Evo-Stik Southern Premier

Cirencester Town 1

Kings Lynn Town 1

CIRENCESTER TOWN gained another valuable point in their bid for Southern Premier survival in a game that was marred by a nasty injury to Kings Lynn striker Ryan Hawkins.

The Linnets’ No.9 was stretchered off early in the second half with a seven-inch double gash to the leg that fellow players understandably thought he had broken.

The game was suspended while an air ambulance landed on the Corinium Stadium pitch but after Hawkins was assessed by the paramedics he was transferred to Cheltenham Hospital by more conventional means.

Cirencester had made a fine start with a headed goal by Gethin Jones in the 11th minute when Linnets ‘keeper Alex Street misjudged a Kerry Morgan corner. It was a mistake he was able to redeem in the final moments of the match.

In the 21st minute Ciren could have taken a strong hold on proceedings. Good work by the lively Dan Demkiv helped set up a great chance for Alan Griffin but as the striker picked his spot, Linnets captain Sam Gaughran lunged in to make a terrific block. Ciren were still in the ascendency when Aidan Bennett had a shot charged down in the 27th minute; Kings Lynn broke with lethal pace and Northampton Town loanee Shaun McWilliams converted a tremendous team equaliser.

From that moment, Kings Lynn, playing some of the slickest counter attacking football seen at the Corinium this season, had Ciren on the rack.

They had the ball in the bet from former Sheffield Wednesday striker Lee Stevenson in the 37th minute, again breaking in a blur after a Griffin header had been saved at the other end, but the effort was ruled offside.

Then twice just before the break Ciren put bodies on the line to prevent two goalmouth scrambles turning into goals.

The Linnets came out in a mood to finish the job and Glyn Garner twice saved well in the early minutes of the half.

With Hawkins being looked after in the treatment room, the game re-started with nothing between the two sides, although some of the Kings Lynn fire seemed to have been extinguished.

Connolly and impressive sub Kurtis Revan exchanged chances inside a minute as the contest became end to end, before the Linnets suffered another blow with an accidental ankle injury to Ryan Fryatt in the 77th minute, before McWilliams hit a fierce drive straight at Garner.

The game was stopped for a lengthier period to allow an air ambulance to land on the pitch and the players once more left the field.

When the airborne paramedics decided Hawkins’ injury did not warrant their assistance and the helicopter flew off, the game restarted after a five-minute warm-up with the referee informing the players that there were 19 minutes remaining.

Within 30 seconds Griffin had a fine shot on the turn saved by Street before Garner tipped over a McWilliams piledriver.

Michael Clunan, whose 40-yard howitzer had won the same fixture last season, continued to threaten Ciren with his set pieces but it was the home side who had the best chance to wrap up the points.

Demkiv engineered some space for a chance with just Street to beat. He curled an effort towards goal but Street made an exceptional one-handed save to his left to deny the hosts a second consecutive win.

Within a minute, referee Philip Staynings blew for time two hours and 20 mins after the game had started.

For once other results did not go Cirencester’s way and they have dropped back into the drop zone with three of their fellow strugglers gaining prized wins.

But with Kings Langley and Dorchester Town losing again, those two teams are also being drawn into a relegation dogfight that could go to the wire.

Cirencester Town: Garner, Diaz-Benitez (Brown, 58), Bennett, Mortimer-Jones, Jones, Coupe, Liddiard (capt), Connolly, Griffin, Demkiv, Morgan.

Unused subs: Spalding, Elliott, Griffin.