Cheltenham Post Match

[suffolk fox]

The goal that was disallowed should have stood!! It was an own goal, simple as. Howard was level and behind the defender the cross came in their player panicked like hell and scored an own goal. No Leicester player was near the player that scored the own goal! The Lino over the other side to where I was sitting was a complete t***!!!!! Just after that woeful decision, he didn't give us anything! We had 4 corners in a row but on each occasion he flagged for goal kicks!!! It was unbelievable. Hence the biggest cheer of the day later in the game when an obvious corner was given!!! I am sooooo p***** off I had a tenner on 5 - 0 with Howard scoring first!!!! I missed out on a pot full!!! Still I thought we played extremely well.

[Thracian]

The goal that was disallowed should have stood!! It was an own goal, simple as. Howard was level and behind the defender the cross came in their player panicked like hell and scored an own goal. No Leicester player was near the player that scored the own goal! The Lino over the other side to where I was sitting was a complete t***!!!!! Just after that woeful decision, he didn't give us anything! We had 4 corners in a row but on each occasion he flagged for goal kicks!!! It was unbelievable. Hence the biggest cheer of the day later in the game when an obvious corner was given!!! I am sooooo p***** off I had a tenner on 5 - 0 with Howard scoring first!!!! I missed out on a pot full!!! Still I thought we played extremely well.

Ask Lise if you could sue the linesman!

I really do wonder where they get em from sometimes.

[Webbo]

"Dad, can we go by motorbike?"

Today was the first time my lad sang songs and talked about the team as being 'we' and 'us' rather than Leicester. We sat in K-block near the top and the atmosphere was cracking in the first half.

Come half-time, "Dad, can we go see Lisa and everyone else?"

"But if we stay there we'll have to stand up for the rest of the match."

"But I want to stand up!" As the fourth slammed in, while Cheltenham were doing the conga and starting the wave, he declared this to be his best match ever.

On the way home I had to slam his thigh as I felt him go limp behind me - he'd been so excited about coming today, especially as we were taking the bike, he had got up at 5am. Maybe it wasn't the long day he'd had, maybe it wasn't the excitement that had started him drifting off to sleep on the back...maybe it was just that we were going past Coventry at the time?

It was a dawn for the little man, it will be one of his earliest football memories, his best ever match and he got to see Elvis Hammond and Josh Low. The lucky bastard.

You soppy git.

[Stevosevic]

Really enjoyed yesterday, great win, Gradel and Cleverley were superb, good to see Howard and Fryatt score.

[demon_dog]

How nice to see so many, and well justified, sevens and eights among the player ratings.

I still think we were done out of a fifth goal and was pissed off that Pearson's substitutions ended any chance of my pocketing a grand for my bet that we'd win 6-0.

But I asked for changes that would inject pace, energy and movement into the side and that's what we got. My only concern is that it was relatively easy to play without fear against Cheltenham and will start to rate Pearson higher as a manager when he shows consistently that he can ask for and get a pass-and-move game out of his team against decent opposition.

Other than the above I'll take nothing from the performance. Cheltenham were the opponents of the day and we slaughtered them with some super football.

Lots of one-touch passing, ball spread from side to side, full use of the width of the pitch, players running at people and trying to open defences up, great one-two's at times, entire team moving up into the attacking half, exciting individual contributions and individuals who managed to combine really well as a team.

Well done one and all. More of the same is what I want.

It seems to have taken a long time for NP to finally agree with most of the posters on here that Dyer has been w**k over the last few games.

Gradel certainly made a difference, his pace and crosses posed them problems.

It was good to see Gradel staying out on the wing for long periods, even when play was on the opposite side of the pitch.

He still tended to wander inside just a little, maybe he was getting bored out there on his own.

As you rightly say though, we were given time and space to play, could be interesting to see if we could do the same against better opposition.

Still it's another 3 points closer to our ultimate aim.

Let's hope it's sealed on the day we play Leeds.

