Whaddon Road

Whaddon Road
The home of Cheltenham Town

Monday 14 January 2013

The beginning of the rest of our season


As Mark Yates has already stated, we have twenty one games left to determine how we are feeling come May. Will we be celebrating promotion? Or will we be drowning our sorrows after having missed out for the second year in a row? The first of these games was the 1-1 draw at home to York on Saturday, so now we only have twenty games left to play. A lot can happen in this period though. In March last year we managed to go from the automatic spots to nearly falling out of the playoffs and over the Christmas period we have seen us go from third and a couple of points ahead of the playoffs to fifth and nervously looking over our shoulder. However we also saw last season Crewe climbing from the lower end of the league to winners of the playoff final in May. As I said, a lot can happen.
So what can we do to make sure we remain around the playoffs and automatic spots rather than casually slide down to mid-table obscurity? The main thing would be ensure to keep on doing what we have been, cut out the basic mistakes and add a little extra quality to the team. We have proved that we have a squad that can match the best in the league, as was shown in the 0-0 draw away to Gillingham and the 1-1 draw at home against Port Vale. The latter we should arguably have won and were unfortunate not to. We must also be doing things right if a club like ours with a small budget and small squad can be fighting for an automatic spot and managed to reach the third round of the FA cup.

But we have seen on several occasions sloppy defending costing us results, most notably away from home. Too many times have we conceded three or four goals in a game, six in fact, too many for a team in our position. The fact that we have conceded too many and not scored enough is reflected in our goal difference of 3, but saying that teams around us have a goal difference that is similar. With the league being so tight around the playoff spots a good goal difference could be worth an extra point at the end of the season.

Therefore I think this month Yates and the board need to bring in that little bit of extra quality into the team. I feel we need an extra body in defence to provide some competition for the current back four and there are rumours of a young defender arriving on loan from a championship club, although that was supposed to happen before the York game. An extra body is needed in the centre of midfield to provide competition for Penn, Pack and Carter and to also allow one of them to have a rest every once in a while. Whether Hanks is ready for a first team spot yet I don’t know and with D'Ath returning to Reading I think another body in this position is important.
People have also been saying that we need to buy another goal scorer considering goals have at times been hard to find. However I am of the opinion we already have two in our squad. Duffy and Harrad are both natural finishers and goal poachers so to bring another in would for me be pointless. The reason neither have scored consistently is because neither have had a consistent run in the first team, or when they have they have been played up front on their own and therefore been needed to hold up the ball; something which isn’t natural to either. They are used to playing off the shoulder of the last defender. Therefore I think we need somebody to compliment them. Maybe an extra winger to provide crosses for them to get on the end of. McGlashan and Mohamed are our only natural wingers at present and Jake Taylor is due to go back to Reading in a month.

The most important signing for me would be a target man, a Ben Burgess-esque type of player. A lot of times this season we have seen the ball knocked up front to Harrad or Duffy only to see it knocked straight back to our defence. A target man would be able to bring the ball down or flick it on for Harrad or Duffy to get on the end of. A lot of the good teams have target men too: Pope at Port Vale, Akinfenwa at Northampton, Hanson at Bradford and Kedwell at Gillingham to name a few. You could argue that we already have Goulding, but for me he is not commanding enough in the air. You could also argue that by signing a target man would turn us into a long ball team but I don’t agree. Yes we would play long balls at times but a target man should also be comfortable at receiving the ball at feet and laying it off to supporting players. Look at Andy Carroll, despite not making it at Liverpool he proved during his time at Newcastle he was just as good with the ball at his feet as he was with it in the air. And remember, as much as I would love it, we aren't Barcelona!


Tuesday 13 November 2012

Robins continue to fly high but the Rubies aren't sparkling

The weekend just gone saw Cheltenham record a 1-0 victory over Burton Albion thanks to an 86 minute winner courtesy of Chris Zebroski. This result ensured that Cheltenham remain in third place in League 2, level on points with second placed Port Vale and five points behind the leaders Gillingham.

That result continued Cheltenham's outstanding league record of just one loss in eleven league games with seven of those being victories; a record which firmly cements the Robins' status as one of the form teams in the league. However with the likes of Gillingham and Port Vale continuing to catch the eye with several high scoring matches it can be argued that Cheltenham have slipped under the radar. When asked by friends how Cheltenham are doing in the league, the response of third place normally comes as a shock. Mainly due to the fact that once again this season Cheltenham were not seen as promotion candidates and that most of the results have been by the odd goal so have not really caught the eye of the neutral watching final score.

