Southern League
South & West Division
Cinderford Town 1
Cirencester Town 2
EX-CINDERFORD keeper Matt Bath made a memorable return to The Causeway on Tuesday night, saving two Lee Smith penalties.
He also made a fantastic stop to keep out another Smith effort on a frustrating night for the hosts.
Cinderford did not play well. They failed to get the ball down and pass it enough, resorting to predictable long balls to the front men.
Had Lewis Sommers been leading the attack that tactic might have worked, but it was naive to expect Scott Wilson to prosper from balls thumped in and around his head.
Cinderford were without Dave Bird, Craig Tait, Karim Rendall and Andy Lewis as well as Sommers, and they missed them.
Having said that, the Foresters still had enough chances to win the game against a solid rather than spectacular Cirencester outfit.
The first half was generally even with just a handful of chances at either end.
Bath tipped a Scott Wilson shot around his near post, Lee Smith sliced a shot wide and Sam O'Sullivan struck an effort straight at the keeper when the visitors allowed the ball to run all the way along their six-yard box. At the other end, John did well to deny the lively Bennett.
Cinderford were awarded their first penalty for a trip on Lee Smith. Bath moved well to his right to block Smith's spot-kick, which came to him at a comfortable height.
Within minutes, Cirencester were awarded a penalty of their own for a foul on Shepherd – and Scott Griffin showed Smith how a penalty should be taken.
In the second half Dale Evans hit the bar from a free-kick before Greg Lewis poked home the equaliser following a goal-mouth scramble.
Cirencester, slick on the break, carved the home side open down the right to regain their advantage, Joe Shepherd sliding in to convert a cross to the back post.
Cirencester captain Matt Sysum conceded a second penalty for pushing and shoving at a corner. This time, Smith went to Bath's left, but the keeper guessed right again.
Smith was thwarted once more from close range by his ex-Gloucester City pal.
In injury-time, Cinderford thought they had salvaged a point with another scrambled equaliser, but the referee disallowed the goal for offside.
Cinderford Town: Ben John, Warren Archer, Matt Smith, Dan Harrison, Greg Lewis, Dale Evans, Sam O'Sullivan, Geraint Bater (captain), Scott Wilson, Lee Smith, Dean Lee. Subs used: Nick Hancock, Ashley Malcolm, Matt Barnes. Not used: Danny Haines.
Southern League
South & West Division
Taunton Town 4
Cinderford Town 1
ALL the early season optimism evaporated as Cinderford got a pasting in Taunton.
Without Karim Rendall, Craig Tait and Andy Lewis, Cinderford started well enough with a Lee Smith header hitting the bar inside 30 seconds. Scott Wilson gave the visitors a 10th minute lead, pouncing on a fumble by Sidley-Adams to score.
The hosts equalised within two minutes through a long range effort from Rodney Marsh.
After that it was all Taunton, as they attacked down the slope at will.
Ben John kept Cinderford in the game with a string of fine saves, while Dan Harrison headed an effort off the line.
Cinderford never improved in the second half.
Simon Igram curled in a 52nd minute free-kick to give Taunton a deserved lead and things got a whole lot worse for the Foresters when Ben John was sent off for aiming a head butt at Blake.
Greg Lewis went in goal but his first job was to pick Ingram's penalty-kick out of the net.
A minute from the end, Marsh's pass found Herrod for Taunton's fourth goal.