Cirencester Town vs Gresley Rovers
Punchless Moatmen draw blank - Burton Mail
Some might say that Gresley Rovers, who kept a clean sheet for
the first time in a month and ended a run of three successive league defeats,
should be pleased with an away point at Cirencester Town - nonsense.
Six games into the season with a paltry five points, Rovers currently
languish in the bottom six of a very modest Dr Martens Western Division.
Unfortunately, Saturday's game mirrored several encounters this
season when the lack of a decent finisher meant that the Moatmen had under achieved
again.
Although their second half display wasn't nearly so good as the
opening 45 minutes the Moatmen should have been in cruise control by the interval.
Andy Cheetham's surging 21st minute run to the by-line before
pulling the ball back to Mick Sandar whose close range shot was charged down
by Russell Jones.
Debutant Ritchie Gardner almost crowned the occasion with a glancing
header that drifted just wide after meeting Sandar's right-wing cross.
Tempers became frayed as the reaction of the Cirencester bench
got Cheetham booked, with each bench spoken to after an exchange of verbal niceties
between the two dugouts!
Twice in as many minutes just before the break Gresley should
have made the break through. Sent clear by Mark Peters, Sandar shot weakly at
home keeper Kevin Sawyer.
Sandar's pace then enabled him to get free of Stuart Fraser before
rounding Sawyer, despite the keeper's attempt to haul him down, but the striker's
goal-bound shot was cleared off the line by Steve Bennett before Paul Wilson
, making his first appearance of the season, lifted the rebound over.
Cirencester's main goal threat came within 30 seconds of the second
half when Giles Harris shot hit the underside of the bar and Steve Coleman's
attempt to force home the rebound was foiled by Karl Reynolds.
Within a five-minute spell, Sandar had another two gilt-edged
opportunities to make the breakthrough, but on each occasion his finishing accuracy
was disappointingly wayward. Gresley's inability to provide a killer finish
always puts increased pressure on a defence always liable to make a slip up.
Reynolds lost possession to Harris where the resultant cross just
eluded both Jimmy Carter and Scott Griffin sliding in.
Skipper Richard Wardle attempting to show his strikers how it
was done was denied by Sawyer's out stretched leg.
Griffin was denied by an excellent save by Ian Wright - one of
only two made by the Gresley keeper all day.
Cirencester Town (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Cirencester Town: Sawyer, Dunton, Bennett (Boyland 90), Jones, Fraser, Harris (Richardson 80), Coleman, Morgan, Carter, Griffin, Gee.Sub not used: Belcher.
Gresley Rovers: Wright, Roberts (Coates 62), Cheetham (Broadhurst 57), Reynolds, Warren, Bluck, Peters, Wardle, Sandar (Allsop 72), Willson, Gardner.
Referee: R Davies (Brize Norton)
Attendance: 230
