A STRANGELY subdued Common Road witnessed Evesham's worst league display of the season and one that doesn't augur well for the new year!

The fickle faithful couldn't even be bothered to vent their anger at Tuesday's pitiful showing as the players left the pitch. Let's hope Dave Busst let his charges know how he felt about their futile efforts.

The manager went into the match lacking suspended duo Gavin O'Toole and Richie Robinson and without Matty Lewis who had moved to Kettering.

However, the return of Steven Hands, Leon Blake and Jermaine Clarke - three stalwarts of last season's promotion side - should have made little difference to the performance.

Cirencester arrived at Common Road having scored a mere 16 goals from their 20 Premier Division matches - they left having increased that tally by an amazing 25 per cent!

Evesham's normally reliable rearguard that had conceded just nine goals in nine home league outings was torn apart especially by Mark Danks who helped himself to a hat-trick.

The home defence failed to cope with a couple of long balls as Danks produced a couple of excellent long distance finishes in the 70th and 83rd minutes and the diminutive striker had earlier opened the scoring after 20 minutes after Dave Adey had brilliantly blocked his initial effort.

The Robins started confidently but fortune was again against them when Richard Ball's second minute header was handled on the line only for an assistant referee to signal that Rob Taylor's corner, flicked on by John Williams, had curled out of play.

Town goalkeeper Paul Thompson then acrobatically kept out Ball's header from Steve Duncan's centre but that was the end of the hosts as an attacking force in the first half.

Evesham were lucky to be only one goal adrift at the whistle but, after Clarke had seen two shots blocked, more sloppy defending at a free-kick allowed Gareth Hopkins two bites at the back post before finding the net.

Having come from two down last time out to extend their unbeaten record to four matches, United showed neither spirit nor skill to try to unhinge the Cirencester defence.

Lee Knight saw a last minute deflected shot hacked off the line, while top scorer Ball flashed an injury-time effort wide from 15 yards.