Predictable end but Duff can be proud of his start in management
Jon Palmer reflects on a disappointing end to Cheltenham Town’s League Two campaign as they lost 2-0 at Stevenage
» Apredictable result
Bearing in mind Cheltenham Town’s away record and their previous League Two results at Stevenage, it was no surprise to see the home team run out comfortable winners.
Kurtis Guthrie gave the Robins’ defence an uncomfortable time and had a penalty saved by Scott Flinders after he had been brought down by Ben Tozer in the 14th minute.
Cheltenham only forced Paul Farman into one meaningful save, when Jacob Maddox teed up Kevin Dawson 10 minutes before half-time.
Stevenage eventually took the lead in the 56th minute through Joe Martin after a corner was not dealt with and less than three minutes later it was 2-0.
Flinders rolled the ball to Will Boyle, who was caught in possession by Jordan Gibson and he was able to fire past Flinders unopposed as Stevenage made it five home wins in a row over Cheltenham.
» Players’ futures will now begin to become clearer
Luke Varney, Alex Addai, Chris Clements and Scott Flinders have all signed new deals.
Kevin Dawson has been offered an extended contract and there is no doubt that Ryan Broom and Nigel Atangana will also be mulling over terms.
Young goalkeeper Rhys Lovett is also likely to be kept on to continue his development.
It appears that Tyrone Barnett, Rakish Bingham, Jordon Forster and Matt Bower will be looking elsewhere this summer.
Of the five loan players, Cheltenham will want to try and persuade Charlie Raglan and Billy Waters to join on a permanent basis.
Boss Michael Duff has 15 players contracted next season: Flinders, Varney, Addai, Clements, Sean Long, Chris Hussey, Ben Tozer, Johnny Mullins, Conor Thomas, Manny Duku, Liam Mcalinden, Tom Smith, Will Boyle, Josh Debayo and George Lloyd.
He has confirmed that some of those 15 players have been told they have no future at the club and is likely to be looking for a central defender, a combative midfielder and two forwards ahead of his first full season in charge.
» A fine gesture from the manager at the end of a season of progress
Duff strode over to the supporters’ coaches after the final whistle to thank the fans for their loyal backing this term.
He also vowed that the away form would improve next season after taking only four points from their final 10 matches on the road.
Duff added that with everyone pulling together, the club will continue to move forward.
He can look back with pride on his start to life as a manager.
His task was to keep the club in the Football League and in the end, Cheltenham finished 16 points clear of the bottom two and 14 off the play-offs their highest finish and points total in League Two since 2012/13.
» Newport County a shining example
Newport’s 1-1 draw at Morecambe on Saturday was enough to book them a place in the play-offs, despite having one of the smallest budgets in the Football League.
The Exiles have ended this season above clubs with budgets twice as big and take on the division’s biggest spenders, Mansfield Town, in the semifinals.
They have enjoyed high profile FA Cup ties against Tottenham, Leicester, Middlesbrough and Manchester City in the past two seasons, which have gone a long towards keeping the club afloat after making a loss of £351,456 during the 2016/17 season.
Cheltenham’s wage bill is going to be cut for 2019/20, but Newport have shown what can be done with careful recruitment and a magnificent team spirit.
» Next season’s League Two line-up taking shape
Cheltenham will have a new Football League opponent next season, with AFC Fylde or Salford City coming up via the National League play-offs to join champions Leyton Orient in the fourth tier.
Sol Campbell’s Macclesfield Town escaped the drop against the odds on Saturday, condemning Notts County to non-league football for the first time alongside Yeovil Town.
Coming down from League One will be Plymouth, Walsall, Scunthorpe and Bradford City - and it is already shaping up to be a highly competitive division