Score predictions - Cheltenham Home

A much improved overall performance on Tuesday, albeit against a much weaker side, saw us get back to winning ways after last weekends debacle. Another struggling side in Cheltenham next. Probably due to our iffy home form, the reds are just odds on favourites, at 4/5, to take all 3 points from a Robins side with just 3 away wins to their name all season. Cheltenham are 10/3 to end their 3 game run without an away win.


Cheltenham have the second worst away record in the division, obtaining just 12 points on their travels this season (Carlisle have the worst with 9). Despite clawing themselves within touching distance of 5th bottom, after their dismal start to the season under Wade Elliott, their away form hasn't exactly caught fire. The Robins overall form did begin to pick up at the back end of last year, and they went on a run of 1 defeat in 5 in February. On their travels however, they've won 1 of their last 7, and the highest placed side they've beaten away is 20th placed Cambridge. They have however taken 4 points from Portsmouth, recently beaten Blackpool, beaten Oxford and drawn with Derby, suggesting they do have it in them to cause the better sides in the division a few problems. The majority of these points however, were obtained on home soil.


This will be just our 6th meeting with Cheltenham, having won 4 and drawn 1 of the first 5. The draw was the very first meeting, at Oakwell, in August 2002; a late Tony Naylor strike cancelled out Bruce Dyer's opener. The reds have won the last 3 meetings between the two sides without conceding and have an aggregate scoreline of 11-2 over the 5 games.


Experienced midfielder, Liam Sercombe is the Robins top scorer with 8 goals, his best return at this level. Matt Taylor is also worth keeping an eye on; signed from Forest Green in January, he's netted 4 times in 8 games so far for Cheltenham, doubling the goal tally of any other player for Cheltenham (aside from Sercombe). Goals have been the big issue for Cheltenham, who went the first two months of the season without one. They've now netted 30 in 36 games, which is also the second worst record in the division (behind Shrewsbury). Defensively however, they've only conceded 2 more goals than the Reds, and only the 4th least in the bottom half. They've actually conceded fewer goals than 8th placed Oxford.


Referee Darren Middleton has issued a very below average 3.5 cards per game in his 24 appointments this season, and even that was skewed heavily by the 9 yellows and a red he issued in Wigan's recent 3-2 win over Peterborough. He took charge of our 2-1 defeat in the EFL trophy at Blackpool, with only Max Watters receiving a card for either side on that occasion, in a game more notable for our collapse after Jon McAtee's injury rather than the refereeing display. He also took charge of an EFL trophy defeat for Cheltenham too; theirs was by 4 goals to 1 at Bristol Rovers in September. 3 Robins players were booked on that occasion.


Not only can I see us winning this one, but I can see us nullifying any threat Cheltenham pose from an attacking sense, and keeping a clean sheet. I'm going for a 2-0 reds win, with Cosgrove and McAtee getting on the scoresheet in the first half to kill the game off. I'll then spend the second half with an eye on the two games featuring the top 4.

 

3-0 Cosgrove, Philips and Connell.

Portsmouth, Bolton, Peterborough and Derby all to draw.

 

4-0 reds. We're due a clean sheet, and let's be honest, Cheltenham are gash on a stick.

 

Surely we can't slip up against these
3-1 reds

 

A nervous 2-1 win for a change .

 

So are Carlisle but they got 2.

 

Just can’t see a clean sheet at the moment. Until we get back to basics with our defending like marking a man, I can see anybody scoring, thankfully we’ll bang enough in at tother end. 4-1 with Cole finally getting on the scoresheet at least once

 

I'm relying on us having learnt from that

 

4-1 Reds.

 

A win will do. Have a mate over from Perth, Australia & we are off to a 50th at Roosters Brewery Tap. Will miss this one, but should be a good afternoon / evening. Would take 2-1 TBH.

 

Reds 6 - 0 Cheltenham

A long overdue clean sheet and 5 from an inspired Super Sammy Cosgrove (3 headers, a tap-in and an edge of area flying volley thunderb4st4rd) and a length of the pitch dribble and shot from MDG.

12,870

Lotto:
7, 12, 22, 31, 33, 35 BB 17

 

Barnsley 1-176 Cheltenham

 

3 - 1 to us

 

Yeah, because 2-0 leads definitely kill games off....

We're long overdue one......
4-1 tarn.

 

Time for a convincing win. 3-0 Reds and over by half time.

 

2-1 Reds. We’ll go 1-0 down for a change.

 

16-7.

 

If ever there was a game not to lose! 2-1 us, and hopefully draws all round elsewhere.

 

1-1