CIRENCESTER TOWN 4

Griffin 2, Jones 62, Parsons 64, 84 (pen)

DORCHESTER TOWN 3

Ayunga 40, Lee 45, Oldring 77

THE Magpies returned to Dorset with nothing to show for their efforts, as they came out second best to Cirencester in a seven-goal thriller at the Corinium Stadium.

They had led going into the break and hauled themselves level at 3-3 after going behind for a second time in the match.

But the visitors were finally undone some six minutes from the end when the hosts were awarded a penalty which Jake Parsons converted.

Dorchester player-manager Mark Jermyn had rewarded the players that started the victory over Histon at the weekend by naming an unchanged side for the clash with the Centurions.

The Magpies’ bench also remained the same so that meant no place in the matchday squad for new signing Bradley Tarbuck.

Cirencester boss Brian Hughes kept faith in the team that beat Redditch 1-0 in their league opener, and it was Jermyn’s opposite number who was celebrating when his men took the lead after only two minutes.

A corner to the far post was headed back across goal by Ben Brown and striker Charlie Griffin forced the ball home to make it 1-0.

The visitors found their feet following that setback and began to get a foothold in the encounter.

However, had it not been for a smart save by Alan Walker-Harris then Griffin might have doubled his tally.

After Jonah Ayunga needed some treatment having taken a knock, Dorchester eventually created their first chance on 22 minutes.

Ben Watson found himself in space and decided to let fly from distance but the ball sailed wide.

Ayunga, a scorer against Histon on his league debut, then fired over from the Magpies’ first corner.

Having found their rhythm, the away side began to put together some neat phases of play, while the Cirencester defence became slightly ragged at times.

A free-kick into the hosts’ box appeared to hit the arm of a home defender but referee Adam Matthews waved away Dorchester’s appeals for a penalty.

An injury to Brown forced the Centurions into a change on 36 minutes, with Ross Langworthy coming on and Aidan Bennett moving to full-back.

Five minutes before the break the visitors got the equaliser their play had deserved – and it was a second goal in two matches for youngster Ayunga.

First he nodded the ball past Leigh Henry and Gethin Jones and then lobbed keeper Glyn Garner with a clever finish.

And it got a whole lot better for Ayunga and his team-mates on the stroke of half-time when Tony Lee, another scorer against Histon, made it 2-1.

Lee had missed a half-chance not long after Ayunga’s strike but the former was on target in the 45th minute, rounding Garner and converting off the post from a narrow angle.

Undone by Ayunga for the Dorchester leveller, Jones almost equalised himself less than five minutes into the second period.

He met a free-kick with a firm header but unfortunately for him his effort was straight at Walker-Harris, while Zack Kotwica fired over soon after.

However, Cirencester did get a second, and then a third, all in the space of two minutes as the game swung back in their favour.

First, Jones made it 2-2 when heading in from a corner, and then Parsons hit a brilliant free-kick into the top corner for 3-2.

Feeling a change needed to be made after seeing his team’s lead overturned, Jermyn replaced Lee with Mark Irvine.

But the hosts almost grab a fourth when a Jones header was cleared off the line and Walker-Harris tipped Langworthy’s volley onto the bar.

With play switching from end to end, Dorchester got the next goal, and what a strike it was from Matt Oldring.

The defender took aim from all of 25 yards, hitting a fizzing effort that found the bottom corner.

Only a few minutes later, Langworthy went down under a challenge in the Magpies’ box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Parsons kept his cool and slotted the penalty past Walker-Harris to put Cirencester in the lead for a third time in the game.

There was still a chance for Jermyn’s men to snatch a point but home keeper Garner denied Irvine with the substitute through one-on-one.

Cirencester: Garner, Jones, Dunton, Brown (Langworthy 36), Hooper, Henry, Bennett, Mortimer-Jones, Griffin (Ricketts 76), Parsons, Kotwica. Subs not used: Wells, Knight, Thompson.

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Hanger (Crittenden 75), Martin, Jermyn, Oldring, Smeeton, Davis, Morgan (Dillon 78), Ayunga, Watson, Lee (Irvine 69). Subs: Murphy, Brookes.

Booking: Cirencester – Dunton (66)

Magpies – None

Referee: Adam Matthews