Red Insure Cup

Cirencester Town 2 Shortwood United 4

SHORTWOOD UNITED appear to hold the Indian sign over Cirencester Town this season - for the second time in five weeks they came to the Corinium Stadium and knocked their hosts out of a cup competition.

Last month it was the FA Cup, on Tuesday night it was the Southern League (Red Insure) Cup.

Town started with just one player from their line-up against St Neots Town on Saturday (Aidan Bennett), while Wood went with three from the side they put out against Larkhall Athletic on Saturday. They also had the experienced Sam Rawlings and Ash Thomas on the bench.

But Ciren had enough quality in their side with the likes of Shayne Anson, Ellis Dunton, Brad Hooper and Ben Wells.

Ross Langworthy, who had scored against Town in both the original FA Cup tie as well as the replay, was again their nemesis. He scored two of the visitors’ four goals and was a constant threat all evening.

The Ciren back line were at sixes and sevens throughout the first half, trying and failing to cope with the mobility of Langworthy, Josh Egan and Marley Thomas.

They gifted Shortwood the opening goal on three minutes when keeper Clatworthy was deceived by the flight of a speculative effort from Egan. Clatworthy redeemed himself later with a number of first class saves.

Wood were two up on 20 minutes when Langworthy lashed home a knock down from a cross, but Ciren were back in the game two minutes later when Jack Smith somehow got great power on a stooping header from 15 yards off a Wells cross.

Wood restored their two-goal cushion when Egan raced clear before lobbing the Ciren keeper in the 31st minute.

Again a Wells delivery helped Ciren rally as his wicked free kick was turned into his own net by Jake Lee under pressure from Dunton.

In the second half Ciren dominated and were denied by two stand-out saves from Ash Herbert – firstly from a close-range Danny Gudger header and also from a Wells drive.

Egan should have finished the game off in the 70th minute, hitting the bar when it looked easier to score and Wells almost capped a fine man-of-the-match performance nine minutes later when a curling free kick deceived both his strikers and the defence and came back off the post.

In stoppage time, Langworthy added a fourth goal with another assured finish.

Cirencester Town: Clatworthy, Anson (capt), Elliott, Peare (James, 60), Dunton, Pitts, Hooper (K Jones, 60), Wells, Bumphrey, Jack Smith, Bennett (Gudger, 60). Unused subs: James Smith