New low point for Cirencester Town (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

New low point for Cirencester Town

Cirencester Town 0, Cheshunt 2 (Opara 26, Highton 63)

IN a season of many lows, relegation-haunted Cirencester hit their lowest point by giving a dire performance against bottom-of-the-table Cheshunt.

Town's attacks were so predictable that Cheshunt's defenders, shielded by Lee Allen sitting just in front of them, could have taken out their smoking jackets and cigars.

Cheshnut's strikers, Lloyd Opara and Dewayne Clark, were meanwhile too strong, fast and skilful for Cirencester's jittery defenders, especially with Steve Obeng joining them from midfield.

The Centurions never looked like scoring, while Cheshunt could have netted four or five times.

With both teams looking like the struggling sides that they are, this was a scrappy game played in front of a disappointingly small crowd.

Alarms rang in Cirencester's defence as early as the seventh minute when Clark raced onto a through-ball but went too wide.

While helping keep Clark out, Town goalkeeper, Paul Thompson, collided with one of his own defenders and needed five minutes of treatment.

This was one of many stoppages that resulted in several minutes' extra-time being played at the end of each half.

Against a physical Cheshunt side, Town's Gary Horgan was particularly in the wars, needing treatment three times.

Cirencester started with the same 4-3-3 formation that proved successful against Tiverton the previous week but strikers, Scott Griffin and Michael Symons, could not make the ball stick, too easily surrendering possession after passes were played into them.

Lee Smith was initially the third striker but moved wide after about 20 minutes to give Town the width they craved.

Too often, his fellow wide midfielder, Shaun Wimble, tucked inside, resulting in the midfield becoming congested and Town going narrow.

Wimble was Cirencester's biggest threat with his in-swinging dead-balls.

One of these created Town's best first-half opening on 15 minutes but Griffin headed over from six yards.

The 18th minute saw Clark, from the acutest angle, hammer a shot inside the far post but the 'goal' was ruled offside.

On 20 minutes, Dean Fenton broke into Town's box and collapsed under a challenge but the referee rejected Cheshunt's vociferous penalty appeal.

The 24th minute saw Clark nearly chip Thompson from 30 yards out on the left touch-line.

Opara and Clark's link-up play was unsettling Cirencester's defenders and it was they who gave Cheshunt a deserved lead on 26 minutes.

Sent clear by Clark, Opara finished calmly when one-on-one with Thompson.

Fenton was booked in the 34th minute for scything Neil Arndale down.

Cirencester should have gone two down five minutes later when Obeng skinned Arndale in the inside-left channel and crossed low for Opara who shot over an open goal from six yards.

Cirencester began the second half just as sloppily.

Thompson raced from goal to clear the ball from the right touch-line but Cheshunt's Michael Deane beat him to it.

Town scrambled Deane's low cross away.

Opara should have scored in the 49th minute when beating Thompson to a through-ball and rounding the keeper.

Ade Vivieash cleared his weak side-footer off the line.

Cheshunt's Nicky Gyoury also should have scored from a corner two minutes later.

Unmarked at the far post, he leaned back and lifted his shot over from 15 yards.

Only Craig Fullam's desperate challenge prevented Clark going through on 51 minutes and Cirencester's Michael Jackson tested Cheshunt keeper, Michael Kall, with a low 30-yarder minutes later.

Griffin's last act of the game was to be booked for fouling Allen.

Within three minutes, a triple-substitution saw Griffin, Wimble and Symons replaced by Gareth Hopkins, Steven Cowe and Lee Davis.

Collecting a loose ball on 54 minutes, Horgan turned and fired just over.

A minute later, Clark went clean through but Marc Richards recovered to muscle him aside.

After Davis had tested Kall with a 15-yard volley, Fullam crossed from the left and Jackson headed back across goal from the far post.

Hopkins rose on the six-yard line and headed goal-wards but failed to hit the target, as has been the case so often this season.

On 63 minutes, Opara twisted and turned Cirencester's defenders into the turf. The ball broke loose to Cheshunt substitute, Bobby Highton, who had replaced Deane a minute earlier.

With his first touch of the game, Highton hit a sweet, low shot through the crowded area, beating un-sighted Thompson and doubling Cheshunt's lead.

Four minutes later, Opara again beat three or four defenders but was denied a brilliant individual goal when Thompson's fine save kept his shot out.

Cirencester came closest to scoring in extra-time when Vivieash's header, from a corner, crashed against the underside of the bar and ricocheted onto the goal-line.

Cirencester claimed the ball crossed the line but the referee disagreed. Man of the match: Lloyd Opara (Cheshunt).

Cirencester: Paul Thompson, Neil Arndale(c), Craig Fullam, Michael Jackson, Gary Horgan, Adi Vivieash, Marc Richards, Lee Smith, Michael Symons (Gareth Hopkins, 73), Scott Griffin (Lee Davis, 73), Shaun Wimble (Steven Cowe, 73). Unused reserves: Steven Cook and Stewart Fraser. Booked: Griffin. Cheshunt: Michael Kall, Ryan Bernard, Glen Parry, Nicky Gyoury, Anthony Fenton, Lee Allen, Dean Fenton, Steve Obeng (Danny Jones, 95), Dewayne Clark, Lloyd Opara, Michael Deane (Bobby Highton, 85). Unused reserves: Justin Moseley, George Gregorio and Aaron Samuel. Booked: Deane. Referee: Stuart Burt. Attendance: 127.