Cheltenham Town 1 Bristol Rovers 1

Oliver Norburn scored a sensational last gasp goal to mug a point off Cheltenham.

Midfielder Norburn let rip with a 35 yard scorcher for his second of the campaign in the 95th minute that left keeper Scott Brown grasping at thin air.

Shaun Harrad had scored his second goal in two games to put the Robins ahead in first half injury time.

Hot shot Harrad has now scored eight goals in nineteen league starts since joining on a season long loan from Bury and he grabbed his latest in first half injury time.

Winger Kaid Mohamed's low shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Tom Parkes and Harrad pounced on the loose ball to drill home from twelve yards.

Cheltenham came close to opening the scoring in the 25th minute, but former Rovers defender Steve Elliott saw his header nodded off the line by full back Michael Smith.

Former Cheltenham manager John Ward was delighted with Oliver Norburn after the midfielder's long range cracker snatched a point.

Ward has seen Rovers lose only one game in seven since returning for a second stint as boss in December and he gushed:

"It was an absolutely fantastic goal. One that could grace any level of the game. A great strike. I'm going to need heart tablets with finishes like that.

I know I'm biased, but I felt we deserved something from the game and it's a point against a side I think will get automatic promotion."

Stunned Robins chief Mark Yates groaned:

"The players will have to pick me up at the moment.

Rovers deserved a point, but shouldn't have got it the way they did. I'm shell shocked." 

P45s

I've just been asked to cover the Cheltenham/Bristol Rovers game tomorrow night and while, on the face of it, Mark Yates and John Ward may seem to being excellent jobs at their respective clubs, they should be warned of my presence. I seem to be putting the 'mockers' on managers!

I have been to games recently featuring Bristol City and Oldham and within 24 hours both managers - Derek McInnes and now Paul Dickov - have been seeking new employment.

Just in case they can't remember my face and so they can avoid me tomorrow evening, I've posted a picture below:

I'm looking forward to the game tomorrow as it should be a cracker.

Cheltenham edged back into the League Two promotion places following their win against Torquay at Whaddon Road on Saturday

Meanwhile, Rovers have lost only one of the six games since Ward returned for a second stint as manager and they have won four of the others.

I was at the Mem on Friday night for the first time since they beat Torquay themselves back in October, but they then picked up only four points in eleven games which resulted in Mark McGhee losing his job.

But on Friday they looked the part.

Back in August I tipped Rovers to go up this season and couldn't help but feel I might have been right for a change if they had played for each other as much as they did when they dismantled Edgar Davids' Barnet team three days ago.

Yates has introduced several new faces at Cheltenham during the transfer window and, apparently, they slotted in well on Saturday.

As a side issue, it will be interesting to see what role Marlon Pack has to play in the run in after his move to Swindon was called off when the Wiltshire club realised that Paolo di Canio had already spent more then his allowed budget. I don't often defend Directors, but to be fair to the group at the County Ground, it must have been bloody difficult keeping track of the Italian's numerous deals during the past eighteen months or so.

Pack is one of the best footballers in League Two and if he is surplus to Cheltenham's requirements, I'm sure he could find a Championship outfit ready to take him on in the summer. It might well work out better for him in the long run, but I just hope he and everyone else at the club can shrug off last week's goings-on and his skill is used to sign off with a promotion medal.

Paul Dickov resigns

Paul Dickov finally quit as Oldham boss yesterday following yet another league defeat.

The club have only picked up one point in nine games, but still managed to dump Liverpool out of the FA Cup and set up a fifth round tie against Everton.

The Latics issued a club statement on Sunday morning stating that Dickov had "been disappointed at the level of commitment and performances and feels that a change is needed if the club is to survive in League One."

And Dickov was less than impressed after watching his team throw away a one goal lead following loan striker Lee Barnard's 19th minute header. 

James Baxendale levelled for Walsall just before the break and Jamie Paterson sealed a Saddlers' win with a second half break. Dickov groaned:

"I am gutted because I desperately wanted to get a result.

"Over the course of the game, we were nowhere near good enough. Overall it is disappointing because I saw a lot of desire and passion last week and I didn’t get that today.

"We didn’t win the Liverpool game because we had better players. We won it because we wanted it more. You cannot do it for one game and not the next three. Every time they go out on to the pitch must mean something for their careers. Otherwise it will be gone before they know it.

