Cheltenham Town 4 Wycombe Wanderers 0

Jake Taylor ran wretched Wycombe ragged to get Cheltenham's promotion push back on track.

Loanee winger Taylor scored his first Robins' goal and made another to help his team to a first win in four and move them to second place in the table.

Taylor joined Cheltenham from Reading in early November on a two month deal, but boss Mark Yates will be hoping to extend the deal until the end of the season on this performance.

In the 29th minute full back Sido Jombati nodded an overhead clearance to Taylor and he rifled in a volley from the right angle of the box.

Portuguese full back Jombati then sent over a inch perfect cross for striker Jeff Goulding to nod in his third of the season from eight yards.

Nine minutes after the break hard grafting Taylor set up striker Darryl Duffy for a third.

Goulding picked Taylor out on the left wing and his cross found Duffy unmarked at the far post to head in his second goal of the campaign.

Jermaine McGlashan added number four in the 70th minute.

Midfielder Darren Carter dribbled his way into the area before sending a low ball across the face of goal and winger McGlashan back-heeled home for his third of the season from one yard.

Wycombe could have been really embarrassed, but keeper Jordan Archer kept the score down with a sting of excellent saves including two at full stretch from Taylor and Carter.

Yates was delighted to see his side bounce back from last Friday's 1-4 drubbing at Rochdale and said:

"It was a case of the boys putting right what was wrong then. They showed grit and determination."

Wycombe player-manager Gareth Ainsworth said:

"We're gutted, but it was a fair result and we'll take it on the chin."

My piece from the morning paper

Walsall 1 Colchester United 0

Febian Brandy lifted Walsall's spirits after clinching a first win in SEVENTEEN outings.

Brandy netted his second league goal for the Saddlers in the 62nd minute.

West Brom loanee midfielder Sam Mantom threaded the ball through to Brandy just inside the box and the striker ghosted by two defenders before rolling the ball past keeper Mark Cousins.

Former youth prospect and summer signing Brandy, 23, then said:

"I was at United from the age of eight until I was twenty, but then had a year and a half out with an injury and ended up sleeping on a mate's couch in Greece. I was left feeling pretty disenchanted. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but it didn't involve football.

"Sir Alex called me up twice. The first time was for a chat and the second time was a real bollocking for not finding myself a club. When someone like Sir Alex takes time out of his schedule to call you and tell you to sort your head out and get back in the game, you listen.

"If you don't take the mickey with him, he'll always be there to look out for you and I'll always be grateful to him."

And Brandy - who represented England at under-16 through to under-20 level - revealed that Ferguson wasn't the only one giving support from Old Trafford. He said:

"Mike Phelan, Paul McGuiness the youth team coach and mates like Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley also called to keep my spirits up. Ole Gunnar Solskjær even phoned from Norway where he is manager of Molde to make sure I got back on track.

"The club also gave me medical help and inserted a plate in my foot to help with an injury I'd been trying to deal with myself."
But Cousins had looked as though he would help Colchester to their first point in five games.

Three minutes into the second half Cousins pulled off a brilliant double-save as Walsall dominated the game.

Winger Jamie Paterson crossed from the right and Cousins saved striker Will Grigg's point blank shot from twelve yards at full stretch before jumping up to block Brandy's follow up effort at the foot of his post.

Colchester came close to snatching a point in the 90th minute, but central defender Josh Thompson nodded Brian Wilson's free kick on to the top of the bar from twelve yards.

Both sides hit the crossbar before half time and Brandy could have nabbed a hat trick.

On the half hour MK Dons loanee striker Jabo Ibehre latched on to a long ball forward from full back John White, but saw his chip come back off the woodwork.

And in the 42nd minute Cousins did well to tip defender Andy Taylor's in swinging corner onto the top of the bar.

In the second minute Cousins did well to shut out Brandy from two yards.

Ten minutes later Brandy raced to the edge of the U's box from half way, but central defender Tom Eastman deflected the shot inches wide.

And in the 27th minute co-striker Craig Westcarr split the Colchester defence with a pass to the right of the box that Brandy dragged just wide of the far post.

Delighted Walsall boss Dean Smith said:

"I felt we deserved to win and thankfully we crossed the line. It was hard out there and we adapted well to the conditions. That's now one defeat in six league games.

"I'm really pleased that we were able to get the three points. We deserved to win; there were a few hairy moments towards the end, but, on the whole, it was a deserved victory."
Colchester manager Joe Dunne groaned:

"It's exceptionally tight at the bottom, but we just need a break. We have to keep going though and we will strengthen the squad.

The players are down at the moment because they don't like losing, but after a couple of days with their families at Christmas, hopefully that will kick-start them again."

My piece from the Sunday paper ...

... and from this morning's edition

Swindon Town 5 Tranmere Rovers 0

Andy Williams grabbed a brace as Paolo Di Canio's rampant Robins terrorised table toppers Tranmere.

But it was Charlton loanee Danny Hollands who sparked a goal rush that moved Swindon into the play-off places.

Midfielder Hollands was snapped up on a two month deal in early November by manager Di Canio and he netted his first goal for the club in the fourth minute.

Hollands low shot from the edge of the box took a wicked deflection off hapless midfielder Liam Palmer to leave keeper Owain Fon Williams wrong-footed.

