Jonah to play 200th game while Reidy faces long spell on sidelines

‘Jonah’ is justifiably proud of his achievement, which has taken just four years; ‘Reidy’ has been ‘knocked for six’ by the news this week that he has torn a cruciate ligament and has a couple of minor tears in the cartilage.

Both players have won promotions with the club – Reid in 2009/10, the year after he became manager Brian Hughes’s first signing, and Jonah last year. Both are on the combustible side of combative, and both would give their last drop of blood for Cirencester Town, despite temporarily straying elsewhere.

Mortimer-Jones, 32, played three games at the beginning of the season for Clanfield in the Hellenic League.

“Winning the championship with Ciren last season was the highlight of my career and to get a great goal at Yate on the final day is something that can’t be beaten,” said the Fairford resident.

“I just looked at the extra travelling required this campaign in the Southern Premier, my young family, and the fact that my knees need a lot of managing – and I thought about retirement.

“I missed pre-season and while I was making up my mind what to do, I went to play for Clanfield. It opened my eyes to what I was missing at Ciren and I was lucky that Hughesie had kept the door open for me.

“We had so many good midfielders that I knew it would take an injury or suspension to get back in the team and so it proved. I’ve got the shirt at the moment but competition for places is so strong that everyone is on their toes. “Last year our success was built on a core back five, a competitive midfield and one prolific striker. This Ciren team is better and the spirit is the best I have known.

“We are still very hard to break down but we now have such a goal threat up front.

“Nat (Jarvis) and Aidan (Bennett) have 20 goals between them, Ed Williams is on fire and Josh Parsons has been absolutely unbelievable since he came to us two games ago. He is such an enthusiast.”

Reidy agrees. Josh and ‘Stretch’ (Ashley Edenborough) scored a stack of goals for Supermarine,” he said.

“Josh’s form means I’m not even sure Nat will walk back into the team when he returns from international duty with Antigua the Caribbean Cup.

“Josh hit a 30-yard free kick against the bar at Mangotsfield which was just like Ronaldo.”

Sadly, Reid will have to watch the latest relentless charge at Cirencester from afar, much as he did last season when he was playing at Mangotsfield.

“I enjoyed my time at Mangotsfield and made some great friends but I made the wrong choice to leave Ciren, and watching them win the championship without me was hard to take,” he said.

In December 2012 against Paulton Rovers, Reid was the victim of a reckless challenge from behind which broke his right leg.

Reid’s injury to the same leg last month was caused by another X-rated tackle from behind in the match with fellow promotion chasers St Neots Town.

On neither occasion did the guilty party earn a red card.

“I couldn’t put weight on the leg for a week and the club sent me to see the Cheltenham Town physio Ian Weston who thought I would need another three weeks to fully recover,” said Reid.

“But he wanted me to have a scan to make sure – and then he rang with the bad news after the scan revealed the full extent of the damage.

“I see the surgeon on Friday and if I need an op the club have said they will help out, for which I can’t thank them enough.

“Of course, it depends what they find when they open me up, but I’m hoping that’s not it for the season.”

Mortimer-Jones insists the next six games will be pivotal to seventh-placed Cirencester Town’s play-off challenge. “If we are still looking up rather than down at Christmas, I’m sure we will give it a right go,” he said.

And don’t be surprised if this big-game player does not mark his milestone game on Saturday with a special goal.

It has been far too long since we have seen a Jonah ‘worldy’.