Robins Taught League One Lesson In Front Of Returning Home Fans

Three thousand and twenty two Cheltenham Town fans descended upon Whaddon Road to watch their team in league action for the first time since December 2020.

The returning faithful were quickly silenced as after just fourteen minutes Wales international Sam Vokes headed Wycombe ahead. A poorly defended corner was headed home at the back post as the robins defenders looked to struggle with the physicality of the visitors.

It proved to be an ongoing theme as the back three of Boyle, Raglan and Long were bullied and pushed around far too easily by Vokes and his attacking partner Garath McCleary. The absence of captain Ben Tozer was clear with the first half hour suggesting we’d be in for a long afternoon.

Slightly against the run of play, the home side found themselves in somewhat of a resurgence heading into half time. Getting the ball into the attacking third didn’t prove to be an issue for the home side but fashioning some sort of end product was more of a challenge.

The game came alive on the stroke of half time as a surging run from Callum Wright was met with a smart cut back from Sean Long leaving the Wycombe defense helpless as Andy Williams rose highest to equalise.

1-1 Half Time

Just three minutes into the second half and it should have been 2-1. Alfie May found himself with all the space in the world and the goal at his mercy but could only hit Newcastle’s title winning hero David Stockdale’s leg as he attempted to play the ball under the keeper.

Less than ten minutes later May had another glorious chance to notch Town ahead, the ball fell to him at the left post but Stockdale was there to block the shot once again. Not too long after, May was replaced by Kyle Vassell and most of our attacking intent seemed to go with him.

May movement off the ball and ability to find himself in the right place at the right time is unparalleled in the Cheltenham squad but his finishing often lets himself, and the team, down. Today was a prime example of May getting in the right place but being unable to find the net.

This must be where the section headache comes in for Michael Duff, May may have missed two huge chances but without his work off the ball and movement at the start of the attack, Cheltenham look a tad lost. There was no denying that today, once May was off the pitch, our likelihood of scoring nosedived.

Wycombe capitalised on this to retake the lead on the seventy fifth minute as Olly Pendlebury curled home a lovely first time effort after good build up play down Cheltenham’s left.

Four minutes later saw Pendlebury double his tally on only his second EFL appearance. Poor defending from the home side and failure to clear the ball saw the nineteen year old smash home from twenty yards.

Cheltenham were denied what seemed to be a stonewall penalty to all of us behind the goal as not one but two players were dragged to the floor at a corner that saw Stockdale on the floor for almost eight minutes. It was an interesting performance from the referee but we cannot rely on officials to win us points this season.

At times it looked as though Cheltenham would be fine in League One, at others it looked as though it would be a long season. It’s plain to see that Wanderers were playing in the Championship last season and kept the bulk of their squad in their aim to bounce back. For us you could tell that we have the bulk of the League Two squad which, at times, did look like a solid third tier side.

Our struggles against route one and physical sides from last season have come back to haunt us once again, a Barrow-esque defeat to a team sure to be up at the top this season.

Up The Duff co-host Harry Hughes had this to say about the game:

“Cheltenham struggled early on and for much of the first half appeared lethargic. A seemingly uncontested header at the back post gave Wycombe a deserved lead but Town reminded us of what they're actually capable of when Andy Williams equalised on the stroke of half-time.

"In the second half, Alfie May found himself in two excellent positions to give Cheltenham the lead of the game but fired both shots at the goalkeeper. To his credit, despite missing the chances, Town looked far worse once he had been substituted off.

"Wycombe managed to overcome a stubborn Cheltenham defence in the last 15 minutes of the game with two stunning strikes. Today's result demonstrates the quality of a Championship level side and reinforces why they could very much mount a title challenge.

"Despite today's loss, there shouldn't be alarm bells for Cheltenham fans yet. Had Alfie May beat the keeper, this could easily have been a different story. Here's hoping Michael Duff's men can finish their chances when Ipswich arrive at Whaddon Road on Tuesday."

Full Time Score: CHELTENHAM 1-3 WYCOMBE

Attendance: 3860 (838)

Our POTM: Callum Wright

Next Game: IPSWICH (H) TUESDAY NIGHT