FEARLESS PEREZ SEEING DOUBLE
Bandaged striker shrugs off wound to net brace for injury-hit Magpies
PATCHED-UP Newcastle limped into the round three draw as Rafa Benitez was left with an injury headache.
Ayoze Perez – his ear heavily bandaged – scored his first goals for almost six months to make it three wins in a week for the resurgent Geordies.
But progress came at a cost as the Tynesiders lost Rolando Aarons to a hamstring problem and Aleksandar Mitrovic with a gashed head before half-time.
The recalled striker’s replacement Dwight Gayle was taken off with his head strapped after another bruising aerial duel.
Grant Hanley limped through the second-half with a groin problem but, despite his own knock, Perez pounced on the loose ball to curl a stunning 18-yard opener into the top corner on the stroke of half-time.
It came from the striker’s first touch after returning from having a wound to his ear bandaged.
But Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson was furious Perez had been allowed back onto the pitch opposite the Robins’ penalty area, in the run-up to the dead lock breaking strike, and not at the halfway line as usual protocols state.
After launching the campaign with back-to-back defeats, it was another encouraging result for Newcastle, who will hold an injury roll-call ahead of Saturday’s visit by promotion rivals Brighton.
With Watford and West Ham target Daryl Janmaat again absent, Benitez made eight changes.
The Championship title favourites were pushed hard by the Robins, who made the early running with midfielder Harry Pell forcing a save from Karl Darlow.
The visitors carved out an even better chance midway through the first-half when Danny Wright miscued a shot across the face of goal from 15 yards, as he met Jordan Cranston’s centre unmarked at the back post.
Cranston was a constant threat, and Billy Waters was inches from touching home the winger’s inviting cross as the Robins grew in confidence.
But they fell behind as Perez stemmed his 13-game goal drought with a confident first-time finish as the interval approached.
The contest was as good as over when the Spaniard doubled the advantage 75 seconds after the restart, rolling the ball into an empty net from an assist by Gayle, who intercepted a weak backpass from Easah Suliman.
Perez should really have had a hat-trick, but was denied by the legs of Cheltenham keeper Russell Griffiths, before shooting badly over late on.