Pinch yourselves, it’s happening
Kaid Mohamed, an ever present for Cheltenham in their recent run of form
Cheltenham fans, embrace these days, for it’s not often you’ll see us in the lofty heights of the play-offs. 6 wins in 7, yes SIX in SEVEN, 5 wins on the bounce, with 4 of those coming away from home. It’s numbers and facts like these that gives all Chelties some of the broadest smiles in the country, even moreso after 5 consecutive years in the doldrums of relegation scraps.
The last 7 games have produced a real mixed bag of performances, some classy goals and tactical masterstrokes from Messers Yates and Howarth. All this remarkably comes on the back of another failure against Hereford, as shown in my previous post. The run began with a tricky fixture in Bristol. Paul Buckle and his side certainly haven’t lived upto pre-season billing by any stretch of the imagination but with the quality possessed in that squad this fixture was still one we’d all be happy to escape with a point with.
Having been based in Bristol for 3 years myself at University, with my back garden merging onto the Memorial ground this game had added significance for myself and I managed to wrangle along many friends from University. By full time they were purring! Mark Yates decision to go 4-5-1 was questioned majorly pre match, we were surely asking for trouble right? Wrong, the combination of Jimmy Spencer’s hold up play and the pace and quality from the 2 wingers Kaid Mohamed and Josh Low proved irrestibily devilish on the counter and Cheltenham led 3-0 by 50 minute and coasting. The game finished 3-1, and we’d gained some new fans along the way!
Daryll Duffy celebrating his brace at Wycombe in the JPT
This was followed up with an equally classy display at League 1 Wycombe on the following Tuesday, a victory by the same scoreline in the Johnstones Paint Trophy, having rested a number of key players. Had we turned a corner? The home match against Dagenham was normally one we’d struggle with, for Cheltenham and the favourites tag do NOT mix well.
This fear was dispelled however, a 2-1 home win, which probably should’ve been far more. The choice to go 4-5-1 at home was a bold one, but for this game at least it paid off. This led the Town onto a Friday night trip to Burton. Two teams in real form, two teams level on points before KO. Burton had scored in every game so far this season, they hadn’t lost at home… however, once we were finished with them that had all changed. A tight first half which proved very even left the game goalless, however, once the 2nd half commenced the Rubies stepped up a few gears and the hosts simply couldn’t handle the counter attacking genius just like Bristol Rovers and Wycombe. Josh Low and Jimmy Spencer the goalscorers and somehow, after the most dire of 0-0 draws to Hereford, Cheltenham had won FOUR on the bounce, the first time since January 2008.
Josh Low scored the opener at Burton
A tricky Friday night trip at Accrington yielded a further 3 points, albeit this win was far more ugly than the rest. Jeff Goulding’s sublime lob, with virtually his first action of the game was enough to seal the points, and, overnight at least Cheltenham were 3rd. Can we not just end the season now?
Sadly the more games we were winning the more inevitbale it felt we’d lose the next game and along came Crewe. I found out just before the game the Railwaymen hadn’t won a Tuesday night away game in TWO whole years… you knew what was coming. Despite a first half display of real quality Crewe snatched the win with a penalty conceded by, ironically, one of our best players on the night Sido Jombati.
The home game with Plymouth yesterday therefore was all about bouncebackability. Despite leaving it very, very late, Daryll Duffy was the Cheltenham hero with goals on 84 and 93 minutes to break poor old Plymouth’s hearts having led for much of the game. It was a deserved win despite a lacklustre first half display which was typified by Plymouths opening goal, an OG that slowly trickled over the line!
Cheltenham currently remain in 5th, a position fans could hardly have imagined a few games back, but one that is fast becoming a reality. However, this season is a marathon and not a sprint and it only takes reminding of last season’s epic slide to make even the most optimisitic Cheltie that bit more cautious. Let’s not count our chickens, but at the same time, let’s embrace a brilliant run of results with some excellent football on show, that currently see us in a position to “enjoy” those end of season play-offs!
Tags: bristol rovers, burton albion, cheltenham town, daryll duffy, josh low, kaid mohamed, mark yates, plymouth argyle, wycombe wanderers
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