Evo-Stik Southern League Premier

Cirencester Town 1 Merthyr Town 0

CIRENCESTER TOWN joined Chippenham Town at the head of the Southern Premier table when completing a magnificent Bank Holiday programme with a hard-fought victory over Merthyr Town.

Having taken three points at Cambridge City on Saturday, Cirencester had to dig deep to withstand even more powerful opposition in Merthyr before grabbing the winner in the 82nd minute.

It was a day when the two defences proved almost impregnable despite plenty of creativity and effort in trying to break them down.

As is becoming commonplace Ciren’s back four of Gethin Jones, Ben Brown, Leigh Henry and Ian Herring (in an unaccustomed left back role) were magnificent. In front of them James Mortimer-Jones was at his industrious best and keeper Glyn Garner pulled off four fine second-half saves when his defence was breached.

But on a day when there were several candidates for man of the match, energetic ball-playing midfielder Brad Hooper, who has added some steel to his play this season, was arguably the best of the lot.

Herring’s move across the back four was prompted by the knee injury to Ellis Dunton while Charlie Griffin was restored to the starting line-up after finding the net as a second-half sub at Cambridge.

Target man Griffin and his pacy lieutenants, Josh Parsons and Zack Kotwica, found themselves well shackled, being allowed no time on the ball whatsoever by the hard-pressing Merthyr side.

At the other end, Ciren had to deal with a big unit in the shape of Ryan Prosser and the rapid and deceptively powerful Kayne McLaggon, who has scored a hat-trick against Ciren in the past.

To their great credit Ciren became the first team to shut out free-scoring Merthyr this season.

In the opening 45 minutes, two Kotwica half-chances failed to trouble Merthyr keeper Tom Bradley, while the visitors failed to test Garner with their two best opportunities, Brown making a fine lunging interception to stop McLaggon playing in Prosser and Ian Traylor chipping over the bar when the Welsh side broke three-on-two.

Ciren gave as good as they got in a fast-paced second half but it was Merthyr who got away the cleaner strikes. Of Garner’s saves, the best was just short of the hour mark when McLaggon burst clear in a one-on-one, while Kerry Morgan nearly scored with his first touch after coming on as sub for Traylor with a fine back post header.

In the 82nd minute Ross Langworthy and Charlie Griffin combined to fashion a chance for the veteran striker who calmly stroked the ball under the diving Bradley.

Deep in stoppage time, Prosser met a fine right wing cross sweetly on the volley but it cleared Garner’s bar by inches, much to the relief of the home support. Cirencester Town: Garner, Jones, Herring, Brown, Hooper, Henry (capt), Langworthy, Mortimer-Jones, Griffin, Parsons (Bennett, 78), Kotwica (Knight, 88).

Unused sub: Pritchett