Another record Club’s highest finish guaranteed despite home loss
CHELTENHAM Town went down 2-1 to Bolton Wanderers in their final home match of the season. Despite the defeat, the Robins are now guaranteed their highest ever finish, beating the achievements of John Ward’s team of 2006/07, who finished 17th.
Bolton opened up a 2-0 lead in the second half with goals from Kieran Sadlier and substitute Amadou Bakayoko, who converted from the penalty spot after Lewis Freestone was adjudged to have fouled Dapo Afolyan.
Aaron Ramsey pulled one back for Cheltenham with the first Football League goal of his career, but Cheltenham could not finish a leveller and they travel to Cambridge United on Saturday in 15th place.
Cheltenham were the better side in the first half, with Alfie May being denied a goal by a fine save from goalkeeper James Trafford - and boss Michael Duff felt his side were hard done by with the penalty decision.
“In the first half we had good chances. We need to score those chances,” he said.
“The penalty has been a key decision in the game and it’s not a penalty.
“Lewis (Freestone) has been fouled and he’s fallen onto their lad, so it was a foul on their lad, but the first foul is on Lewis and it ends up being a key decision in the game.
“They were better than us second half, no doubt, but a corner and a very dubious penalty, for all their good play and they are a good team.
“A couple of big chances in the first half against these big teams, you need to try and take them.”
On the May chance, Duff handed the credit to goalkeeper Trafford.
“The keeper has made a brilliant save,” said Duff.
“He is going the wrong way and he’s dived down to his left and kept them in the game.
“The first half was a good half of football, with both teams playing well. We kept the ball, moved the ball and for whatever reason, we stopped passing the ball.
“It was too slow, ponderous and I can’t put my finger on why that happened because the information was exactly the same for the first half to the second half.
“We never got going in the second half. The frustration is that when the second goal does go in, we are trying to change shape.
“We have seen that quite a lot earlier in the season because you can feel it coming.
“It’s a shame to end the season like that, but if we’d played like we did in the first half, it would have been a good end to the season at home, even if we’d lost 2-1. There is always a bit of a bitter taste at the end.
“We have lost our last two games and people will say we are rubbish, but that’s football.
“Take the broader look at it and this is the toughest this league has been.
“The stats tell you that and 75 points would get you in the play-offs for the last 12 years and I don’t know what sixth place are on now, but you are going to have to get 80 points plus.
“If they are all getting that many points, it shows you it’s harder to get
points in the bottom half of the league, so to do that, we have done great.”
Cheltenham Town: Flinders; Long, Pollock, Boyle; Lloyd (Brown 82), Bonds, Sercombe (Ramsey 86), Wright, Freestone; May, Etete (Williams 82). Subs not used: Evans, Raglan, Hutchinson, Chapman.
Bolton Wanderers: Trafford; Jones, Aimson, Johnston, John; Sadlier (Bakayoko 69), Williams (Dempsey 46), Morley, Afolayan; Bodvarsson, Charles (Kachunga 69). Subs not used: Dixon, Amaechi, Baptiste, Gordon.
Referee: Neil Hair.
Attendance: 5,228 (1,378 away).