Despite this astonishing run of form, it can be said that the performances have not been of the same quality. A lot of results have been ground out by solid defensive displays although there have been some signs of good quality attacking football, the first half at Gillingham and the 3-0 victory over Exeter for example. There are also worrying signs on the goalscoring front. Since his injury, Shaun Harrad has been a totally different player a not been able to find his scoring boots from the first month of the season. From the start of October the Rubies have scored a total of 11 league goals in 8 games however the only strikers to score are Zebroski who has two goals and Goulding who has one in this period. The rest have come considerably from midfield and the likes of Carter and Mohamed.

In reflection, although this may seem as a moan, it is quite the opposite. Even though we haven't been playing great and our strikers havent't been hitting the back of the net we are still third in the table. Footballing greats have always said that the best teams are those that pick up points despite below par performances and in order to do that you need to keep clean sheets. We are doing both. So the question is, how far can we go this season? If performances improve then surely we are in with a shout of automatic promotion and we are definately among the best seven sides in the league so far which means the playoffs should be a minimum. We could also dream of winning the league, or is that a little too far? All we need is for the performances to come and for the teams around us to have a wobble at some stage and we are in with a shout.

Monday 3 September 2012

Cheltenham Town 0-3 Accrington Stanley Match Analysis

Last weekend Cheltenham Town welcomed visitors Accrington Stanley to the Abbey Business Stadium, however despite pre-match confidence among supporters of a victory for their home side they instead went home wondering why the team played so badly following a 3-0 defeat.

And yes the performance was that bad. In all fairness to Accrington they did their homework on us and played well themselves, but their is no reason on our part to explain how they got away with it. All three goals were due to sloppy defending by Cheltenham and two of them involved mistakes by player of the month for August, Harry Hooman. He looked lost at the heart of the back four and after the third goal even the stadium announcer put out a request for a lost boy called Harry to return to his mum, much to the amusement of supporters. His inexperience shone through in the mistakes that he made. For the first goal he misjudged the bounce of the ball, but instead of quickly chasing back to get it he left it for Scott Brown, only for the Accrington striker to intercept and ultimately punish the young lad. The second goal was a result of sloppiness from the whole team. A corner was not cleared by Cheltenham, on mre than one occasion, and the ball was slotted home by Accrington from the edge of the area, The final goal was a result if a mistake by Hooman. As the ball was played over the top Accrington he decided to step up late in order to play offside, however it was not successful as the Accrington player was let through on goal after easily out-pacing Steve Elliott. In my opinion he should have covered for Steve Elliott, who this season is another year older and another year short of pace. Instead he allowed Elliott to be involved in a foot race which nine times out of ten he is going to lose.

Blame cannot be solely placed on Hooman's shoulders though as I don't think that any of the team played well. The attackers looked short of ideas which ultimately caused our inability to break down the opposition defence. This resulted in a lot of high balls to the forwards which isn't ideal seeing as McGlashan and Harrad aren't exactly the tallest of forwards. But even the simplest of passes weren't completed. Marlon Pack looked a shadow of his former self, which made me think that maybe his mind was eleswhere following the closing of the transfer window the night before. Perhaps he wished a bigger club had come in for him, or he had been refused permission to speak with another club. Or it could just be the simple reason that he had a bad day at the office. Chris Zebroski hasn't excited me yet either. He seems clumsy on the ball and hasnt really got himself in scoring positions. I wasn't sure when Mark Yates signed him and I havent seen anything yet to prove me wrong. There is always one player each season that frustrates me the most. In the past it has been the likes of Brian Smikle, Danny Andrew, Josh Low, Andy Lindegaard, Barry Hayles, Craig Armstrong and this season I have a feeling it could be him.

Mark Yates should also take part of the blame for the performance. He set the team up in a 4-4-2 formation which left us short in the middle of the park and therefore we found it a struggle to keep posession as we were outnumbered in that area. He also took too long to change the system and the personnel when we were two and three goals down which gave us no chance of getting back in the match. One player that did manage to excite me was once again Jermaine McGlashan. He again managed to beat the opposition left back on many occasion, something he seems to do in most games. I do feel that his final delivery could be a bit better as his crosses sometimes aren't that threatening.

After watching the game on Saturday something came to my attention which I dont quite understand. Whenever the ball went wide of the goal or a shot was missed. Scott Brown always seemed to clap his hands and praise/encourage the defence. From the stand, this even looked the case when the defending wasn't great, for example when a player was given too much space to have a shot. I think he needs to be more vocal and tell the defenders when they make a mistake so it doesn't happen again as well as praising them when they do defend well.

