Paul Collicutt’s men started swiftly with Archie Haskayne, Bradley Gray and Lewis Powell all testing the water with powerful efforts within opening seven minutes.
Gray’s second free-kick was as fierce as the first, forcing keeper Mateusz Wieczorek into an instinctive low parry to his right after Powell had been cynically halted by Jordan Stoddart on the edge of the box.
All eyes were fixed on the action as United’s Paul Fahy’s half-volley dropped a whisker wide moments before Barcelos fed Ben Whitehead whose finish was narrowly off target.
Gray’s recycled corner was met with a crisp header that lacked direction from Ethan Moore 28 minutes in, while the insatiable Barcelos created more space for himself only to balloon a shot high and wide on the run six minutes before the break.
The last play of the half saw Odiero’s long throw glanced fractionally wide of the far post by Moore but the tall defender broke the deadlock himself three minutes after the restart, thumping in unerringly at the back post from Gray’s inviting corner.
Odiero scored with header
With the hosts still reeling it could have been two but Powell’s drive was beaten away by Wieczorek while at the other end, Henry Spalding’s arcing cross was too quick for Whitehead to keep down from a promising position.
Pulses were still racing despite clear-cut chances drying up until Carl Brown’s low blast was spectacularly turned over the bar by Wieczorek’s Gordon Banks-style scoop over the bar.
Cirencester: Wieczorek, Christopher, Mortimer-Jones, Pook (Walsh, 82), Lewis, Stoddart, Loader (Horrell, 68), Connolly, Whitehead, Barcelos (Watts, 79), Spalding. Unused subs: Coupe, Rose (g/k).
Robins: Sawyer, Dovey, Odiero (A Williams, 77), Haskayne, M Williams, Liddiard, Gray, Mann (Brown, 63), Moore (Peel, 82), Powell, Fahy. Unused subs: Sheehan, Binns.
Attendance: 182
