Evo-Stik Southern Premier

Kings Langley 1

Cirencester Town 0

CIRENCESTER Town boss Charlie Griffin must plan for life in the Southern League Division One South & West after their relegation was confirmed in the 1-0 defeat at Kings Langley.

Joyous scenes at the full-time whistle were for the home side whose status in the division was persevered by this three points.

After the heroics of victories against Slough Town and Weymouth, along with the GFA Senior Challenge Trophy victory at Cinderford which gave Ciren a third consecutive win for the first time this season, the visitors seemed to find the Kings Langley clash a game too far.

It was tepid low-key affair with Ciren unable to truly test Spanish keeper Xavi Comas throughout the entire 90 minutes.

Kings Langley were no better but they did get the all-important winning goal in the 28th minute when Jerry Amoo laid on an easy tap-in for Steve Ward.

Manager Griffin had raised an eyebrow or two by his team selection in dropping Ben Brown and Dan Demkiv – both of whom had featured prominently in the two latest league wins. Matt Coupe was restored to the back four after missing last Saturday’s game due to a long standing family holiday and Aidan Bennett, available after a four-match ban, was preferred to Demkiv in the wide left position.

Both sides had created only a couple of half chances apiece – Ciren’s James Mortimer-Jones firing a fierce volley from distance straight at Comas and Danny Gudger toe-poking a shot from the edge of the box wide of the post – before Kings Langley opened the scoring.

Ex-West Ham youngster Amoo, by some distance the best player on the pitch, had already caused Ciren some trouble before he drifted past a challenge into the left side of the box and squared the ball into the six yard-box where, disappointingly for Ciren’s point of view, Ward had the simplest of finishes.

In the second half Griffin made all three substitutions – Demkiv (Kerry Morgan), Henry Spalding (Gudger) and perhaps the one signifying that the game was up, Lewis Thompson for Mortimer-Jones in the 69th minute.

Ciren had the lions’ share of possession after the break and at times played some neat approach football but Kings Langley did what they had to do to keep them out with some resolute defending.

Neither side had a shot on target worth the name in the second half as the game still refused to catch fire, which given the importance for both sides was a surprise.

So when the final whistle blew and some of the crowd spilled on to the pitch, it was the Kings Langley players who were mobbed and they who could celebrate their great escape.

Cirencester Town are due to play their GFA Senior Challenge Trophy final against Bristol City Reserves (U21s) but a date has yet to be fixed and the possibility remains that it could be played next pre-season.

Cirencester Town: Garner; Elliott, Liddiard (capt), Coupe, Dunton; Bennett, Connolly, Mortimer-Jones (Thompson, 69), Morgan (Demkiv, 51); A Griffin, Gudger (Spalding, 60).

Unused subs: Brown, C Griffin.