All in all, it was a day to forget for Cheltenham fans. It was just one of those days when nothing went our way, we had no lucky breaks and nothing seemed to go right. The chances are that this was just an offday and that performances will get better, hopefully starting next week against Wycombe who once again will be tough opposition. It is important to get behind the players and hopefully look forward to some better results. But all that comes with being a Cheltenham supporter, it never all goes how we want it to.

Cheltenham Town 0-3 Accrington Stanley 1st September 2012

Cheltenham Town surrendered their unbeaten start to the season to Accrington Stanley following this below-par display at the Abbey Business Stadium.

All the damage was done in the first half, leaking two sloppy goals before the break to leave Mark Yates' side with everything to do in the second.

Accrington Stanley's uncompromising brand of counter-attacking football served them well and they went on to put this one out of sight within 80 seconds of the restart.

Cheltenham were quite simply well below their best in every department here, producing a meek performance which was at odds to their encouraging displays of late.

Plenty then for the manager to ponder on as he prepares for next weekend's tricky trip to Wycombe Wanderers.

Yates made one change to the side which defeated Aldershot Town seven days ago, handing Kaid Mohamed his first start of the campaign at the expense of Jeff Goulding.

The striker, who started at the EBB Stadium last weekend, joined Darren Carter, Darryl Duffy and Alan Bennett on the substitutes' bench.

The switch resulted in a change of formation, with the winger pressed into action on the left wing to supply the strike pairing of Chris Zebroski and Shaud Harrad.

The latter claimed his third goal in as many games in a lone role against the Shots but operated ahead of a midfield four on a fine, late summer's afternoon in Gloucestershire.

Cheltenham made the worse possible start, conceding as early as the fourth minute after a catstrophic error by Harry Hooman.

Lee Molyneux lumped a long ball over the top but under little pressure, the centre half made a hash of his clearance allowing Padraig Amond to charge in on goal.

Scott Brown dashed to narrow the angle but the Irish striker took full advantage, slotting the ball under the goalkeeper to hand his side the early lead.

Romuald Boco tried his luck from 20 yards five minutes later, but Brown was equal to it.

Harrod hooked wide Cheltenham's first chance of the afternoon with 13 minutes on the clock, but they struggled to find their feet after the early blow and it was the Lancashire side which created the next openings.

Will Hatfield drew a save from Brown with a dipping curler from the corner of the box, while Molyneux slammed one wide from distance.

At the other end Zebroski called Ian Dunbavin into a comfortable save from an angle 20 yards out.

Then Jombati threaded a ball into the path of Harrad, but the striker pulled his shot wide of the target.

There was an opening for Mohamed mid-way through the first half, but despite beating a couple of the defenders to make the area he was unable to get a shot away, the ball squirming into the air.

It fell nicely enough for McGlashan, but the winger's well-struck volley from 12 yards was kept out by Dunbavin's wonderful one-handed save.

Things though went from bad to worse 12 minutes before the break when George Miller doubled his side's advantage after a passage of poor defending by the home side.

Billy Jones failed to deal with a long ball forward, leaving Steve Elliott to concede a corner which Hatfield sent in from the left.

The Cheltenham defence failed to clear their lines, allowing the Accrington front man to pick out Miller at the second attempt who drilled the ball through the conjested penalty area and past Brown from 16 yards.

Zebroski created a chance with half-time approaching, lifting one in from the left towards McGlashan who found Mohamed but the winger's shot was deflected into Dunbavin's midriff for a comfortable save.

Cheltenham left themselves with a mountain to climb only 80 seconds after the restart, shipping the third after creating a promising attack of their own.

Accrington quickly turned defence into attack, forcing another mistake from Hooman and the ball fell kindly to Hatfield, who released Boco down the right.

Again Brown raced off his line to shrink the target but pacey wideman applied a cool finish past Brown to leave Yates in dispair.

Miller was a coat of pain away from making it four a moment later, his drive fading wide at the last moment.

McGlashan fashioned his side's first opening of the second period with some trickery down the right to force an opening for Harrad but the striker couldn't find the target on the turn.

Yates made his first change with an hour played, swapping Mohamed with Duffy who summed up his side's performance with a lacklustre attempt to reach Harrad's delivery from the right a moment later.

The Scot then poked one wide with 65 minutes on the clock after Jones had swung in a corner from the left.