"I told the players we are in a right battle, a right scrap at the bottom and you have to be man enough and to stand up, roll up your sleeves and take the flak. And more importantly go out on to the pitch and give absolutely everything you can.

"We started the game well, did the right things with and without the ball, got our noses in front and then stopped doing them."

Dickov signed Barnard just before the day before the transfer deadline closed until the end of the season and the Southampton hit man said:

"We've got two big games coming up against Yeovil and MK Dons before we face Everton and we're looking for six points.

We're hurting at the moment, but we've got great players in the team and some good quality - we can put things right."

Walsall 3 Oldham Athletic 1

The following report was written on Sunday morning - shortly before Oldham boss Paul Dickov resigned:

Jamie Paterson's brace showed just how much the Walsall kids are growing up.

Paterson, 21, stunned Oldham with a pair in the second half after fellow winger James Baxendale had dragged the Saddlers back into the game with a superb solo goal five minutes before the break. He then said:

"A few of us have been in a relegation fight for a couple of years, but you can see that we're enjoying our football now. It's all coming together nicely.

"You learn a lot when you're at the bottom of the league and you're only nineteen. You certainly don't want to be there again. But that's part of football and the earlier you learn that, the better."

Oldham have only picked up one point in nine games, but debutant loan Lee Barnard opened the scoring in the 19th minute when he nodded in from eight yards.

Southampton striker Barnard, 28, signed for the rest of the season and is available for the club's FA Cup fifth round clash with Everton. He revealed:

"I watched the boys beat Liverpool in the Cup and I was impressed with how hard they worked for each other. So when I was asked to join the club the day before deadline day, I didn't hesitate and there's no doubt that that performance had a bearing on my decision."

But Latics boss Paul Dickov's future is in doubt following the poor league run and he said:

"As a manager defeats put you under pressure, but I shall roll up my sleeves and do everything I can to get out of this mess."

Saddlers manager Dean Smith watched his side notch up their seventh victory in nine outings, but suffered a sixteen game run without a win earlier in the season and backed Dickov. He said:

"He's a good guy and a good manager. If he's given the chance he'll turn it around - definitely." 

From Sunday's paper

This morning's clipping

Bristol Rovers 2 Barnet 1

Ryan Brunt mugged Barnet with a dramatic last gasp winner to lift Rovers out of the drop zone.

Stoke loanee striker Brunt scored his first goal on his home debut in the 93rd minute following a transfer window move.

Substitute Danny Woodards saw his low 20yard shot blocked, but Brunt pounced to drill in the loose ball from twelve yards on the right side of the box.

German-born winger Fabian Broghammer opened the scoring in the 78th minute with his third goal of the campaign.

Full back Lee Brown stormed forward from half way before crossing to Broghammer who took the ball past central defender David Stephens before slotting in from an acute angle.

Harry Crawford had gone from zero to hero late on in his full debut following a move last week from non-league Dartford.

Striker Crawford missed a sitter from six yards in the 88th minute, but then looked to have earned his side a point two minutes later when he prodded home his first goal for the club from close in..

Rovers have picked up thirteen points in six outings since John Ward returned in December for a second spell as manager and they have now climbed to 19th place - the highest they have been since the first day of the season. He joked:

"The Chairman's just offered me a ten year contract! I'm a really happy man and totally delighted we've won it. When I left my last job I was going to pack it in, but this is such a fantastic feeling.

We had to be exceptionally patient. They were two very good sides who don't deserve to be where they are in the table."

Barnet are now only one point clear of the relegation places themselves and disappointed Head Coach Edgar Davids said:

"If you saw the whole match, we definitely deserved a point. Sometimes you make silly mistakes and it's going to cost you. We dominated for spells and I was really proud. If you make slight errors - even at this level - you're going to get punished." 

Oxford United 1 Burton Albion 1

Jacques Maghoma rescued a point for Burton and fired them into the promotion places.

Democratic Republic of Congo winger Maghoma knocked in his tenth goal of the season in the 71st minute.

Substitute Billy Kee nodded down Lee Bell's cross and Maghoma turned to drill past debutant Kiwi keeper Max Crocombe from fourteen yards.

