Southern League Premier Division Halesowen Town 1, Cirencester Town 1

DESPITE being reduced to 10 men for most of the second half, Cirencester left The Grove with a deserved point.

They showed determination and should have won the game but lacked confidence in front of goal.

In the first half, they outplayed their hosts with speedy, accurate attacking.

Right from the outset, Gareth Hopkins linked well with Michael Jackson and set up Gary Horgan to shoot just over from the edge of the box.

Cirencester kept pressing and another slick passing move, on five minutes, saw Gary Horgan send Hopkins clear on the left of the box.

Hopkins blasted over the bar from 12 yards out.

Although he may be goal-shy at the moment, Hopkins does not hide.

His strong running and continuous challenges gave Halesowen's defence a hard time throughout, keeping Pope and Preston pinned back on the edge of their penalty area.

Twice within the first quarter he set up well-placed Marc Richards for shots, which both went wide when.

Hopkins put Horgan into space for a fierce drive, which went narrowly wide of the far post.

Cirencester goalkeeper, Steve Book, and his defenders, Adie Vivieash and Darren Robison, dealt calmly and efficiently with everything the leading league goalscorer Nathan Lamey could throw at them.

In the 18th minute, the other feared goal threat, Howard Forinton, miscued at the far post, with the goal gaping, after Alex Cowley crossed following a quick break up the right.

But on the balance of first half play Cirencester were on top and should have made their dominance count.

Kevin Halliday was impressive on the Cirencester left.

He was a constant threat to an increasingly pressured Halesowen back line with his clever passes and determined over-lapping for crosses.

Halliday gave Cirencester the lead, on 45 minutes, with a seemingly innocuous, 30-yard free kick that rattled inside the near post at ankle height after Halesowen goalkeeper, Dean Coleman, dived too late.

Halesowen pressed at the start of the second half, with the tricky Alex Cowley proving to be a constant menace down the right flank.

But they could not get past the solid wall of the Cirencester defence where Viveash was outstanding in his positioning and timing.

Forinton fired wide, under pressure from Craig Fullam, after being set up by Lamey.

The initial flurry over, Cirencester again looked to be gaining control.

Bizarrely, Gary Horgan then received a second yellow card when the referee judged that his 60th minute block, on a Pope clearance, was instead a direct contact with the defender.

Halesowen poured forward, trying to save the game.

Cirencester's defence held firm until, on 67 minutes, Cowley fired in a deep cross from the right.

Book expected Neil Arndale to cover but Simon Fosdick was running to the far post.

The keeper parried the header but could not stop the follow-up shot.

Pushed back, Cirencester still tried to build attacks and should have clinched the result on 70 minutes following accurate passing, up the right, between Steve Cowe and Arndale.

Arndale sent a teasing cross to the near post.

Coleman spilled it and Hopkins was onto the loose ball and in the clear. Three yards out, he should have rolled it in but, maybe wanting to make an emphatic point, he blasted the ball, sending it over the bar.

Halesowen could not find enough extra flair to create a second goal, with Forsdick shooting high and Lamey rolling a shot wide.

Fullam made sure Forinton could never turn onto a dangerous ball.

Lamey looked threatening when he came back to receive the ball but, by the time it reached the penalty area, Robison and Viveash had shut off all angles.

The frustration told on Halesowen's Forsdick who received a straight red card for striking an opponent on 90 minutes, as the players lined up for what seemed to be the final free-kick opportunity for the increasingly frantic home team.

Halesowen skipper, Pope, was also booked as the match drifted into the final moments and tempers flared.

Halesowen Town: Coleman, Cooper, Harkness (N Smith 45), Preston, Pope (c) Y 90mins, Steane, Cowley, Lamey, Forinton, Amos, Forsdick R 90mins. Unused subs: C Smith, Skidmore, Pierpoint, Johnson.

Cirencester Town: Book, Arndale (c), Fullam, Jackson, Horgan Y 29 & 60 mins, Viveash, Robison, Richards, Hopkins, Cowe, Halliday. Unused subs: L Smith, Stanley, Fraser, Griffin.

Referee: Mr M Murphy (Coventry). Attendance: 367.