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+----- Thread: The better side lost (/showthread.php?tid=9890)
The better side lost - silverbaggie - 01-11-2020
The match between these two Gloucestershire rivals was every bit as intense as might have been expected.
The Robins changed their usual formation slightly to play and match Rover's 3-4-1-2. This meant that striker Alfie May was being asked to play an unaccustomed No 10 role.
The match was niggly from the start and May and Will Boyle were both booked early on as the referee tried to maintain control.
The match turned on it's head as early as the 10th minute as a long throw from the right found Will Boyle who headed home from the 6 yard box.
The Rovers players protested strongly as their goalkeeper seemed to have been impeded although the Robins felt that he had in fact collided with one of his own defenders.
Cheltenham should have gone two ahead when a great ball in from the left found top scorer Andy Williams unmarked at the back post only 6 yards out. Somehow he contrived to head the ball straight at the Rovers keeper.
Forest Green were now having more of the possession and it was becoming obvious that Rueben Reid was well off the pace and contributed little during this phase.
Within 10 minutes of the re-start the Robins scored again as not one but two errors by Rovers players saw Andy Williams race unmarked into the box and slot a low shot passed the keeper.
On the hour Mike Duff finally made the obvious substitution taking off the ineffective Reid and replacing him with the pacey Alex Addai.
For the next quarter of an hour Cheltenham were content to merely contain the Rovers and by and large were successful until the 72nd minute when Chris Clements conceded a totally unnecessary penalty which Collins easily converted in Josh Griffith's right hand corner.
Spurred on by this success the Rovers threw everything at Cheltenham whose players seemed to get deeper and deeper as the pressure became more and more intense.
Although no real clear cut chance materialised those last 18 minutes were a lifetime as Cheltenham defended desperately; not helped by time added on amounting to 7 extra minutes.
The better side lost the game but, at least the local derby hoodoo has been put to rest for the time being.