Fon Williams was then the victim of another deflected goal three minutes later as Raffaele De Vita chalked up his seventh goal of the season.

Winger De Vita cut in from the left and his low shot hit full back Danny Holmes to leave Fon Williams helpless again.

In the 21st minute Williams scored his first from twelve yards.

Defender Nathan Thompson cut the ball back from the right and Williams stroked in his fifth league goal since joining Di Canio's County Ground revolution from Yeovil in the summer.

In the 33rd minute winger Matt Ritchie added number four.

Fon Williams did brilliantly to beat away a twelve yard drive from striker Williams, but Swindon's leading scorer Ritchie blasted in the rebound from just inside the box for his ninth of the campaign.

And Williams scored his second six minutes after the break and seal Rovers' second defeat in eleven games.

Ritchie stole the ball in midfield and raced forward before feeding Williams who drilled in a low shot from fourteen yards.

Williams blew the chance of a hat trick when he had a 62nd minute penalty saved brilliantly by Fon Williams after striker Chris Martin was tripped in the box by substitute Donovan Daniels.

Incredibly, Fon Williams was Tranmere's best player and pulled off a string of great saves to prevent Swindon hitting double figures as his team mates were left red-faced.

Di Canio was delighted with the win, but said:

"It was a fantastic game, but we have done nothing and have to keep going. We are only half way thought the season.

I was sure we would win this game, but not in this manner."

Stunned Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore groaned:

"I didn't see that coming. I know it's nearly Christmas, but we were like Santa Claus giving away presents at the back. We were all over the place."

My piece from the morning paper

Oxford United 2 Accrington Stanley 0

James Constable kept his lucky Cup streak going to set up a third round home tie with Sheffield United.

Constable headed in his third FA Cup goal in as many games in the 66th minute.

Leeds loanee keeper Paul Rachubka did superbly to turn a low Constable shot past the post, but the striker then buried Peter Leven's corner from eight yards.

In the 79th minute Constable returned the favour.

Stanley failed to clear their lines and Constable teed up former MK Dons midfielder Leven to volley in his third of the season from the edge of the box.

Democratic Republic of Congo full back Aristote Nsiala had kept the scores level in an otherwise poor game with two excellent goal line clearances in the space of one minute.

Nsiala stretched to block Constable's low shot in the 19th minute and then nodded Michael Raynes header clear from the resulting corner.

Oxford assistant manager Mickey Lewis was pleased with the result, but admitted:

"Both teams are known to play football, but the pitch didn't help either of us.

The lads are a good bunch of professionals though and we wore them down eventually.

The important thing was to get through to the next round which we did."

Stanley boss Leam Richardson said:

"Both teams were tying to earn the right to play, but the goals eventually took their toll on us. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but my players gave it all they had.

We went in at half time quite confident, but we lost both central defenders to injury and had to reshuffle against a good Oxford side." 

My piece from the morning paper

Cheltenham Town 1 Port Vale 1

Louis Dodds is ready to step out of Tom Pope's shadow to drive Vale's promotion push.

Co-striker Pope has already raced to twenty-one goals this season, but Dodds made sure of a draw against fellow contenders Cheltenham and joked:

"He's had too much glory so far - now it's my turn."

Dodds, 26, pounced to level with his fifth of the season in the 67th minute after Robins keeper Scott Brown had blocked Pope's header and revealed:

"It's great playing alongside him. He's an unselfish player and a good guy, but it's my job to pick up the pieces.

"I hadn't scored since September and so I think, subconsciously, it was starting to get to me. It wouldn't have mattered if it had come off my backside, I just needed to get back on the scoresheet.

"As a striker though you are always going to go through patches when you don't score and so you just have to keep plugging away."

Midfielder Darren Carter,28, opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season five minutes earlier.

Striker Chris Zebroski's low shot was blocked by full back Richard Duffy, but Carter pounced to drill home from ten yards.

Carter is hoping to play a part in taking the Robins up this season even though his six month deal ends in January. He said:

"I'll be speaking with the gaffer. I've loved it here. We're on a roll and when you're on a roll you want to stay to be part of it and finish the job."

Vale substitute Chris Shuker made sure of the draw in injury time by clearing off the line twice in a matter of seconds from Darryl Duffy and Jeff Goulding.

Cheltenham should have sealed the win before Dodds's equaliser.

Three minutes after the break, full back Billy Jones saw his angled shot hit the inside of the post before being cleared.

And keeper Chris Neal palmed away a header at full stretch from midfielder Jake Taylor in the 58th minute.

Brown saved twice in three first half minutes keep the scores level.

In the 19th minute Brown turned central defender John McCombe's volley from two yards past the post and then beat away a fierce 25 yard drive from former Cheltenham team mate Ashley Vincent.

Cheltenham manager Mark Yates said:

"I'm delighted with the performance and the number of chances we created. We kept going right to the 93rd minute. We're just a bit shell-shocked we didn't win the game to be honest. I thought we were excellent and deserved it, but you don't always get what you deserve. Everyone to a man had a decent game and we were really good value."

Manager Micky Adams was pleased with the point, but said:

"We'll know how good it is at he end of the season. It feels like a decent result because Cheltenham are a good side. We could have won it and we could have lost it. It's a point on the board."

My piece from Sunday's paper ...

... and Monday's