Oxford striker James Constable reached double figures himself when he headed in Tony Capaldi's corner from four yards in the 50th minute.

Keeper Stuart Tomlinson had kept Oxford out before the break when he reacted brilliantly to tip over defender Damian Batt's point blank volley from only six yards.

Assistant manager Kevin Summerfield was delighted with the point which took the Brewers to third in the table - the club's highest ever league position. He said:

"The players showed real character after going a goal behind. The conditions were awful and the pitch was in a real state. It was difficult, but we did enough to get a result and come away with a point."

Oxford manager Chris Wilder said:

"I think we deserved to win a tight game especially on the first half performance. We scored a good goal and looked comfortable until then. It's a point. It's not what we wanted, but we have to move on."

My piece from this morning's paper

Cheltenham Town 0 Rochdale 0

Keith Hill returned to Rochdale and immediately stopped the rot.

Manager Hill led Dale to their first promotion in 41 years when they finished third in League Two in 2010 and helped the club to a first point in four games in his first game back.

Former Cheltenham central defender Hill left Rochdale to manage Barnsley in June the following year, but took on the job again last Tuesday - one day after the sacking of John Coleman.

Cheltenham's promotion form continued to falter and they have now not won in five outings.

In the first half the Robins did not have a single attempt on goal, but central defender Keith Lowe could have netted twice after the break.

Two minutes after the break Lowe nodded narrowly wide from Billy Jones's corner and in the 66th minute keeper Jason Lillis did well to beat away his ten yard point blank shot.

Rochdale came close to going two goals ahead from the edge of the box in the space of one first half minute.

Striker Ashley Grimes sent a low curler narrowly wide from the left angle in the 16th minute and then keeper Scott Brown had to tip over the bar at full stretch from winger Bobby Grant.
Hill was happy with the response from his players after they grabbed a point in rain and high winds. He said:

"It was an horrendous evening to play a football match, but a great test of character. We've only had two days to work with the players and given them a lot of information and they've done well.

Everybody's keen and I'm relatively pleased to come away with a point. It's something to build on."

Cheltenham have not won in four league outings and boss Mark Yates admitted:

"We're not having the best of times and we're not right at the moment, but the players need to keep believing. Hopefully with two or three additions in the next week we can kick on.

We haven't really tested the keeper and that's disappointing."

My clipping from the morning paper

AFC Wimbledon 2 Wycombe Wanderers 2

By Wycombe fan 'Phil' *

*With apologies for he late post, but I've just picked up my e-mails! If you are a Wycombe fan, I would suggest following  Phil on Twitter: @bluntphil - Jeff

An incredibly hoarse Wycombe player/manager Gareth Ainsworth croaked that he hopes Wimbledon avoid the drop this season despite his side stealing a point from one of his many former clubs.

Neil Ardley was left scratching his head after Wimbledon failed to take the three points after dominating large parts of the game and extended their poor run of form at Kingsmeadow.

Striker Paul McCullum was the star of the show with a brace in the penultimate game of his loan spell and would have claimed a hat trick had he not been thwarted twice by in form Wycombe keeper Jordan Archer.

McCullum,19, has now scored four goals in as many games and just signed a two and a half year contract at parent club West Ham. He said:

"I want to play at the highest level but I'm a local boy and if Wimbledon want to extend my stay I'd be happy to play here"

It was Wycombe who started the brighter and opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Dean Morgan broke away down the right before pulling a clever ball back to Joe Kuffour who turned and fired a deflected shot which spun across the face of goal and went in off the post

This sprung Wimbledon into life and they levelled on 15 minutes after loose defending by Hause resulted in a corner which was not cleared and Paul McCullum was on hand to slam the ball into the roof of the net from inside the six yard box.

The home side took the momentum and were unlucky not to go into the lead after McCullum's close range effort was superbly tipped onto the bar by Archer. However, he didn't have to wait long for his second goal after some tenacious work by Stacey Long down the right picked out McCullum in the penalty area and he was able to turn his man and fire in into the bottom corner to give Wimbledon a deserved half time lead.

The second half began with the home side continuing to dominate, crucially without adding to the score line after Archer again denied McCullum from close range.

