Evo-Stik Southern, West

Yate Town 2 Cirencester Town 2

SUB Matty Tanner scored a dramatic late equaliser as Yate Town grabbed anEvo-Stik Southern, West league point on Saturday against Cirencester Town at Lodge Road.

It was a well contested match from the outset as Yate looked to get their first three points since beating Evesham at home by 2-1 at the end of January.

Yate had a couple of early chances when Trey Anderson sent over a cross that just evaded the head of Adam Price, while striker Ben Brooks shot from the edge of the penalty area to see visiting keeper Mateusz Wierczorek.

But Cirencester’s twin strike force of Ben Whitehead, the division’s top scorer, and captain Alan Griffin were to be a thorn in the home side.

Whitehead could have had a couple in the first-half as he missed one when beating home defender Mayson Evans in the penalty area near the byline and only a superb tackle from Yate’s Sam Boulton prevented the Cirencester man from having Bluebells keeper Harvey Rivers in a one-on-one situation inside the six yard box.

Cirencester had the ball in the Yate box on 25 minutes when a thumping shot from Whitehead was parried away by Rivers only for Griffin, in an offside position, to put the ball in.

Despite being under pressure, Yate stuck to their task. A Ben Brooks free-kick in the centre of the pitch crashed against the defensive wall, while the excellent Ross Langworthy stole the ball on the visiting byline, crossed but Brooks scuffed his shot from point-blank range wide.

At the other end, Griffin passed to Henry Spalding whose shot went passed Rivers but thumped against the bar.

It was goal-less at the break, but within minutes of the re-start, Cirencester were a goal up, and it was Whitehead, inevitably, that got it when he cracked in a thumping drive after being set-up by Tommy Anderson.

Whitehead’s next chance seconds later saw the ball whistle past the Bluebells’ upright.

But Yate fought back. Langworthy shot from twenty yards and was desperately unlucky to see it thump off the post.

Yate, thought, equalised when Langworthy deceived the visiting defence on the byline, put in a dangerous low cross and saw Steve Davies flick the ball past a covering defender and Wierczorek.

It was the home team’s turn to inflict pressure, and again a Langworthy effort struck the woodwork with the Cirencenster keeper well beaten.

The visiting side came back into the game and took the lead with a freakish goal when defender Wil Christopher struck a dangerous low ball from thirty yards on the right. Rivers was unsighted by the two attackers alongside him and was left helpless as the ball went past him.

That seemed to be that as injury time arrived but a dramatic late goal from Tanner, where he clipped a long ball which went into the six yard box past the Cirencester keeper, grabbed a point that Yate deserved in the end.