Cheltenham Town 2 Torquay United 2 - Last Minute

I never learn.

Sitting in the Whaddon Road Press Box last night I had my report pretty much sorted out by the 66th minute when substitute Ben Stevens added a second goal to Jake Robinson’s 14th minute opener. At that point you couldn’t see Cheltenham fighting back and so the introduction my report read:

“Danny Stevens’s super strike was too hot to handle as Torquay edged closer to the play-offs.”

Keeper Scott Brown had already made two great saves in the game, but could only palm Stevens rapier-like 20 yarder over his head, off the post and into the net. You could see that Brown was trying to deflect the ball over the bar and – in fairness – he did what he could, but the shot was just too powerful.

Even though Brown also got a hand to Robinson’s opener, he stood no chance with this one either – the striker’s 2nd goal in six games since joining on loan from Shrewsbury (where he had scored nine goals in fourteen games) until the end of the season.

Gulls skipper Lee Mansell’s free kick from the right picked out the unmarked Robinson on the opposite wing and he took one step in-field before unleashing and great shot from the angle of the box.

All sorted then. An easy night and the deadline to get the report over to the paper “on the final whistle” looked comfortable.

Step up Jeff Goulding in the 73rd minute to volley home a weak punch clear from under pressure keeper Danny Potter. From 12 yards and having made some space for himself, Goulding wasn’t going to pass up on his 10th goal of the season.

It had been strange to see Jeff playing wide left in the game as the understanding he has with Wes Thomas up front seemed good earlier in the season, but if he fancies getting his striking role back from Oxford loanee Matt Green, he certainly sent out the right message to boss Mark Yates.

Nice to see the Robins get a little something out of the game though, I thought to myself. The report was still looking good and I was at peace with the world ... until the 94th minute.

Now don’t get me wrong, Wes Thomas is a lovely lad, but at that moment I could have throttled him! Suddenly the Press Box resembled New York’s Fifth Avenue during a ticker tape parade as I tore up my notebook.

Fortunately the report was only a tiddler (see below), but I remember being at one game many moons ago when the way side came back from three goals down to win it in injury time. In those days newspaper technology wasn’t what it is now and each goal entailed a call to the desk with details while trying to do a large re-write at the same time.

Wes won’t get many easier goals this season. He pounced to spring the offside trap and poke the ball home for his 17th of the season from about eight yards out.

My clipping from this morning’s paper

Yates was by far the happier of the two managers at the end of the game and rightly said:

“Points wise it’s not what we would have wanted, but I thought we deserved at least a draw from tonight. We were the better team against what is a very good side. I told the lads to keep knocking at the door and that’s what they did.”

I also had a brief chat with Mark about the pitch which really deteriorated during the game and he agreed with me that it is now “terrible”. If Cheltenham miss out on a play-off spot – something they are more than capable of doing – they may look back at the surface and have a case for pointing the finger of blame in that direction.

Having Gloucester City share the ground is not doing them any favours at all, but- as I mentioned in yesterday’s post – beggars can’t be choosers and a small club like Cheltenham need revenue from whatever source to survive.

Paul Buckle was left shell-shocked by the last-gasp equaliser and groaned:

"We've drawn, but it feels like a defeat because it was a game we controlled. Cheltenham pushed a lot of balls up, but they didn't really hurt us. Ours were two good goals and there was a lot of good play from us on a poor surface, but we're disappointed because we know that was a game that was there for the taking.


At two goals up we were coasting and then the ref goes and gives a free-kick when the lad has won the ball and from that they score. We only had ourselves to blame at the end and we have to learn from that."

More from the A40 derby - We’ve got your back

After you’ve had a bad day at the office – or on the football pitch – it’s good to know that your friends or colleagues have your back. I speak from experience.

From school football, to Sunday morning games and five-a-side kickabouts the football chant “You’re sh*t and you know you are” was actually created for me and has followed me around … it was usually sung my team mates! Come to think of it, people hum it in the office too! I digress.

On Tuesday night Cheltenham keeper Scott Brown was culpable for Oxford’s equalizer, but striker Wes Thomas – who scored the Robins’ opener – leapt immediately to Brown’s defence and was refreshingly honest in his evaluation of the game. He said:

“As a goalkeeper you’re totally exposed when you make a mistake. No-one will be talking about the chance I missed, but Scott has nowhere to hide. I should’ve scored in the second half as well. One mistake doesn’t make you a bad player and Scott will bounce back. Everyone has faith in him.”

Manager Mark Yates was understandably fuming, but has also praised Brown in the past and I predict he will stick with him and make sure he doesn't dwell on it for too long. He said:

“There’s no beating around the bush, Scott’s cost us three points and he knows I’m not happy. The way the goal went in just deflated us. We went from up there to down there.

