Sheldon and Tulloch strike again in Town win

STRATFORD Town maintained their record as the only team in the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division yet to lose an away league game this season with a thoroughly professional performance at Cirencester on Tuesday night, writes Bryan Hale.

Goals from Jamie Sheldon and Simeon Tulloch saw Town claim a deserved 2-1 win at the Corinium Stadium, a result that moves Carl Adams' side up to ninth in the table.

The only change to Town’s starting line-up from Saturday was the inclusion of Guy Clark as a natural replacement for the departed Jordan Cullinane-Liburd.

Kick-off was delayed for 15 minutes due to traffic problems on the M5 and both sides made a cautious start until Town went ahead in the tenth minute with the first serious attack of the evening.

Kieren Westwood exchanged passes with Edwin Ahenkorah down the left before sweeping the ball across the edge of the penalty area to pick out Jamie Sheldon, whose fiercely-struck first-time effort took a deflection off a defender, which seemed to wrong-foot keeper Harvey Rivers, who barely moved as the ball flew past him into the net.

With James Fry once again imperious in the centre of Town’s backline, little was seen of the Centurions’ attack, while at the other end Simeon Tulloch was causing all sorts of problems with his pace as he looked to repeat his heroics of the weekend.

But on 39 minutes, Cirencester grabbed an unlikely equaliser when Town didn’t deal properly with Andrew Elcock’s free-kick from the right and Aiden Bennett pounced on the loose ball to thump it past Niall Cooper from virtually on the penalty spot.

Tulloch though was irrepressible and four minutes into the second half he restored Town’s lead.

Latching onto a Will Grocott pass, he surged into the penalty area only for Rivers to smother at his feet.

The ball spun away to Westwood and he immediately returned it into the six-yard box, where it was met by Tulloch with a volley into the roof of the net.

From then on, Cirencester kept trying but Town were comfortably in control and a second equaliser seldom looked likely.

Town came close to adding a third in the closing stages with Rivers saving well from Grocott, substitute Dior Angus firing inches wide and Grocott having another attempt deflected behind.

TOWN: Niall Cooper, Dan Summerfield, Kieren Westwood, James Fry, Liam Francis, Guy Clark, Barry Fitzharris,Will Grocott, Edwin Ahenkorah, Jamie Sheldon (Warren Brooks 80), Simeon Tulloch (Dior Angus 75).