FA Sponsored by E.ON First Qualifying Round
At: Corinium Stadium
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £6; Programme: £1-50 (32 pages)
Attendance: 144
Weather: cloudy, dry, occasional sunny spell
Duration: first-half: 50:08; second-half: 50:15
Football can be cruel sometimes and was this afternoon to North Leigh. They thought they’d done enough to force a replay with a late equaliser, only to concede an injury time penalty which put Cirencester Town into the next round of the Cup.
‘Corinium’ was very much the theme of our Sunday trip down the M5 to Gloucestershire. My destination was Cirencester Town’s Corinium Stadium while Mrs and Junior ‘iwf’ were heading for the town’s Corinium Museum after I dropped them off to start their Roman trail at the amphitheatre.
I was actually quite surprised when Mrs ‘iwf’ agreed with the idea a couple of days ago. Then again, it was a ‘new’ town for her and Junior was studying the Romans in History at school.
Founded in 1889, Cirencester Town joined the Southern League (currently known as the Zammaretto League in sponsored form) for the 1996/97 season as Hellenic League Champions. They were promoted to the Southern League Premier Division in 2004 and spent four seasons in the top flight before relegation back to the second tier South and West Division.
During the late 1990s, the club realised their old Tetbury Road ground (which I visited in December 1994) couldn’t accommodate all the club’s other junior and ladies sides. They developed a site on Kingshill Lane which not only includes the first team’s Corinium Stadium but other pitches and facilities as well.
The turnstiles were off the car park next to the main club building and through to the other side the pitch ran widthways to the right. All the main facilities were along the near touchline – a burger van to the left with a large clubhouse building, changing rooms and seated stand for club officials. Behind the top goal was an area of covered standing known as the ‘Shed End’. On halfway on the opposite touchline containing six rows of mostly red, with the odd green one, individual tip-up seats. In one area at the back was a prominent ‘NLFC WINDMILL ARMY’ yellow and black flag.
I quickly spotted ‘AndyD’ leaning against the pitch perimeter barrier. Soon other traveller arrived at the game including ‘Davy C’ and ‘Jaundiced Hack’. ‘AndyD’ and ‘Jaundiced Hack’ had a differing opinion as to whether the stand on the far side had corner from Cirencester’s old ground.
After five league games, goal difference was all that separated third-placed Cirencester and fifth-placed North Leigh in the Zamaretto League Division 1 South and West table. Both sides had an identical record of three wins, one draw and one defeat to gain their ten points. Newly promoted league leaders VT FC were three points better off on 13 points from their five games.
I suppose this was a tie that neither side really wanted at this early stage of the FA Cup with both of them in early season contention for promotion up to the Premier Division. Cirencester won with Preliminary Round tie 2-1 at home against Thatcham Town, another promotion-chasing side in the same division. North Leigh also won 2-1 at home against Hellenic League opposition in the shape of Milton United.
I opted to sit in the stand on the far side and, before kick-off, several North Leigh fans started to make their voices and drums heard. They did observe a pre-match minute silence, which I knew they’d respect.
The programme caused a bit of confusion as it listed ‘Leigh Town’ as the opposition. The visiting fans took great delight in singing about the error to remind the Editor knew about the mistake – if he was inside the ground that is.
Teams were turned round after the toss and North Leigh got the tie underway attacking the northern Shed End with its covered terrace.
I counted seven vocal North Leigh fans who made everyone know that their team was the “pride of the countryside”.
Cirencester should have taken a 15th-minute lead. Zak Westlake played the ball forward to the unchallenged Scott Griffin who from just 8 yards out sent a first-time shot wide of the target.
Griffin made up for the miss by setting up a goal for Carl Brown who put the home side in front in the 22nd minute. He fed Brown down the right inside the area who fired a narrow-angle right-foot shot through the legs of Sam Warrell into the net.
Brown was agonisingly close to scored again two minutes later. He got into the path of Jody Bevan’s flick on and played the ball goalwards only for North Leigh skipper Stuart Huxley to hook the ball off the line.
The visitors were forced to make a change in the 43rd minute after Simon Futcher was stretchered off with a right ankle problem. On came Chris Allen who got a rapturous welcome from the North Leigh fans.
At the interval I joined the queue at the Cirencester Town Burger Van – tea 80p and chips £1-20.
Into the second half and needing a goal, North Leigh started to show some urgency and Matt Taylor shot just wide at the end of a well-worked move.
Bath pulled off a good save in the 79th minute following a foul on Andy McCabe 30 yards out. Stuart Hole curled the resulting free-kick over the three-man wall and the keeper turned the ball over the bar which was heading for the top-left corner.
The keeper was busy and from the corner punched Allen’s header off the line to safety.
It was no real surprise when North Leigh got their reward with an equaliser scored in the 83rd minute. Andrew Helby delivered a left-wing corner who Karl Dodds headed home via a touch off defender Carl Brown.
North Leigh’s second half performance looked to have earned themselves a replay until a dramatic twist in the third minute of stoppage time. The referee pointed to the spot when Dodds fouled Griffin inside the area and Griffin held his nerve to send Warrell the wrong way with the resulting penalty.
The visitors had time for one last attack as Allen crossed into a packed area. Bath made the catch and the game was over.
I subsequently learned that Carl Brown was named Man of the Match.
Cirencester Town (red and black stripes / black / red): 1. Matt Bath, 2. Zak Westlake, 3. Tom Etheridge, 4. Chris Thompson, 5. Nick Dunn, 6. Lyndon Tompkins (capt), 7. Jamie Reid, 8. Chris Williams, 9. Jody Bevan, 10. Scott Griffin, 11. Carl Brown. Subs: 12. Jason Welsh (for Bevan ,69), 14. Lee Stevens (not used), 15. Robert Dean (for Dunn, 84), 16. Max Etheridge (not used).
North Leigh (sky blue / sky blue / sky blue): 1. Sam Warrell, 2. Aaron Posey, 3. Simon Futcher, 4. Andrew Helby, 5. Stuart Huxley (capt), 6. Karl Dodds, 7. Robbie Wyatt, 8. Stuart Hole, 9. Matt Taylor, 10. Andy McCabe, 11. Ryan Curtin. Subs: 12. Chris Allen (for Futcher, 43), 14. Jason Smith (for Wyatt, 58), 15. Harry Burnley (not used), 16. Alfie Saunders (not used), 17. Adam Lonsdale (not used).
Referee: CE Husband (Leicester).
Assistants: PE Stowe (Evesham) and R Thomas (Worcester).
Goals:
1-0 Carl Brown (22)
1-1 Karl Dodds (83)
2-1 Scott Griffin (90+4 pen)
Cards:
Cirencester: Tom Etheridge (YC, 73).
North Leigh: Simon Futcher (YC, 34), Karl Dodds (YC, 54), Andy McCabe (YC, 63), Stuart Hole (YC, 81).