Now that I would enjoy.

[RyanCTFC]

We played well, albeit against a very poor Cheltenham side, in fairness to them, they set out as if they weren't going to sit back.

After a scrappy first ten minutes in both halves, we fully controlled the game, but that's what the league leaders should do against the basement team. Everyone had a solid game, Oakley was probably our best player, with Gradel and Cleverley putting in two good performances as well. Maybe this was because they feel they had a point to prove.

Some of our decisions could've been a bit better today would be my only moan.

Still, a good performance, with 4 goals and a clean sheet at home is not to be grumbled at, whoever the opposition.

If any Cheltenham fans are reading, you can be proud of your support, the few hundred of you that were there, were always trying to sing and have a good time, but when your team is that bad, that's all you can do really.

We are just making the most of our time left

In the league.u wer just to good for us, good luck for the future!

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

Granted I don't go to every City game, I get to a fair few... but I was embarrased and found myself crying with laughter at how bad Cheltenham were. No spirit, no character, no shape, it didn't even look like they cared to be honest. It would have been amazing if that own goal in front of the kop had counted, because it would have been a worthy inclusion into any own goals gaffe dvd...shocking. I thought City were good, but Cheltenhams ineptitude made us better. I've not seen a poorer side in my 22 years on this earth, anyone else agree with me?!

[Guest]

Come half-time, "Dad, can we go see Lisa and everyone else?"

Did he really? Bless him

I did love his jacket, I must admit.

Ask Lise if you could sue the linesman!

I really do wonder where they get em from sometimes.

Even I couldn't distort the facts for that one!!

Yesterday was brilliant. After Tuesday night, you couldn't get two more totally different games.

[RAFRUDY]

crap team, but the best fans ive seen for a few years though.

[Thracian]

Did he really? Bless him

I did love his jacket, I must admit.

Even I couldn't distort the facts for that one!!

Yesterday was brilliant. After Tuesday night, you couldn't get two more totally different games.

Calypso football. Don't you just love it.

[Thracian]

It was sad to see really. The very least I expected from a Martin Allen team was a bit of attitude but it didn't seem to me that their heart was ever in it.

In fact when you watched Josh Low you wondered "what heart?" I've seen poor teams who have ran and harrassed and contested every situation so that at least you felt respect for them.

But as a fan said as he walked past me on the way out "Imagine travelling all over the country supporting that lot."

Yet they did and they did so with a smile and the sort of humour we resorted to at Sheffield United last season. Humour is a natural antidote to despair I suppose but those Cheltenham players have to look to themselves and wonder if they really want to be professional footballers.

Class can't be faked but things like pride, effort and sheer determination can at least enable you to keep your head up and look your fans in the eye.

[Corky]

I really enjoyed that match. Forget the fact Cheltenham are bottom and going down, we had to play with some drive and flair, and we did that. Their keeper, in truth, had a decent match, it could easily have been more, but apart from a little spell early in the second half, we dominated it. Cleverley, Oakley, Gradel and Howard all had terrific games, Gradel especially, and it was a performance of intent, and class at times.

Well done everyone, and our fans created a good atmosphere from the start.

[Bert]

Having just watched the highlights properly again, Oakley's goal should be up there for goal of the season.

The goal started from the back, with Morrison intercepting the ball, then a 13 pass move seen us get our 4th goal.

[davieG]

From Cheltenham's version of the Mockery - only they tell it as it is unlike a certain Blanderson did when we were getting stuffed and relegated. Not to praiseworthy re Allen's team selection either.

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/spo...il/article.html

This was a total mismatch as what is effectively a Coca-Cola Championship club brushed aside what will soon be a League Two team with a considerable amount of ease.

Rock bottom Cheltenham Town went into the game without a win in 15 matches, in stark contrast to runaway leaders Leicester City, who were on a club record unbeaten run.

