Sunday 20 April 2014

Cheltenham Town 1 Fleetwood Town 2

Josh Morris found the net for the first time to keep the Cod Army's promotion hopes alive.

Blackburn loanee midfielder Morris, 22, proved he is a great catch when ran on to a slick pass from striker David Ball to smash in his first senior goal from the left side of the box in the 64th minute.

Delighted Fleetwood manager Graham Alexander saw his team move to within three points of an automatic promotion place and seal a play-off place, but admitted:

"We put ourselves on the back foot in the first half and had to dig deep to get the three points. We didn't rant and rave at half time, just talked to the players calmly and I thought the response was great. They deserved the win."

Veteran striker Jamie Cureton, 38, brought the game to life in the 32nd minute with his ninth goal of the season.

Midfielder Harry Williams saw keeper Chris Maxwell do well to get down and save his low strike from eight yards, but Cureton pounced to fire in the rebound from the left side of the six yard box.

Midfielder Antoni Sarcevic pulled Fleetwood back into the game from the spot in the 55th minute.

Robins midfielder Matt Richards hauled down Iain Hume as the Preston loan striker darted into the right side of the box and Sarcevic blasted in his fourteenth of the campaign.

Maxwell played a big part in the win when he pulled off two great second half finger tip saves.

Defenders Sido Jombati and Steve Elliott both had Maxwell dive at full stretch to keep his team ahead as Cheltenham pressed for an equaliser.

Furious Cheltenham boss Mark Yates groaned:

"We seem to find ways to lose games. Words fail me. We've done what we've done well all season and thrown away the lead."


Monday 14 April 2014

Bristol Rovers 1 Torquay United 2

Shaquile Coulthirst has put his Premier League ambitions on hold to join Torquay's unlikely fight for survival.

The Gulls are already seven points from safety with only four games left, but Tottenham loanee Coulthirst, 20, scored the first and set up the winner for skipper Lee Mansell.

England Under-19 striker Coulthirst signed up for the basement battle at the end of March after a chat with Tottenham manager, Tim Sherwood. He revealed:

"I have another year on my contract there and that's where I see my future, but I was definitely up for the challenge with Torquay when the boss called me on deadline day.

"Surprisingly, when I arrived the spirit was quite high. Everyone believed we could stay up and it's had an effect on me too. If we can win next week it'll make it interesting. We have no pressure on us, but the other teams do."

Torquay manager. Chris Hargreaves is refusing to throw in the towel and said:

"When I took the job I was told it was to keep us up or bring us back up, but I have to believe we can stay up and I genuinely do. We still have Wycombe to play and if we can win our next game, who knows?

"It is still a massive uphill battle. But it is my job to produce a team for the future whatever league we find ourselves in and I have to take encouragement from what I saw."

Rovers central defender Danny Woodards scored an injury time consolation, but boss Darrell Clarke saw his team fall to within one point of the drop zone and heard them jeered off at the final whistle.

Clarke said:

“We deserved the stick we got. I am here to stand up and be counted, and I need the players to do exactly the same thing.


Rovers came close to opening the scoring in the first six minutes when striker Chris Beardsley nodded full back Lee Brown's cross inches over from six yards and then central defender Krystian Pearce nearly turned the ball into his own net before Rice saved on the line.


Saturday 12 April 2014

Cheltenham Town 1 Southend United 2

Barry Corr and Kevan Hurst are on a mission to settle some unfinished business at Wembley.

The pair grabbed a goal each to keep Southend firmly in the play-off race.

Striker Corr, 29, cancelled out Byron Harrison's first half opener in the 64th minute, shortly after coming on as a substitute, before revealing:

"We lost in the Johnstone's Paint final at Wembley last season. I was on the bench and gutted not to play. I'd love to be back in the starting eleven and win there."

Corr was making his first appearance after completing a three match ban following a red card picked up against Bury. He said:

"It was unfortunate and a bit silly from me, so it was good to get the goal to repay the boys a bit. That's three wins on the bounce for us and at this time of the season building some momentum as you go into the play-offs.

And winger Hurst, 28, is determined to banish his own bad memories of Wembley. He explained:

"I've been there five times and only won once when I was with Scunthorpe when they were promoted, but I was injured and missed the final. Hopefully it will be sixth time lucky for me."