It took the introduction of Bruno Andrade and Matt McClure just after the hour to get Wycombe back into the game. Wanderers were awarded a free kick mid way into the Wimbledon half and it was McClure who notched his seventh goal of the season with a right foot finish into the bottom corner after the Dons failed to clear on seventy two minutes.

Neither side were able to nick it in the closing stages and it was Neil Ardley who was left the more frustrated of the two managers, he said:

"I've got mixed emotions. I'm angry and frustrated at dropping two points in a game we should have won. On the flipside, the performance was really good. There was a twenty minute spell where we needed to score to kill the game off. When you have the momentum you need to make it count and where we are at the bottom we've had trouble doing that."

Wycombe assistant manager Richard Dobson conceded that it was definitely a point gained and said:

"We didn't play well enough after the first goal and took our foot of the pedal. Sometimes when you score first you think it'll be easier than it actually is, credit to Wimbledon for coming back and putting us under pressure. They kept on us and as the game went on they grew in confidence and were unlucky not to get the third."

AFC Wimbledon: (4-4-2) - Sullivan, Osana (Hussey '45), Antwi, Mitchel-King (c), Meades, Ajala, Long, Sweeney, Moore, McCallum (Harrison '73), Midson (Prior '88)
Subs not used: Balkestein, Jaimez-Ruiz, Kiernan, Fenlon

Wycombe Wanderers: (4-4-2) - Archer, Harriman, Winfield (c), Hause, Dunne (Andrade '66), Grant, Scowen, Lewis, Wood, Morgan, Kuffour (McClure '66)
Subs not used: Spring, Harrison, McCoy, Stewart, Ainsworth

Referee - Mr G Sutton
Attendance - 4507 (764 away)

Bristol City 0 Leicester City 4

Chris Wood backed Bristol City to beat the drop - despite costing former boss Derek McInnes his job.

McInnes, 41, was sacked shortly after relegation-threatened Bristol's lacklustre show against promotion chasing Leicester.

Striker Wood opened the scoring in the eleventh minute and then crushed the hapless Robins by netting two more in the following twenty minutes.

Kiwi international striker Wood was signed by McInnes on loan last term and helped the club stay in the Championship, but his ruthless one-man-show on Saturday ended the former St. Johnstone chief's fifteen months in charge at Ashton Gate.

Wood, 21, has now scored six goals in three games since joining Leicester on New Year's Day from West Brom and said:

"They're too big a club to be in the relegation zone and they've got a great squad. They definitely have enough to get out of it.

"I know a lot of the players and they just need to get a few draws or wins and then they'll be flying. It's not nice to see them doing badly at the moment, but the quality's there and it's just about finding the right combination."

Hot shot striker Wood opened the scoring in the twelfth minute.

Winger Ben Marshall fed Wood on the left of the area and the Kiwi cut inside two defenders before firing in a low shot past keeper Dean Gerken at his near post.

Relegation candidates Bristol immediately lost whatever confidence they may have had and Wood's second only six minutes later appeared to finish them off.

Gerken flapped at Marshall's corner and the ball bounced off central defender Liam Fontaine before Wood pounced to stab home from five yards.

Wood then made it three goals in 29 minutes when he collected a pass from midfielder Matty James and to skipped past midfielder debutant Liam Kelly on the edge of the box before drilling a low shot past Gerken.

Kelly arrived at Ashton Gate in a £200k move from Kilmarnock on Friday and must already be thinking about sacking his agent after suffering in this sorry show from the Robins.

James sealed the win only six minutes into the second period with his first strike for three years.

Wood held the ball up and then fed James who ran past Bristol's static defence before firing in a low shot from just inside the area.

It took Bristol 72 minutes before they launched any serious threat on Kasper Schmeichel's goal.

Debutant striker Wes Burns crossed the ball from the right wing and fellow substitute Paul Anderson's shot from twelve yards was well saved by Schmeichel.

Substitute Lloyd Dyer made sure the Foxes protected Wood's three goal cushion at half time when he cleared defender Greg Cunningham's in-swinging corner off the line in the 26th minute.

Marshall also came close when he rifled a shot just wide from the edge of the box two minutes before the home side were booed off at the break.

Robins Managing Director Jon Lansdown revealed that the decision to sack McInnes was made in a emergency Board Meeting hours after the club had dropped to the foot of the table. He said:

"There is no hiding the fact it wasn’t a good day. Derek is disappointed but he does understand. It's a decision we felt we had to make for the good of the football club."

