DUFF WANTS EVEN MORE!
‘We need to take chances’
CHELTENHAM manager Michael Duff saw his side return to the top of League Two after a narrow win at home to in-form Leyton Orient – but still wants more from him strikers going into the final weeks of the season.
A first-half Conor Thomas penalty was all that separated the sides with the Robins guilty of squandering a number of chances.
Duff said: “I thought we were good value for the win. [Goalkeeper] Josh [Griffiths] has had one thing to do in 95 minutes and we have had some unbelievable chances.
“We talked about it last week and the week before, but we need to be more clinical with the amount of chances we are creating. That should have been more comfortable in my opinion.
“I might be putting pressure on them, but I’ve just said to the centre-forwards – and the midfielders – that the back five are having to live on a knifeedge all the time because they cannot make a mistake. If we want to go on and achieve what we want then we are not going to create that many chances in every game.
“The penalty was a big moment, but I thought Conor, to be fair to him, was the coolest man in the ground. It is a definite skill and something he is very good at.”
The win lifted Cheltenham back to the top and seven points clear of fourth-placed Tranmere, but Duff refused to get carried away. He added: “Once you start thinking the finish line is coming then you trip up, and that’s what we can’t afford. That was a difficult game so I’m really pleased with the performance.”
Those missed chances were there for all to witness early on. Striker Andy Williams and defender Charlie Raglan were off target inside the opening 15 minutes as the home side looked to turn their dominance into goals.
The first chance came after just nine minutes when Williams headed just wide and five minutes later it was Raglan’s turn to just miss the target before the only goal came after 31 minutes.
Williams was involved in the incident that led to what
turned out to be the winner , racing on to a long ball hoisted into the Orient area only to be clattered by keeper Lawrence Vigouroux, leaving referee Thomas Bramall with no option but to award Cheltenham the spotkick which Thomas converted.
Chris Hussey squandered another great chance for the home side soon after the goal before the tireless Callum Wright was denied early in the second half by a goal-saving block from Jamie Turley.
The visitors’ only real effort came after 55 minutes, a delightful Dan Kemp free-kick which Danny Johnson headed goalwards only for Griffiths to deny him with an excellent reflex save.
Five minutes later it was Vigouroux earning the plaudits when he dived to his right to claw away a well-struck Liam Sercombe drive.
The remainder of the game saw the visitors dominate possession only to come up against a solid Cheltenham defence as their seven-match unbeaten run came to an end.
Orient boss Jobi McAnuff said: “It was a tough afternoon.
They are a very difficult team to break down.
“They have a tight solid back five and the three lads in front give them great protection so there is not a lot of space to play through.
“It was a poor goal from our point of view. When you are coming to a tough place like this, to concede a goal like that was difficult for us to take and from their point of view they are resolute.
“In the second half we were better and on the front foot, spending most of the half in their half but we certainly didn’t create enough good opportunities for the possession we had.
“We know what we have to do in terms of performances and points we have to pick up between now and the end of the season. We have been on a good run and we need to put another one together.”
CHELTENHAM: Griffiths 7, Long 7, Tozer 7, Raglan 7, Blair 7, Wright 6 (Azaz 81, 6), Thomas 7, Sercombe 7, Hussey 8 , Williams 6 (Smith 66, 6), May 6 (Lloyd 89). Subs not used: Flinders, Freestone, Chapman, Vassilev.
LEYTON ORIENT: Vigouroux 5, Ling 6, Turley 6, Happe 6, Widdowson 6 (Abrahams 56, 6), Clay 6 (Freeman 80, 6), Kyprianou 6, Wilkinson 6, Kemp 7, Brophy 7, Johnson 6. Subs not used: Sargeant, Coulson, McAnuff, Dennis, Akinola.