Cheltenham Town v Gillingham – All Over Now

On Sunday I’m off to watch Cheltenham play Gillingham in a League Two fixture.

Barring an incredible run of results it looks as though the Robins can start planning for their holidays – and Mark Yates can start planning for next season.

Cheltenham have flattered to deceive this season in my view. They have played some lovely football at times, but then have let themselves down with s few silly results which has seen them drop off the play-off pace.

Recent results have not gone for them and they have won two and lost four of their last six games.

Next season could be a big one for both Yates and the club. I would suspect that there are a few directors around the country watching Mark’s development and I certainly think he has what it takes to become a very good league manager. If he can knock Cheltenham into shape and have them challenging by Christmas this year, I suspect he’ll be picked up by a bigger club.

It would appear that Yates agrees with me and told the club’s website:

“The disappointing thing is that we have to keep putting things right and we just haven’t been consistent enough this season. On our day we can be as good as anyone, but we have to improve at everything.”

I know that fans of every club expect or want silverware, but Robins fans should be as realistic as Yates is honest in his assessment. At the midway point of last season they feared that they would be back in the Conference by the end of this season and so a mid-table finish is a step in the right direction – and they do play some good stuff.

On the first day of the campaign these two clubs produced a 1-1 draw, but Gillingham still have it all to play for and sit in the final play-off spot going into the weekend.

Andy Hessenthaler is another good young manager, but is in his second stint as manager (leaving in November 2004 after four years and returning in May last year after the Gills had been through seven other managers) and he hasn’t given up on an automatic promotion spot. He said:

"We have to keep our eye on second and third, that’s what we’ve still got to aim for. There’s 24 points still available to us and the tally needed to finish there will be lower than last season. We have a chance and while we have that we’ve got to try and finish in the top three.

I think it is, providing we’re winning our home games, which we’ve been doing. I would like a couple more wins away from home and we’ll probably need it, along with winning our four home games, to finish in the top three."