“He has been good to work with and we gave him every opportunity to succeed here, but we’re looking at ourselves from now until the end of the season. We want to give ourselves the best possible chance to get out of where we are now."

But Lansdown's dad, Steve, is the majority shareholder at the club and he was backing McInnes up until the eleventh hour.

On Friday McInnes was given £200k to buy midfielder Liam Kelly, 22, from Kilmarnock and were even in negotiations with Crawley on Saturday morning about a move for central defender Kyle McFadzean.

McInnes pipped Mark Robins to the job in 2011, but the the aptly named former Barnsley boss is available and has been installed as a 3/1 favourite to land the role this time.

Before learning he had been dumped, McInnes blamed his players for the defeat. He blasted:

"A lot of players let the fans down in the first half. The first three goals were self-inflicted. We were too pedestrian in our play and made it easy for a very good Leicester team. You hope the players can produce better than that because they are better than that. As good a side as Leicester are, we played a part in our own downfall."

Meanwhile Foxes boss Nigel Pearson was delighted his team after seeing them move to third in the Championship table.

Midfielder Matty James scored his first goal in three years in the 49th minute to seal the win, but Pearson was particularly pleased with Wood and said:

"Chris is doing what we hoped he would do, things are falling for him and he's taking his opportunities, but the most important thing is that we win games as a team and he's playing his part in that. We needed something different up top and he gives us that.

"All in all it's a good day, but we've got to keep this level of performance going. Chris is taking his chances and gives us the aerial challenge we didn't have before. He's doing what we hoped he would."

My piece from the morning paper

... and from Sunday's edition

A tale of two cities

When Bristol City face Leicester City at Ashton Gate tomorrow, the away team have a great opportunity to press home their promotion claims while the Robins really need a win to boost their collective confidence and start moving away from the drop zone.

Following a run of eleven league games without a win, City have picked up three in the last eight fixtures, but still find themselves second from bottom of the Championship table and three points off safety.

However, a win against the high-flying Foxes tomorrow could see them move out of the bottom three.

Fellow relegation candidates Peterboro and Sheffield Wednesday have tricky away fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Hull respectively while foot of the table Barnsley host a strong Leeds side.

But while three points would be very welcome, the confidence that a win (against a Leicester side who have won the last three games and put six past Huddersfield in their last league fixture) would bring, is immeasurable.

I haven't had the pleasure of a trip to watch the Robins since they lost at home to Charlton back in November and couldn't understand why a squad - which is moderately talented - seemed to lack such collective self-belief. And manager Derek McInnes has already told the club's website:

“When we last played them I felt they were one of the best sides in the league. If we allow them to get their tails up they can be a formidable team and they proved that when they dispatched Huddersfield last time out.”

(http://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/article/20130111-mcinnespreleicester-590944.aspx) 

So McInnes is very aware of the impending threat, but I suspect that the crowd will really need to play a positive role now if they want to watch Championship football next term.

The Bristol chief signed midfielder Liam Kelly this week to bolster his squad and striker Sam Baldock is also available following an injury. However, there are still question marks over defenders Richard Foster who are both trying to get fit enough to figure while midfielder Marvin Elliott is definitely out and tricky winger Albert Adomah is on international duty with Ghana.

Leicester boss Nigel Pearson welcomes back striker Jamie Vardy who picked up a heel injury in a game just before Christmas, but he'll be vying for the striker's role with former Bristol City loanee Chris Wood and the experienced David Nugent who already has twelve league goals to his name this season.

While now is the time for Bristol to start edging their way up the table, Nigel Pearson will be hoping that his boys can put together a run that sees them grabbing one of the two automatic  promotion places. He told the club's website:

“We’re doing ok, but we need to make a move on the teams above us. From here on in, every game will be very important, but, as the games become fewer and fewer, it’s important we do as much as we can to affect the sides above us.

“Automatic promotion is still our target, whether we can achieve that or not remains to be seen, but we need to put ourselves in a good position.

“Cardiff have done exceptionally well to create a big gap between themselves and third place particularly, but we have to make sure our own form is such that we put pressure on teams above us.”

(http://www.lcfc.com/news/article/110113-pearson-time-to-strike-590054.aspx?)