We worked our socks off and that has to be the minimum expectation every week. I’m just disappointed for everybody that we didn’t get all three points.”

Yates knows though that in football you can’t dwell on the past and Thomas himself has cited his boss as someone who has given him self-belief and confidence. He’ll do the same with Brown.

Oxford’s Chris Wilder was the happier of the two managers after the game and funnily enough made the point I’ve made on this blog. He said:

“Despite the fact that we only came up last year, I’ve said to the players that we’re seen as one of the big clubs in this league. Other clubs will have a go at us and Mark Yates set up his side to do that. That was always going to be Cheltenham’s biggest fixture of the season.

We were a bit naïve at times, but one thing we do is work for each other. I didn’t enjoy the first 20 minutes when we were out fought, out passed and out battled, but then we started passing and looked a decent side.”

Cheltenham Town 1 Oxford United 1 – Oops

Ouch!

Scott Brown proved the old adage that there is nowhere to hide when you make a gaff as a keeper.

Having gone a goal down after a header from the prolific Wes Thomas in the 29th minute, Oxford edged their way slowly back into the game and following a fairly sustained period of pressure in the second half and got their reward in the 59th minute.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

Tom Craddock let fly with a low shot from about 22 yards that skidded off the wet surface and bounced back off Brown’s chest into the path of Jack Midson who poked in his third of the season from 5 yards.

It was great news for Midson who replaced suspended skipper and leading scorer James Constable for the fixture and will give boss Chris Wilder something to think about before he selects his next team.

Constable will probably get the nod, but both Craddock and Midson showed they are up for the fight when called upon.

It was a bad night for Brown though who must now put it behind him once the papers have been read and thrown away and his team mates have given him some merciless banter in training today.

Mark Yates was fuming last night, but he strikes me as someone who doesn’t hold a grudge and will ultimately put an arm around the shoulder of a player who he has lauded in the past.

And that’s the thing about football – one minute you’re a hero, the next and you’re not fit to wear the shirt. It can certainly be a fickle business. Ask Rob Green. East End hero last weekend and national disgrace a couple of months ago. You have to have thick skin and a lot of bottle to pull on that Number 1 shirt that’s for sure.

The good thing for Cheltenham is that Brown isn’t someone who will shirk his responsibilities and try and hide away. He’ll come out on Saturday with a point to prove and bust a gut to do it. He also has team mates who will back him as they appear to be a close knit group down at Whaddon Road.

Ultimately, a draw was probably a fair result anyway. Oxford took some time to find their feet, but in the second half Simon Heslop started imposing himself in midfield and they looked a real threat going forward.

Debutant Leigh Franks replaced Mark Creighton in the 14th minute - after the captain for the evening seemed to twist his ankle – and despite a couple of dodgy moments, grew into the role and built an understanding with fellow centre back Harry Worley.

In goal, Ryan Clarke was the pick of the bunch for me. He pulled off two low saves from David Bird and Jeff Goulding in the first half. He produced a brave double save from Thomas and Goulding late in the second half and also spared Franks blushes when the youngster’s sliced clearance looped over up and threatened to bounce into the net, before the former Bristol Rovers stopper managed to back pedal and scoop the ball the safety.

Maybe Wilder and Yates will have felt they both could and should have taken three points, but from my point of view a draw was the right result.

A case for the defence – Brown Sugar

It was pointed out to me after yesterday’s blog that I failed to mention the Robin’s defence.

While this is a fair comment, the fact is that Cheltenham caught the eye going forward and – despite Crewe’s two goals – always looked the better attacking team. As Crewe boss Dario Gradi said: “I thought they were going to score ten in the first 30 minutes!”

Given this, you tend not to concentrate too much on the defending. However, both full backs – Keith Lowe and Danny Andrew – looked good going forward in support of the midfield. Steve Elliott is a solid performer at this level and looked a real rock (I was surprised when he was allowed to leave Bristol Rovers in the summer) and Martin Riley looked equally comfortable alongside him before going off with a hamstring injury on the half hour.

The dependable David Bird replaced Riley and Lowe moved into the centre to accommodate him, but Cheltenham weren’t thrown be the change and carried on playing in the same positive manner.

When you’re a keeper you hate to concede, but Scott Brown was faultless for either goal. Central defender Patrick Ada’s volley from a corner was something he may have done hundreds of times in his dreams, but one would suspect it isn’t something Gradi insists on him practicing on the training ground! And Zola’s header from a free kick was beyond Brown as well.

In fact, had Brown not been at his best in the closing minutes, Shaun Miller might have stolen an undeserved point, but the young keeper palmed away the striker’s point blank header from ten yards to ensure victory.

So to the person who is more interested in the back five, I hope this redresses the balance!!