Robins waiting on news of injured pair
Blair and Sercombe are forced off in Colchester draw,
CHELTENHAM Town finished 2020 with a 0-0 draw at Colchester United - but could have lost two key players to injury.
The point leaves Michael Duff’s side fourth in the League Two table and they were the better side at the JobServe Community Stadium, but failed to make their superiority count.
The main cause for concern for Duff was the loss of right wing-back Matty Blair and midfielder Liam Sercombe to first-half injuries.
Blair went off after only 10 minutes with a hamstring problem, with Tom Sang coming on, while Sercombe was replaced by Ellis Chapman at half-time with a knee injury.
Alfie May had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside decision, while there were also several shouts for a penalty turned down.
Kwame Poku hit the post in the second half for Colchester with their best effort.
It means Cheltenham have scored once in six matches in all competitions since putting five past Exeter City on December 5.
“I thought it was an excellent performance and we could have had three or four penalties to be perfectly honest,” said Duff.
“When one of their players walks off saying ‘I think you could have had one’...so I thought the lads were let down by the referee.
“Colchester are a good team and I thought to have so much of the ball and so many good chances - there is a pressure within that and people do have to score goals, but I’ll take that performance every day of the week.
“They hit the outside of the post from outside the box, but I don’t think it ever looked like it was going in. If you break the game down on chances alone, we were the better team.
“In the last five games we’ve had a couple of decent ones and one poor performance at Barrow.
“The thing I was disappointed with on Saturday was the physical nature we didn’t provide, but I thought we looked a strong, organised, powerful unit today.
“We weren’t at our best against Stevenage, but people forget at 1-0 up we had a perfectly good goal disallowed to make it 2-0.
“When you are talking about things not quite going for us at the minute, that’s what I mean.
“Hitting the bar a couple of times and having one cleared off the line at Salford - we are not moaning about it, but they are facts.”
Sang performed well in his 80 minutes on the field after replacing Blair, and Duff said: “Courtney Senior coming on is one of the best players in this league one v one and he dealt with him well and he delivered some good balls in the box as well. I am really pleased for Sangy.”
Next up for Cheltenham is a trip to Harrogate Town on Saturday.
Duff said: “It’s the relentlessness of the league at the moment and it’s hard to say we’ll build momentum in a positive way as it’s so stop start at the minute.
“Every team seems to be getting beaten and every team is dropping points.
“It’s another point on the board and keeps the scoreboard turning over, so that’s what we’ll be focusing on - looking to replicate another performance but if it isn’t, finding a way to win the game.”
Colchester United: Gerken, Welch-hayes, Smith, Sowunmi, Clampin, Chilvers (Cowan-hall 85), Lapslie, Stevenson, Folivi (Senior 25), Poku (Bohui 78), Norris. Subs not used: Tchamadeu, Cracknell, Brown, George.
Cheltenham Town: Griffiths; Raglan, Tozer, Boyle; Blair (Sang 10), Clements, Azaz, Sercombe (Chapman 46), Hussey; May, Lloyd (Williams 82). Subs not used: Bowry, Reid, Freestone, Harris.
Referee: D Rock
Star Man: Chris Hussey.