Late leveller deprives City of deserved win

City can take much heart from a hard-working, all-round display despite the disappointment of conceding a last-gasp equaliser that prevented them from returning from Cirencester with a deserved three points.

The visitors produced a much improved performance on their previous match at Alvechurch as they transferred their training practice from recent weeks onto the pitch in a game that they dominated.

Starting the brighter, much of the first quarter was played in the final third as City probed for an opening, which so nearly came when Archie Thurston was put through by Will Cottell but was thwarted by a brilliant, last-ditch tackle just as he was about to pull the trigger and shoot.

Q2 continued in much the same vain as the home keeper pulled off an excellent double save from Harry Rebbeck and Cottell following a free-kick.

However a few minutes later, the pressure eventually told albeit slightly fortuitously when Cottell skewed a shot out to Billy Owen on the right whose cross was converted by Rebbeck. The striker, who scored seven against the same opposition earlier in the season, was a thorn in the side of Cirencester once again as he had the next chance too - the keeper doing well to come out and block.

With City's midfielders working tirelessly, the chances kept coming in Q3 - Owen and Jamie Neath combining well within seconds of the whistle before another scramble in the Cirencester box saw Neath and Rebbeck unable to get good connections on the ball as the home defence struggled to clear.

A mazy run from Rebbeck set up Harry Stone for another shot before the Cirencester goal had an amazing lucky escape when a rasping shot by Owen cannoned back off the bar to Rebbeck whose first-time effort hit the post.

As City pushed for a decisive second goal and players tired, the game became stretched and Cirencester looked to counter. They came close to a leveller when their player broke through, was initially held up by a good sliding tackle by the energetic Matt Athey before getting a second opportunity that was blocked by keeper Josh Reed-Jones but needed Matthew Band to sprint back and clear as it rolled towards the net.

Play swung back to the other end and the Cirencester keeper pulled off another decent save when he tipped over a Neath shot. Shortly afterwards though, he was beaten by a Rebbeck drive only for the ball to rebound off the post yet again as Neath hit the loose ball into the side netting.

Football proved that it can be a cruel game when, with seconds remaining, the Cirencester forward blocked a clearance, advanced and slotted home despite the best efforts of Reed-Jones.

Credit to the home side for battling to the final whistle. Tough luck on City and, whilst they may rue the chances that they didn't convert, they can take much credit for creating so many opportunities and a dominating display.