Cheltenham Town 0 Shrewsbury Town 0

Scott Brown made sure the Robins had a reasonably happy Boxing Day ... and he did me a favour as well.

This was an odd game in that while it was entertaining and both teams played their part, there were very few 'stand out' players on whom to hang a story.

That isn't a criticism of the lads on either side. They all did their jobs well and both managers were pleased to have come away with a point - and as Cheltenham boss Mark Yates said afterwards, it could prove to be a very important point.

A manager who treats Shrewsbury manager Graham Turner with anything less than total respect is a fool and Yates is anything but. He knows that Turner has been there and done it and that if the Shrews are not in the final shake up come May, they have enough about them to take valuable points off the contenders. And that is now what Cheltenham are certainly proving they are.

Keeper Brown has been warming the bench for much of the season while England U-21 international Jack Butland has been Yates's first choice. I'm guessing that part of the loan deal struck with Birmingham ensured Butand first team action before he returned to St. Andrews and that is fair enough given his pedigree, but credit has to go to Brown for biding his time and not sulking. I've come across plenty of players over the years who have done precisely that and it doesn't do them or their respective clubs any good.

He didn't go through the motions either and produced some good - and brave - saves (especially in the dying stages of the game) to make certain of the draw ... and give an increasingly desperate reporter an angle!

On Friday I'll be back at Whaddon Road to see Cheltenham take on Rotherham in what should be another evenly matched encounter, but I suspect that Yates and his team will be unhappy if they don't claim all three points that evening.

Second in the table by Boxing Day evening is more than most home fans would have been expecting back in August, but I suspect that they now have the smell of promotion in their nostrils.

There is still an awfully long way to go though and injuries, suspensions and the surface of the home pitch may all have a bearing before the final ball is kicked this season, but for the moment the dream is very much alive. And isn't that what it is all about for players and fans alike?

My clipping from the paper