Evo-Stik Southern Premier

Cirencester Town 1

Leamington 2

A NAÏVE 60-second spell cost Cirencester Town the points against league leaders Leamington.

Inside half an hour Cirencester were 2-0 down against their high-flying opponents and principal goal threat, Torquay United loanee Jamie Chamberlain, was already back in the dugout after tweaking a hamstring.

That could have been the preamble to a heavy defeat but the Centurions dug in, got a foothold in the game with a penalty scored by their other recent addition from Torquay, Will Hancox, and battled honestly until the final whistle to get something out of the game.

Ross Langworthy came off the bench and his goalbound strike, after a 40-yard run to the edge of the box in the 80th minute, cannoned into his own team-mate Aidan Bennett.

And James Mortimer-Jones had one of his trademark fizzers blocked by a brave Brakes defender in the last minute of normal time.

With Cirencester pressing for the equaliser which never came, another recent signing, Raajan Gill, earned his second man of the match award in just three competitive starts for the club when pulling off a series of fine saves as the game opened up in the second half.

Cirencester lined up in shirts sponsored by David Wilson Homes as part of a new three-year deal.

Welsh Under-19 starlet Jack Challis, from Bristol City, made his debut alongside the other man of the match contender Ben Brown in the centre of defence, and had an assured match.

Meanwhile, Icelandic U19 international Sindri Scheving, back this week for his second loan spell from Championship club Reading, also had a solid enough game at left back.

Captain Mat Liddiard had to sit out his one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Cirencester started the game brightly but that was undone in the 24th minute. A needless foul was conceded in the right channel and Rob Thompson-Brown swung over a free kick that the lanky Jack Edwards headed home unmarked at the back post.

Cirencester barely had time to draw breath before it was 2-0. Quickly dispossessed after the restart, Town could not stop the move which ended with Courtney Baker-Richardson firing past Gill from inside the box.

The lively Chamberlain, who had a couple of early chances, never looked comfortable after feeling his hamstring tweak when stretching for the ball about 10 minutes in, and was forced to limp out of the game in the 29th minute.

Despite the setback Ciren were giving as good as they got and in the 42nd minute Aidan Bennett looked like pulling a goal back when getting a yard on the Leamington back line as he raced into the box.

Ignoring a shirt tug, Bennett was then hauled to the floor. No Ciren player made themselves available for the spot kick so teenager Hancox took responsibility and sent Tony Breeden the wrong way with a cool finish. It was his second goal in as many games for the club.

With the Brakes proving unable to put the game to bed at the start of the second half, Ciren grew in confidence and the prospect of an unlikely draw became a possibility.

But their unconvincing set pieces and crosses were all too easily claimed by Breeden in the Leamington goal.

However, only a last-ditch challenge by Jamie Hood denied Bennett the chance of an equaliser after a slick Town break from the back in the 63rd minute.

With Gill keeping the visitors at bay at one end, Ciren were getting closer at the other.

Langworthy deserved better than to see his fine 80th minute effort rebound off a teammate and Leamington were relieved to survive the home side’s pinball assault on their box as time ticked down.

There was still time for one final Gill save – perhaps his best of the match – when the suspiciously offside-looking Baker-Richardson’s curling shot was brilliantly palmed away for a corner by the Ciren keeper at full stretch.

Cirencester Town: Gill, Diaz-Benitez, Scheving (Langworthy, 75), Spalding, Challis, Brown, Mortimer-Jones (capt), Connolly, Bennett, Chamberlain (Youngsam, 29), Hancox.

Unsued subs: Lloyd, James, Griffin.