Next Zebroski and Duffy combined to tee up Harrad, but Dunbavin got down well to turn the low effort around for a corner.

Hatfield was presented with the opportunity to head home his side's fourth 15 minutes from time but Brown parried to safety.

The home faithful caught their first glimpse of Carter shortly afterwards, who replaced Russ Penn in midfield while Harrad made way for Sam Deering as Yates made his final changes.

But the substitutes failed to make an impression as a disappointing afternoon drew to a close.

CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-4-2): Brown; Jombati, Hooman, Elliott, Jones; McGlashan, Penn (Carter 76), Pack, Mohamed (Duffy 60); Zebroski, Harrad (Deering 76). Subs not used: Lowe, Goulding, Roberts (Gk), Bennett.

ACCRINGTON STANLEY (4-2-3-1): Dunbavin; Winnard, Nsiala, Murphy, Liddle; Joyce (c), Miller; Boco, Molyneux (Barnett 57); Hatfield, Amond (Sheppard 82). Subs not used: Lindfield, Chippendale, Dicon, Gray, Dawber (Gk).

REFEREE: Tony Harrington

ATTENDANCE: 2,708 (55 from Accrington)

Monday 27 August 2012

Aldershot 0-1 Cheltenham Town 25th August 2012

A 72nd minute header from Shaun Harrad handed Cheltenham Town all three points here at the EBB Stadium this afternoon.
Little happened in the first half except for a ten minute stoppage in play due to heavy rain and lightning but the Shots did waste a number of chances after the break in play and the Robins were happy to go in at the break with a draw. The second half was a tightly contested affair but Shaun Harrad's stooping header handed Mark Yates' team another three points ahead of next week's home match versus Accrington Stanley.

It was a wet thundery afternoon in Aldershot with the heaven's opening ahead of kick off but Mark Yates' Robins were looking to heat things up at the EBB Stadium and continue their strong start to the new season. It was also a big day for Jermaine McGlashan who was returning to his former club since joining the Robins back in January and the winger received a warm welcome from his former club's supporters. There was just one change for Cheltenham with Jeff Goulding replacing Sam Deering possibly because of the height of the host's team. New signing Darren Carter was also present but would have to wait for his debut starting the game from the substitutes bench.

It was a decent start for Cheltenham Town with the Robins grabbing the first opportunity on goal after just six minutes. A Billy Jones cross was met by a totally unmarked Steve Elliott but the defender's headed shot was palmed away by Jamie Young to calm the nerves of the hosts and deny Cheltenham a strong start to the fixture. That start continued and this time it was McGlashan who almost made something happen after linking up well with Jeff Goulding. The former Shots winger skipped past the full back and drove a low pass back inside which was cleared but only to Goulding whose effort was well blocked by Ben Herd. Aldershot weren't without their threats going forward however and Adam Mekki almost snatched the lead when he drove down the wing and fired an angled shot across goal and wide. The Shots had an opportunity on 17 minutes as well when Tonkin's freekick was headed over by Peter Vincenti.

The rain really was lashing down here in Aldershot and the referee took the decision to march the players off the pitch until it had subsided. The rain did calm and the players reappeared to kick this game back off ten minutes after they were withdrawn but Aldershot almost made Cheltenham wish they had left it a few minutes more. Adam Mekki was once again the culprit as slid past Hooman to fire in a left footed drive but Brown was comfortable wit ha pretty poor shot. They were at it again soon after when Jombati's sloppy pass allowed Payne to stroke the ball to the back post but Jordan Roberts' effort proved a shambled and Rankine's follow up was even worse - neither player even connected with the ball. Meanwhile, Dean Holdsworth was having kittens on the sideline with his belief that Cheltenham were being given the rub of the green. Josh Payne and Jordan Roberts both booked so far but for pretty obvious fouls.

A Billy Jones freekick was comfortably saved on 34 minutes as the Robins looked to step it up but the Shots were pouncing upon every single mistake they were making and Rankine should really have hit the target when Goulding made a mess of a back heel and allowed an attack on goal. An ironic applause from the Aldershot fans for the referee arose on 45 minutes when he booked Russ Penn for dragging Vincenti back on a counter attack and from the resulting freekick Vincenti almost headed his side ahead but Brown was alert and pushed the effort away from goal. That missed opportunity meant the scores remained at a stalemate however with an even game being contested.

