Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round
Aylesbury 2 Cirencester Town 1
CIRENCESTER TOWN stumbled out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle after a generally flat performance at Aylesbury.

Town were behind with little more than a minute gone when an unmarked Davis Haule found the back of the net from the edge of the box.

The hosts were a deserved 2-0 up in the 24th minute after a one-touch move from a free kick deep in the Aylesbury half was finished in style by Harry Scott.

Ciren were a much better proposition after the break when sub Henry Spalding added some zest from the bench.

Two good chances went begging from Felipe Barcelos and Alan Griffin before Ben Whitehead gave the visitors some hope with a goal in the 81st minute.

But Ciren were wasteful getting the ball forward late on and ran out of time.

A disappointed Town boss Charlie Griffin said: “I had to have words at half-time as the first 45 minutes killed us. We never got close to them in that first half.

“Our coach was an hour late collecting us at Ciren and preparations had to be rushed when we got to Aylesbury, but I can’t offer it as an excuse.

“We set ourselves up to keep it tight early on and we still went behind in the first minute.

“We were much the better team in the second half and missed two good chances before we got a very good goal.

“On the positive side our new signing Matt Jones had a good game and you can see the quality he will bring us down the left flank.”

Griffin sent out a 4-4-2 line-up for the first time this season with Jones coming in at left back and Kieran Diaz-Benitez starting on the other side but the defence was exposed inside 80 seconds when Aston Goss fired over an unchallenged cross and Haule had time to pick out the top corner from 18 yards.

The hosts were 2-0 up in the 24th minute and it was a beauty. A slick one-touch move down the left involving five players ended with Scott turning his marker stylishly and finding the bottom corner.

Jeanmal Prosper was close to a third when he struck a sweet left-footed volley off a Goss cross which whistled just past Matt Wieczorek’s left post.

Adam Connolly, who had played well despite carrying a knock in the opening 45, was subbed at the break and his replacement Henry Spalding helped inspire a much better effort from the visitors after the interval.

Spalding released Jones down the left channel in the 63rd minute and his fine running cross found Felipe Barcelos inside the box. But the Brazilian went for power rather than accuracy and blazed the shot over the bar.

Ten minutes later Aylesbury captain Ben Stevens, who had led by example and marshalled his defence superbly, had to exit injured, opening up more opportunities for Griffin’s side.

In the 74th minute, Spalding again crossed from the left and Griffin was inches wide with a back-post header after some mishandling from keeper James Weatherill.

Ciren carved Aylesbury open once more in the 81st minute, with Spalding and Loader the architects who freed Whitehead in the box and he had almost too much time before rifling the ball into the roof of the net.

But too many passes went astray in the strong wind late on and the momentum was lost as Aylesbury advanced to the next round.

Cirencester Town: Wieczorek, Diaz-Benitez (Lewis, 90), Jones, Stoddart, Coupe, Mortimer-Jones, Barcelos, Connolly (Spalding, 46), Griffin, Whitehead, Watts (Loader, 53).