Evo-Stik Southern Premier

Cirencester Town 0 Weymouth 3

THE Southern Premier League is not a handicap – you get no points concessions for having one of the smallest playing budgets in the division.

But it is hard not to feel some sympathy for Cirencester Town manager Brian Hughes during his side’s current injury crisis.

In truth, Cirencester’s start to the league season, which saw them flirting with the top of the table, flattered them.

Now they are unable to field their best XI they have lost three in a row – and as Tuesday night at the Corinium Stadium showed, you need your A-game when Weymouth come to town.

Cirencester started the match with four players who would have been in the starting line-up – Ian Herring, Ellis Dunton, Gethin Jones and Josh Parsons – all sidelined through injury.

On the half-hour mark the hosts then lost centre back Ben Brown.

The respective squads highlighted the gulf in finances between Ciren and the Terras, whose regular home gates of 500 give their manager some strong bargaining chips.

While Hughes had four development side kids on the bench, Weymouth boss Jason Matthews was able to introduce 2014/15 Player of the Year Chris Shephard off the bench and he had only been on the field a short time before his marvellous goal in the 76th minute ended the match as a contest.

Weymouth dominated the opening 45 in which Cirencester rarely got close enough to see the whites of the defenders’ eyes. Not once did they have an attacking set piece, the source of so many of their goals.

For the Terras, George Rigg and Stewart Yetton failed to convert chances with only Glyn Garner to beat and just when it looked as if Ciren might get to the sanctuary of the dressing room at 0-0, Ben Thompson’s deflected shot in the 38th minute looped cruelly over the diving Garner.

The second period was a much more even end-to-end affair and Ciren had created three half-chances before Jake Wannell’s sensational 25-yard volley made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

Almost immediately Zack Kotwica was put through by Charlie Griffin but Ciren’s best chance of the entire game was saved.

Kotwica’s frustrating night was compounded in the 73rd minute. It was his under-hit pass which ended a Ciren break and Weymouth clinically made the hosts pay. Calvin Brooks did exceptionally well on the right flank and when he found Shephard just outside the box, the sub blasted a screamer past the helpless Garner.

Ciren’s game resistance was now at an end and Yetton should have made it four in stoppage time when his chip came back of the bar.

Cirencester Town: Garner, Bennett, Pritchett, Brown (Gudger, 34), Hooper, Henry (capt), Kotwica, Mortimer-Jones, Griffin, Knight, Langworthy (Lloyd, 86). Unused subs: Farr, Buse.