Ciren 0-1 City

[Padz]

Cirencester away on Saturday.

Is anybody going that could run the live scores service on the forum? , i'm out of the country this weekend so unable to attend.

thanks.

[lauraocfc]

I'm going, but can't do it from my phone! Sorry

[sharon]

If no one else can do it 'live' from the game, why don't you text me Laura and I will update website from CPF?

[lauraocfc]

sounds like a plan Sharon. :-)

[Ash]

Looks like I'll be going so signal dependent I'll do some updates.

[sharon]

Cheers Ash ;D

[Ash]

Right, well, I'll start the ball rolling.

Not a good game by all accounts. First half was at times rather painful to watch with both teams opting for a bit of hit and hope football. If I had to choose I'd say that we edged the first half but it isn't something to really price ourselves on though.

Set pieces were not really working and a couple of crosses came in where had there been someone at the back post then they would have had a chance to head/shoot on goal but instead they bounced and then the defence cleared. The ref was not having a good game, he was giving some very strange yellow cards and then allowing clear yellow cards to go unpunished - rather confusing at times.

The second half was MUCH better. We got the ball down and Benjamin and Fleet started to control the midfield and play good football around. Felipe I thought was the best player out there. It looked like he was playing a free role behind Steele and was getting the ball and causing the defence a lot of problems. Yes there was a bit of luck with his goal, the keep should have done better but you get luck and you have to take it.

Felipe also set up Bash's header which hit the post and may have (Can't remember who crossed) set up Jimmy's headed effort that went just wide late on.

The effort that Fleet had was just inside the area and was after a bit of a scramble, he saw the ball and smashed it. The box was so crowded it could have gone anywhere/got deflected etc but instead it was clean and powerful and missed everyone apart from the damn crossbar.

One thing that I did sense from Cirencester was that they are a team that moans A LOT! Calling for everything and moaning when a decision went against them. The ref in the second half was better, not amazing, but better than the first.

Should have been more than 1-0 but a win is a win.

[hedges]

Copied from my post on the Evo Stik forum....

Very Poor first half from both Oxford and Cirencester today, scrappy at best, hoof and hope football, players panicking on the ball and not taking control....Park football at its worst, sort of performance that justifies the 125 crowd....not helped by a Ref who seemingly forgot that for now at least football is a contact sport. Best chance of the half came City's way when an inventive free kick and resulting header was cleared off the line by a defender.

Second half was much better overall from both teams and much more watchable, only thing that didn't improve much was the ref...who now had a thing for his yellow card.
Only goal, though pure fluke was scored by Barcelos after a foul just inside the Cirencester half out near the left side line. He went to send a curling cross into the box, but the swirling wind took the ball and put it straight into the top right corner of Cirencesters goal, this was made more amusing as a fan behind Barcelos shouted 'Have a shot mate'....Felipe will of course claim that he did have a shot!

The goal around the 60minute mark settled City who dominated the rest of the game, hitting the post twice and the cross bar once there after.

Overall happy with the result, especially after last seasons 4-1 disappointment there. The goal relaxed us and helped us overcome the fear of making mistakes at the back after the mid week thrashing by Totton and I hope its that momentum rather than the hoof and hope momentum we take in to our next Mid Week game against Bashley.