Brown scores twice as Cirencester beat Yate
The Bluebirds came to the Corinium on a run of three wins and fully intent on continuing their long record of getting something over the Centurions.
Indeed, if Matt Bath had not made a double save off Russ Church on eight minutes with an alert Mark Pritchett then clearing away off his line they would have had their perfect start.
Hampered by an early injury to Jon McAlinden, with Edd Vahid dropping back to centre half, Yate then had to withstand a wave of eager Ciren attacks.
Carl Brown, perhaps over eager to hit his first goal on his return from a long injury lay-off, had a golden chance on 11 minutes when a cross from Pritchett beat Josh Dempsey and rebounded from the angle of post and bar.
Collecting the loose ball Brown had only to sidestep the desperately plunging Demsey and notch but went for the one yard out glory volley and cleared the bar.
Brown had another chance minutes later, volleying first time just over the bar after Rob Hoskin set him up with a clever disguised pass, but after Addie Adams scuffed another chance at Bath when he got a moment clear in the box, Brown struck on 22 minutes.
A lightening quick Ciren attack sent Rob Hoskin in on to a cleverly angled pass by Fred Ward to take the youngster behind the Yate defence.
Dempsey had to come out of his area to challenge but under pressure from Hoskin only nodded the ball 5 yards away.
Brown was in space, set then sent a full on volley into the top corner of the net, the covering Tom Warren only helping the ball on it's way such was the venom of the strike.
Ciren settled, as did the Yate defence and the game became a battle for domination with Matt Hale in midfield for Yate, energetic and with a good touch, proving more than a handful.
Yate however were rarely allowed to escape downfield but were perhaps unfortunate not to equalise when Church again found himself clear onto a long downfield ball but was forced to lob wide under pressure from Bath.
Carl Brown showed how to convert a lob on 48 minutes when Jody Bevan again forced Dempsey into a hurried, short clearance at the edge of his area.
The instant response from Brown was an athletic leap to the loose ball and an outside of his boot guide of the ball unerringly over Dempsey and into the net from 25 yards.
He could have had his hat trick, on 71 minutes spinning and firing in from the angle of the box only for Dempsey to reach the ball, then twice late on having on target fizzers blocked when Ciren attacks left him one on one with the otherwise very sturdy Scott Thomas in the heart of the Yate defence.
Twice Yate could have notched, Mark Hughes mistiming a header wide on 72 minutes then at the end Mark Reynolds scooping hurriedly wide when Adams sent in a low left wing cross.
But the fact they were having to work under pressure was cerdit to a Ciren defence that had exerted a stranglehold on the Yate attack after being caught out in those three first half raids.
The last word in a steady Ciren game came from Jody Bevan, set up by Hoskin and Brown and firing just past the far post from the edge of the box to underline the attacking threat in what is becoming a very good Ciren team.
Ciren: Bath, Westlake, Pritchett, Sysum, Robinson [Etheridge 67], Tomkins (c), Thompson, Ward, Bevan, Hoskin, Brown subs: Griffin, Stevens, Dunton, Parker
Yate: Dempsey, Warren, Robins [Reynolds 45], Hale, Scott, McAlindon [Hughes 14], Fussell, Vahid (c), Adam, Church [Duggan 55], Simpson sub: Growcott
Ref: Mr M Russell [Bristol] Att: 108 MoM: Matt Hale [Yate] Carl Brown [Ciren]
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