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Cheltenham preview for Tuesday night

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Cheltenham preview for Tuesday night

Postby Sweden Stag » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:40 am

Good results against sides challenging for promotion, appalling and poor ones against newly promoted sides (and sides returning to the EFL). This has been much of a story of the Stags’ season so far. Among the good ones: the most recent three-pointer at Morecambe on February 27 this year, away victories at Forest Green and Cambridge respectively, and the point gained at Cheltenham last October who was to be the last point gained with Graham Coughlan at the helm as he was axed hours after the 2-4 home defeat against Barrow a few days later, the same Barrow site which beat the Stags at headquarters last Saturday, ensuring the Bluebirds’ first League double since 1972 (then against Workington, noted on a decent Barrow fans site similar to Stagsnet, that side also managed to publish the programme for the Barrow v Stags game in September 1969) and the Barrow double last Saturday also meant that the Stags have lost their last seven games against newly-promoted sides (Harrogate and Salford) and sides returning to the EFL (Leyton Orient and Barrow). Also note that last season’s away fixture at Salford belonged to the ones which weren’t played when last season was halted.

Returned to the EFL, so did Cheltenham as well in 2016-17. And their first away fixture following the return of the Robins to League Two ended in a 1-1 draw. History was made as Cheltenham’s first-ever Football League away trip also was to Mansfield. Then, in August 1999, Cheltenham won by the only goal of the game. No other side has played their first-ever away EFL fixture and their first come-back one against the Stags-

Last season, Cheltenham won both games against the Stags, quite luckily at Whaddon Road but more convincingly at One Call in which was to be John Dempster’s final home fixture as Stags boss.

Quite a few recent clashes between the sides have been dramatic ones and produced quite a few goals as well. The proof: the fixtures between the sides in the last two EFL seasons before last season saw eighteen goals, nine apiece for the Stags and the Robins. The fixture between the sides in January 2018 at One Call Stadium was one of the most dramatic ones ever played. That game had everything: 20 minutes of injury-time in total, three red cards, a Cheltenham penalty, a manager sent to the stands, and finally a 95th minute Stags winner scored by CJ Hamilton to a 3-2 scoreline after that the Stags had been behind twice. The 2018-19 fixture at Whaddon Road also had drama in it when Tyler Walker struck in the third minute of stoppage time to gain a 2-2 draw.

In between, there has been quite a few memorable games between the sides. Maybe the biggest one was way back late in in the 2001-02, when both sides were chasing automatic promotion vying for the third automatic spot behind Plymouth and Luton. On April 9, 2002, officially over 8000 watched the Stags gain a precious 2-1 victory at Field Mill. More on that game /and a few more/ in the Match Centre for the corresponding seasons.

Before the game at Mansfield in August 2016, the previewer wrote:

“History repeats itself. The proof: When Cheltenham made their debut in the current League Two during the 1999-2000 campaign, their first-ever FL away fixture was against the Stags. On August 14, 1999, Cheltenham won thanks to a Neil Grayson strike midway through the second half, and Grayson also netted the only goal of the game when the Stags travelled to Cheltenham later that season for the very first time.

In the 2016-17 season, Cheltenham returned to League Two following a one-season-absense, and their first away fixture was, just like in their FL debut campaign, at Mansfield. And this was almost exactly seventeen years on nearly exactly to the day from the Robins’ first-ever away FL fixture.

And one player who starred for the Stags in both fixtures against Cheltenham in the 1999-2000 campaign, was later to play for Cheltenham and he did so against the Stags in probably the most memorable of all FL fixtures between the sides. Easy to pick which one. It was on April 9, 2002, with both sides chasing promotion from the old Division Two at Field Mill. The name: Lee Williams”.

One game between the sides, a Stags 4-0 victory on October 25, 2003, was seen by the previewer. More on that fixture as well is to be seen in the Match Centre.

The sides faced each other very frequently in the first part of Cheltenham's FL history. Fact is that the Stags and the Cheltenham Robins faced each other in each of Cheltenham's first seven FL campaigns, starting in August 1999, and the Robins in fact registered their first-ever league win by scoring the only goal of the game (scorer: Grayson) at Field Mill on August 14, 1999 when the Stags made a very poor start of a topsy-turvy 1999-2000 season. Lee Williams, later to play for Cheltenham, appeared for the Stags in that fixture and no Stags player appearing then was around when the sides clashed in Mansfield on the final day of the 2005-06 campaign. Then, Cheltenham won 5-0 at Field Mill, and a few weeks later, the Robins were promoted to League One for the second time via the playoffs after beating Grimsby, the side which followed Cheltenham back into the FL by beating Forest Green in the playoff final.

Following the 5-0 win at Mansfield on May 6, 2006, and the subsequent playoff final victory, Cheltenham played three seasons in League One and among their oppenents were sides like Bristol City, Swansea, Leeds and the 2015-16 PL winners, Leicester as well as the 2017 playoff winners for PL promotion, Huddersfield Town. Among Cheltenham’s finest League One moments were taking six points off Swansea and four off Bristol City in 2006-07, and in the 2007-08 campaign, the Robins took six points off Leeds, 1-0 at home and 2-1 away. In 2008-09, Cheltenham played Leicester, who won both fixtures to a 4-0 scoreline.