Half Time: Aldershot 0-0 Cheltenham Town

There seemed to be little mistakes creeping in for both teams during the first half and second period started on the same footing but Cheltenham were able to withstand early pressure from Rankine and co. The Robins settled back into their own football however and it wasn't long before Shaun Harrad had won a foul 20 yards from goal. It was the strike himself that struck the set piece but it was a poor effort and Young was able to watch the shot rise above his bar and out of play. A Russ Penn foul on Mekki on the corner of the area threatened to undo the Robins but Scott Brown was commanding in his area and spared his defence the effort of clearing the ball with a big catch. Minutes later former Robin Guy Madjo was introduced at the expense of jordan Roberts and Peter Vincenti was rightly booked for a foul on McGlashan from which Harry Hooman headed over from Pack's freekick.

It was a new start for Darren Carter as he made his debut for the club as a substitute on 66 minutes having replaced Russ Penn. That extra authority in midfield paid dividends as Cheltenham pushed on and grabbed the opening goal right from under the noses of the Shots. A Billy Jones corner, won by Jombati, was whipped in towards the near post to meet the stooping head of Shaun Harrad. The striker's effort struck the inside of the post and dribbled over the line before it had the chance to be cleared and the Robins stole the lead. That is three in three games for Harrad.

It was only fair that Jermaine McGlashan should get in on the act and he was frustrating his former fans and team mates with some devilish skill on the right wing and eventually a yellow card for Tonkin with left back swiping at the winger. The Robins were perhaps the better side towards the end of this game but Aldershot were still asking questions of the stubborn Cheltenham defence. Hooman and Elliott were doing a superb job of clearing their lines and Brown was having a confident game between the sticks.

Goalscorer Shaun Harrad was withdrawn on 90 minutes and was replaced by Darryl Duffy before Ian Weston was called upon to treat Jeff Goulding who had been left sprawled on the pitch following a heavy collision. The forward seemed okay but was subbed for Keith Lowe in the final few minutes of this game. Substitute Myles Anderson was booked at the death with a pointless and stupid challenge on Jermaine McGlashan which was greeted with a chorus of boos from the home fans but there was no doubting the frustration in that challenge. Cheltenham continued to frustrate their opponents and took all three points on the whistle to continue an unbeaten start to the new league season.

Full Time: Aldershot 0-1 Cheltenham Town

Aldershot Town FC (4-2-3-1): Young (GK); Herd (C), Brown, Bradley, Tonkin; Morris, Payne; Mekki, Vincenti (Anderson 81), Roberts (Madjo 64); Rankine

Subs not used: Lancashire, Bergqvist, Connolly, Morris, Cooksley

Cheltenham Town FC (4-2-3-1): Brown (GK); Jombati, Hooman, Elliott, Jones; Pack (C), Penn (Carter 66); McGlashan, Goulding (Lowe 90+2), Zebroski; Harrad (Duffy 90)

Subs not used: Roberts (GK) Bennett, Deering, Graham

Referee: Mr. Darren Bond

Attendance: 2,166 (208 from Cheltenham)
 
Match Report courtesy of www.ctfc.com

Friday 24 August 2012

New Signing-Darren Carter joins Cheltenham Town

There was breaking news this morning at Cheltenham Town FC and it would not be an understatement to say that it was a massive surprise to the supporters. The majority of fans knew that a central midfielder was high up on Mark Yates' shopping list and he himself confirmed after the game at Torquay that a signing was likely to take place on Thursday. Whilst most were trying to think of a young midfielder in need of first team games to increase their development, we were instead treated to a 28 year old midfielder who has never played outside of the top two divisions of English football. That player is Cheltenham's new number four, Darren Carter, who has signed on a six month contract for the time being.

Darren Carter started off his career at Birmingham City and made his debut for them in their 1-0 defeat to local rivals West Brom on 29 January 2002. He hit the headlines in May of the same year after scoring the winning penalty in Birmingham's victory over Norwich City and thus promoting Birmingham to the Premier League. He went on to make 45 appearances in a four year spell at Birmingham (which included a loan to Sunderland) and scored three goals for The Blues.

A move to West Brom followed in July 2005 for a fee of £1.5 million and his debut for The Baggies came in a 3-2 home defeat to Birmingham City, his former employers. His first goal for his new team was what can only be described as a stunner which defeated Arsenal 2-1 and won the club's goal of the season award.

However, things started to go downhill when, in August 2007, Carter joined Preston for £1.25 million after not being guaranteed first team football at West Brom. He went on to make 89 appearances but was transfer listed at the end of the 2009/10 season. He went on trial at Milwall and Southampton in 20010, before securing a three month loan to Milwall on August 4th. This loan was then extended until January.