Delighted Shrimpers manager Phil Brown was especially pleased for Corr and said:

"It was brilliant for Barry who has had a bit of a tough time. He has had a harsh red card and a three-game ban. He then has to suffer the indignity of a club fine. To have him on the bench was just fantastic."

Furious Cheltenham boss Mark Yates called his players 'pathetic' and said:

"Maybe it is time to give one or two of the young kids a game - I can't wait for this season to end."

It was Brown's inspired substitution that kept Southend in the play-off places and killed off Cheltenham's lingering hopes.

Brown brought on Corr in the 62nd minute to ruffle the Robins' feathers.

Former Sunderland boss Brown added:

"One or two harsh words were said at half time. We made substitutions in a positive manner and it got us the win. Barry has worked hard for us and deserved his goal."

Striker Corr drilled in a low shot from just inside the area for his ninth goal of the season.

Hurst sealed the win three minutes later when he raced on to a defence splitting pass from midfielder Ryan Leonard and chipped in his twelfth goal of the campaign over keeper Scott Brown from twelve yards.

Striker Byron Harrison had opened the scoring for Cheltenham in added time at the end of the first half.

Winger Jermaine McGlashan laid the ball back to the edge of the box and Harrison drilled a low shot past keeper Daniel Bentley to notch up his fourteenth goal of the season.

But Yates blasted:

"The players know that I'm the angriest man in the world tonight. We stopped doing our jobs for ten minutes."

Lee Barnard had four chances to put Southend up before the break.

In the sixteenth minute Brown did well to block Barnard's shot from the edge of the box and eight minutes later the striker saw a shot from fourteen yards bobble past the upright.

Barnard then saw Brown claim a 25 yard drive before he glanced a right wing cross from Hurst narrowly wide of the far post.   



Cheltenham Town 1 Southend United 2

Barry Corr and Kevan Hurst are on a mission to settle some unfinished business at Wembley.

The pair grabbed a goal each to keep Southend firmly in the play-off race.

Striker Corr, 29, cancelled out Byron Harrison's first half opener in the 64th minute, shortly after coming on as a substitute, before revealing:

"We lost in the Johnstone's Paint final at Wembley last season. I was on the bench and gutted not to play. I'd love to be back in the starting eleven and win there."

Corr was making his first appearance after completing a three match ban following a red card picked up against Bury. He said:

"It was unfortunate and a bit silly from me, so it was good to get the goal to repay the boys a bit. That's three wins on the bounce for us and at this time of the season building some momentum as you go into the play-offs.

And winger Hurst, 28, is determined to banish his own bad memories of Wembley. He explained:

"I've been there five times and only won once when I was with Scunthorpe when they were promoted, but I was injured and missed the final. Hopefully it will be sixth time lucky for me."

Delighted Shrimpers manager Phil Brown was especially pleased for Corr and said:

"It was brilliant for Barry who has had a bit of a tough time. He has had a harsh red card and a three-game ban. He then has to suffer the indignity of a club fine. To have him on the bench was just fantastic."

Furious Cheltenham boss Mark Yates called his players 'pathetic' and said:

"Maybe it is time to give one or two of the young kids a game - I can't wait for this season to end."

It was Brown's inspired substitution that kept Southend in the play-off places and killed off Cheltenham's lingering hopes.

Brown brought on Corr in the 62nd minute to ruffle the Robins' feathers.

Former Sunderland boss Brown added:

"One or two harsh words were said at half time. We made substitutions in a positive manner and it got us the win. Barry has worked hard for us and deserved his goal."

Striker Corr drilled in a low shot from just inside the area for his ninth goal of the season.

Hurst sealed the win three minutes later when he raced on to a defence splitting pass from midfielder Ryan Leonard and chipped in his twelfth goal of the campaign over keeper Scott Brown from twelve yards.

Striker Byron Harrison had opened the scoring for Cheltenham in added time at the end of the first half.

Winger Jermaine McGlashan laid the ball back to the edge of the box and Harrison drilled a low shot past keeper Daniel Bentley to notch up his fourteenth goal of the season.

But Yates blasted:

"The players know that I'm the angriest man in the world tonight. We stopped doing our jobs for ten minutes."

Lee Barnard had four chances to put Southend up before the break.

In the sixteenth minute Brown did well to block Barnard's shot from the edge of the box and eight minutes later the striker saw a shot from fourteen yards bobble past the upright.

Barnard then saw Brown claim a 25 yard drive before he glanced a right wing cross from Hurst narrowly wide of the far post.