Wycombe Wanderers 1 Cheltenham Town 1

Shaun Harrad spared the blushes of team mate Keith Lowe as Cheltenham claimed a deserved point.

Striker Harrad pulled the Robins level from the spot in the 38th minute.

Stuart Lewis tripped fellow midfielder Marlon Pack in the box and Harrad netted his fourth goal in five league games since joining the club on loan from Bury in the summer. Harrad then revealed:

"Marlon fancied it, but I've just had my best ever start to the season and now got four in five games. I wouldn't let go of the ball and so he just gave me a friendly shove and told me not to miss. I wasn't going to."

And Harrad admitted that since joining the Robins on a season long loan from Bury His confidence has returned. He said:

"I'm the sort of player who needs a run of games to feel good and show what I can do. The gaffer is giving me those games"

But the unfortunate Lowe had gifted Wycombe the lead in only the third minute with soft own goal.

Winger Joel Grant sent in a low cross from the right and central defender Lowe put the ball into his own net from eight yards when he should have cleared the danger easily.

Lowe's clanger stirred the Robins into life and Nikki Bull was the busier keeper in the first half.

In the eleventh minute Bull shut out a glanced header from Harrad and less than one minute later blocked winger Jermaine McGlashan with his feet.

One minute a before half time Lowe had a chance to make amends, but deflected a shot from team mate Darren Carter high over the bar - something he'll wish  he'd done at the other end!.

Harrad came close to netting a brace four minutes after the break when he fired over from 20 yards after being teed up by Kaid Mohamed.

And substitute Jeff Goulding should have won the game for Cheltenham in injury time, but he volleyed Billy Jones corner high from ten yards. 

Delighted Cheltenham boss Mark Yates said:

"We gifted a calamitous goal, but we got there action we wanted. We knocked it about superbly."

Wycombe's squad has been hit by injuries, but new striker Jo Kuffour, 30, was more than happy to play through the pain barrier and said:

"I spent the summer keeping fit in my local gym in the park hoping for a new club. It was about ten days ago that I trained with the lads for the first time and I started cramping up after only 35 minutes. There was no way I was coming off. I just love playing football and so when you get the chance, you take it." 

Manager Gary Waddock was missing six first team players and said:

"I'm sure if any other manager was missing that many, they'd find it difficult as well. The players deserve a lot of credit for digging in against a very good side."

My piece from this morning's paper

My clipping from Sunday's edition