So it was no surprise to see the Foxes extend their undefeated trot to 23 games and they matched their goal total at Whaddon Road earlier in the season to spoil Robins’ boss Martin Allen’s return to the Walkers Stadium.

Allen regards his four-game stint as Leicester boss in 2007 as a success, but the fact that none of the 12 permanent signings he made are in the current Foxes side says a lot about his 96-day reign.

Current boss Nigel Pearson has used the club’s spending power to rebuild and assemble a very effective team, who were far too hot for Cheltenham to handle.

For all of Leicester’s individual quality with the ball on the floor, it was the brute force of target man Steve Howard that did the damage in the first half, giving the Foxes a two-goal cushion at the break.

Shane Duff is probably Cheltenham’s most adept player in the air, but he could not cope with Howard’s strength and height, and neither could his centre-back partner Andy Gallinagh.

Leicester’s 15th-minute first goal was so simple, as Manchester United loan winger Tom Cleverley’s diagonal ball from the right was aimed towards Howard and he was free to direct a header into the top left corner.

And it was the dominant Howard who created the Foxes’ second, nodding Michael Morrison’s punt forward into Matty Fryatt’s path and League One’s most deadly marksman finished clinically to make it 2-0 and net his 28th goal of the season.

To make matters worse for Cheltenham, skipper John Finnigan went off injured five minutes before half-time with an ankle injury picked up while throwing himself in front of a shot on the edge of the penalty area.

He was replaced by Michael Townsend, who added height at centre-back, with specialist right-back Gallinagh pushed forward into midfield, while specialist midfielder David Bird remained at right-back, where he was up against the lively Max Gradel.

Cheltenham’s best chance arrived early in the second half as Paul Connor headed against the bar from close range and Connor then played a dangerous ball across Leicester’s six-yard box, but Ian Westlake could not reach it and Leicester then clicked up a gear.

Teenager Jack Durrant was handed his Football League debut in the second half in place of Leicester old boy Josh Low.

By that time, Leicester had added two more to their tally, with Cleverley instrumental in both.

The exciting prospect made it 3-0 in the 67th minute, capitalising on an error from Lee Ridley, who dwelt on the ball, before skipping past Duff and tapping home from close range.

Leicester captain Matt Oakley added the fourth after more good work from Cleverley in the 71st minute at the end of a superb passing move that originated deep inside Leicester’s own half

The gulf between the clubs on and off the field was plain for all to see.

Despite the result, Cheltenham’s travelling support of 370 were determined to enjoy themselves, initiating congas and Mexican waves, striking up a rapport with the noisy and sympathetic home fans, who were actually chanting ‘Cheltenham’ at times in the second half.

[Cobbo]

Having watched the extended highlights on World now, it shows the full build up to Oakley's goal - we string so many passes together and incisive ones at that.

Then as you will all have seen, were clinical and classy at the end of it - it really must be a contender for goal of the season.

Having said that, it was men against boys which will detract somewhat from the goal...bloody sexy though.

[BoneDog]

I know it's late for this but my hub/modem thingy blew up on Satday morning and I only got a new one today.

How good it felt leaving the Walkers on Satday. It was the first time I've come away real happy from there in a couple of months (since Peterborough I think). I started to feel sorry for Cheltenham cos they were so crap but our lads were excellent. The Oakley goal was absolute class start to finish. Matty Fryatt caught my eye a few times for his work rate and especially for a lovely bit of skill in front of SK3/4 in the corner when he skinned their left back down the line, cut inside right on the goal line and was robbed of a corner (that linesman was a complete nobhead).

There was also a quality pass at the other end from left to right with power (can't remember who passed it). Folks thought it was a shot at first and started groaning but it went straight to Cleverleys (I think) feet on the right wing. What a ball it was.

Gotta give credit to the Cheltenham fans too and I really hope they manage to stay in the league next season. I saw em start the conga off and had to laugh. When they went down the exit and then came up the other one a few minutes later I loved em