Only just two months ago, the sides clashed in the FA Cup for the first time ever. The third round draw ensured that at least one League Two outfit were to make the fourth round. As the game was televised in Sweden, the previewer was able to watch most of that game. Below my brief report of the key moments and my ratings:

STAGS KAYOED BY CHELTENHAM IN EXTRA TIME

Despite a good start of the game, the Stags were dumped out in added time and deservedly so as the Stags didn’t create much in normal time. Their goal was lucky as the Cheltenham keeper Griffiths made a howler as early as in the third minute. Good play between Bowery and McLaughlin resulted in a shot which should have been an easy savage but somehow the Cheltenham goalie made a mess of it. A few minutes later, the Stags cleared off the line and also did so ten minutes inside the second half.

A key moment came about with twenty minutes left of normal time with the Stags still leading. Reid was smacked in the face by Cheltenham’s Boyle (clearly seen by the previewer) but ref Tom Nield, poor on the day, did not even dish out a yellow card. It could have been a red one, but the indecision of the officials proved costly in the end.

Costly was also an error by Charsley minutes after the card non-show. Charsley slipped over the ball in the centre circle. Ellis Chapman fed Alfie May on the edge of the area. May fired a great shot, leaving Štěch with no chance. Charsley was rightly disappointed.

The Stags hit the net late on, but the ball had gone out of play moments before. In the first period of added time, the Stags created more forward than they did in the entire normal time. Reid had two good chances and Lapslie one which flew agonizingly wide.

But Cheltenham hit the winner early on in the second period. A long throw from Tozer eventually found the above-mentioned Boyle, who headed home from close range. After that goal, the Stags were unable to create any clear-cut chances, and Cheltenham were deservedly through as the Stags did not create enough. The Cheltenham line-up included two ex-Stags, Matty Blair and Chris Clements. Both played, Clements came on in extra time.

My ratings: Štěch 7, O’Keeffe 6, Rawson 8, Sweeney 8 (both my man of the match), Benning 6, Maris 7, Charsley 5, Lapslie 5, McLaughlin 6, Bowery 5, Reid 5. Sub line up: Cook (for McLaughlin) 6, O’Driscoll (for Maris), J Clarke (for Benning). Latter two not on long enough to be rated. Not used: Stone, Menayese).

Ref: Tom Nield 5.

Above report by Sweden Stag having seen the game on telly /my computer/ in Sweden.

Among other players having appeared for both sides are Matt Green, who played nineteen games for Cheltenham without scoring before his first spell at the Stags on loan from Oxford, for which he played against Cheltenham in a League Two fixture on September 2010. His final Cheltenham game was in fact Stockport’s so far last one as a FL club, a 1-1 draw at Edgeley Park on the same day the Stags played the FA Trophy final against Darlington at Wembley on May 7, 2011.

Played for both sides (since Cheltenham were promoted to the Football League): Danny Andrew, Craig Armstrong, Rakish Bingham, Paul Black, Matty Blair, Daryl Clare, Chris Clements, Paul Connor, Craig Dobson, Matt Green, Ashley Hemmings, James Jennings, Carl Muggleton, Johnny Mullins, Martin Riley, Omari Sterling-James, Richard Walker, Jason White (forward!), Lee Williams. Barry Richardson, a former Stags goalie, was on Cheltenham’s books in 2009-10 without playing.

Prior to Cheltenham's promotion to the FL in 1999, the following players have been traced, courtesy of the centenary book and the history CD: Andy Beasley, George Blackburn, Roddy Collins (later Carlisle manager!), Melvyn Eves, Glyn Jones, Roger McDonald, Christopher Ogden, George Simpson, Alexander Sykes.

Home: P 13, W 5, D 2, L 6, GF 18, GA 23
Away: P 14, W 3, D 5, L 6, GF 15, GA 22

Season Home Date Away Date

1999-2000 0-1 1999-08-14 0-1 2000-01-15 Div 3
2000-01 2-1 2001-02-13 2-2 2000-08-12 Div 3
2001-02 2-1 2002-04-09 3-2 2001-08-25 Div 3
2002-03 0-2 2002-09-21 1-3 2003-03-08 Div 2
2003-04 4-0 2003-10-25 2-4 2004-02-28 Div 3
2004-05 1-2 2005-02-12 0-2 2004-10-19 League Two
2005-06 0-5 2006-05-06 2-0 2005-10-29 League Two
2013-14 0-2 2014-04-21 2-1 2013-12-29 League Two
2014-15 1-1 2014-12-13 1-1 2015-03-07 League Two
2016-17 1-1 2016-08-13 0-0 2017-03-04 League Two
2017-18 3-2 2018-01-20 0-3 2017-09-26 League Two
2018-19 4-2 2019-02-02 2-2 2018-11-03 League Two
2019-20 0-3 2019-12-07 0-1 2020-02-22 League Two
2020-21 (at Cheltenham) 0-0 2020-10-24 League Two

FA Cup (for brief report, see above)

2020-21 1-2 2021-01-10 3rd round at Whaddon Road aka Johnny-Rocks Stadium after extra time

Time to bounce back now. Come on Mansfield!
Stockholm, July 4, 2008, 15.00 GMT. Good news came, K.H. gone. March 1, 2012. Ground purchased.
Sweden Stag
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