DUFF WARY OF CHASING PACK
CHELTENHAM may have maintained their slender one-point lead at the top of the table, but boss Michael Duff is anxiously looking over his shoulder as the chasing pack look to haul them in.
“The big teams in the league are all starting to put runs together,” the Robins manager admitted.
“We can’t affect anyone else and our points total will decide where we are. The players don’t need to worry about results, they need to worry about performances. My job is to worry about the results.”
Sean Long headed in a trademark Ben Tozer long throw which was launched into the six-yard box and Long, timing his run to perfection, headed home.
There was almost a second midway through the half when hesitancy from Salford defender Ashley Eastham allowed Alfie May to nip in and clip the ball past keeper Vaclav Hladky, but also past the far post.
Cheltenham did double their advantage after 42 minutes when Matty Blair darted down the right and fizzed in a low cross which Hladky could only push into the path of Sercombe who forced the ball over the line from six yards.
The visitors offered little in the opening half, their best chance a 25-yard freekick over the target from Ash Hunter, and boss Richie Wellens made a triple change at the break.
And it was one of those substitutes Emmanuel Dieseruvwe who thought he had halved the deficit after 72 minutes only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Duff added: “We gave up the ball a bit more today than we normally do.
“It was a conscious decision that we didn’t want to open the pitch up and give them spaces to try and play through you.
“That’s why we camped in and the second goal comes from sitting in and hitting them on the break.
“They had all the ball in the second half, but we had the two or three big chances in the half. It looked a little bit more like us today.
“They brought a big man on at the end, which caused a few problems, but they have not opened us up, which is very pleasing.”
Disappointed Salford boss Richie Wellens admitted his side paid the price for a dismal first-half showing and deserved nothing.
He said: “We started really badly and never really recovered. We made three subs at half-time.
@They made an impact and we improved but the ship had already sailed.
“At the minute we are nowhere near it. We’ve not scored goals – we’ve created loads of chances in the last five or six games but our goals return has been very poor. Our strikers need to step up. If we don’t win games then we won’t achieve anything.
“It is the manner of the defeat which is worrying.” CHELTENHAM TOWN: Griffiths 6, Long 8, Tozer 8, Freestone 7, Blair 7, Sercombe 7, Thomas 7, Wright 7 (Chapman 83, 6), Hussey 6, Smith 7 (Azaz 88), May 6 (Williams 84, 6). Subs not used: Flinders, Horton, Chamberlain, Vassilev. SALFORD CITY: Hladky 6, Bernard 5 (James 45. 6), Eastham 6, Turnbull, Hunter 6, Lowe 6, Threlkeld 6, Touray 5, Wilson 6 (Dieseruvwe 45, 6), Gotts 6 (Thomas-Asante 45, 6), Henderson 5. Subs not used: Burgess, Evans, Loughlin, Hawkins.