shot from 20 yards.

From the restart, the visitors were straight on the attack with Bevan getting behind the defence via a long clearance.

After getting past the keeper, he laid off to McCabe whose shot on a clear goal was superbly blocked by Kristian Stephens.

Mid-way through the half, Town were again unlucky when, from an Alan Bird clearance, Hopkins beat keeper Darren Horrigan in a race to the ball which trickled towards the goal but rolled past the left-hand post.

Horrigan sustained a leg injury in making the challenge and was replaced by Ross Turner who was soon called into action when saving a Robison free kick.

With half-time approaching, Cirencester were unlucky not to equalise when a pinpoint cross from Fitch found Hopkins in the clear.

His powerful header bounced off the ground, hit the bar and, from the scramble Bevan's goal-bound shot was tipped round a post by Turner.

With Scott Griffin replacing Hopkins at the break, Town were soon on attack at the start of the second period and, from Bird's cross, a McCabe header was only just wide.

This pressure told on 58 minutes when, from a Robison cross, Marc Richards volley was parried by Turner and Bevan crashed the ball into the back of the net.

From a Paul Thompson free kick, Fitch was unlucky when his first-time volley was just wide.

Shortly after, Griffin tried his luck from 25 yards which flashed the wrong side of a post.

But when Griffin was hacked down in the box by David Coulson, Town appeals for a penalty fell on deaf ears. In the closing stages, Thompson pulled off a superb save to deny Danny Holyoak.

Two minutes from the end Town got what look to be the winner.

When the hosts failed to clear a Robison free kick and Richards' header back into the danger area found Andy Minturn who fired home an unstoppable volley from eight yards.

It was from the corner that the referee adjudged that Phil Stant had been manhandled, and Paul Hurrell stepped up to find the back of the Centurions' net from the spot for a share of the points.

Cirencester Town: Thompson, Bird, McEntegart, Richards, Mayo (Minturn 78) Wotton, Robison, McCabe, Hopkins (Griffin 45) Bevan, Fitch. Subs: Fraser, Davis, Constable. Referee C Sarginson (Rugeley), attendance 317.

This Saturday sees Cirencester Town home to Rugby Utd, 3pm ko.