Following Preston's relegation to League 1 in 2011, Darren Carter was released following the expiration of his contract. He trained at former club Birmingham and had a trial at Brighton. He also had a trial at Notts Forest and it was playing for their reserves that he picked up a groin muscle injury that required surgery. Following his return to fitness at the end of the 2011/12 season, Carter trained at Walsall and again at Birmingham before putting pen to paper on a six month deal at Cheltenham Town during the week. If he plays on Saturday against Aldershot it will be his first competitive action in over a year.

It cannot be doubted that the signing of Darren Carter is a major coup for us. He hasnt played outside of the top two divisions in his entire career and his vast experience, despite being just 28, also comes with skill to match. However I do think that the six month deal is a very risky one. As I have mentioned he hasn't played competitive football for a year so he is severely lacking in match practise. I doubt he will start against Aldershot tomorrow and it will take a good month at least for him to regain his match sharpness. Also, as he would be free to talk to clubs in January, this effectively puts him in the shop window for six months. Clubs can send scouts to watch him play games for Cheltenham and if they like what they see they can approach him and wont have to pay a fee.

The motives of why Darren Carter joined us can also be questioned. He has already said that 'what Cheltenham did for Jack Butland played a big part in me coming here'. In other words, move on to bigger and better things. I see Carter using Cheltenham Town as a stepping stone to bring his career back to where it was and canbot see him extending his deal past January. It is also surprising why he chose to join a League 2 club. No offence to my club Cheltenham Town, or all other clubs in the league, but he is much better than League 2 standard, the lowest I could see him play would be for a top three League 1 side. He certainly hasn't joined for money. Well, if he has, he has come to the wrong place! The only other reason would be that he had no other offers on the table. This again goes back to the idea that he joined Cheltenham as it was 'his only choice' in order to take his career back to where it was.

I hate putting a downer on good things, and for his skill and quality Darren Carter is a great signing for us. So lets be positive and show Carter how good a club we are and persuade him that we are his future for the time being. If we can get among the top three and go on a good cup run, not only in the FA cup but the JPT too, then we can hopefully persuade him to extend his contract and stick around for a bit longer. Fingers crossed! But for now lets turn our attentions to tomorrow and lets cheer on the boys in our away day in Aldershot. COYR!

Thursday 23 August 2012

Torquay United 2-2 Cheltenham Town Match Analysis

So, Cheltenham returned to the stadium where they memorably booked their place in the League 2 play-off final last season, again on a Tuesday night, and fans were hoping for some more magical performances from the Cheltenham Town elite.

We took the lead around the twenty minute mark following a real poachers effort by Shaun Harrad. A corner was wipped in from the left hand side and was headed back towards the near post by Harry Hooman. Harrad then managed to nip in front of the Torquay goalie to head home. I think that Shaun Harrad can be a great piece of business for us this season and I believe he can get around 20 goals for us this season. He can poach goals as he has shown in his first two games for Cheltenham, but he can also create chances and finish them himself. Provided he gets the service he will show that he is a natural finisher.

Cheltenham then found themselves behind in the space of two minutes as two headed efforts beat Scott Brown in the Cheltenham net. There was an air of defensive frailty in these two goals. This is probably due to the centreback pairing of Elliott and Hooman who have not played many games together. Also, Elliott is not as mobile as he used to be which means players can beat him on the run and the fact that Hooman is inexperienced means that from time to time he will find himself out of position. This is something which will improve over time, but Cheltenham cannot afford to let in sloppy goals too often if they wish to be fighting around the play off places.

Chris Zebroski scored the equaliser in the 80th minute and it was a well taken goal. He outmuscled the defender and then managed to poke the ball into the far corner from the left hand side of the box. I have heard reports from the game that Zebroski didnt do much in the game apart from the goal. This isnt a bad thing however as a sign of a good player is that he can score the small amount of chances he is provided with. Although I do feel that Chris does need to get involved in and around the box more as he is naturally a striker, even though he has played on the left in the last two games, and will score goals if he gets in the right positions.

At the end of the day a oint from this game is something that I would have taken if offered before kick off. Plainmoor is somewhere where we dont normally win, apart from the play-off semifinal in May, so a draw is a good result. Torquay is also a team that will be in and around the playoffs come the end of the season so to not lose is a bonus, however players and fans will be saying what if those sloppy goals were not conceded. But lets look ahead to Saturday away to Aldershot, which will be a tough game too but one which is certainly winnable.