FODEN BY A HEAD
For 10 whole minutes, Duff’s Cheltenham dared, deserved, to dream... but then City’s thoroughbred arrived to drive them past the winning post BRITAIN’S BEST COLUMNIST FROM THE JONNY-ROCKS STADIUM
WHEN referee Stuart Attwell awarded an early corner to the home team, manager Michael Duff turned to the sprinkling of directors allowed into the Jonny-Rocks Stadium and celebrated with a double fist-pump. Maybe he just wanted to enjoy every minor triumph.
Some time later, his thoughts must have been drifting towards the possibility of revelling in THE moment of his career, playing or managerial. He was little over 10 minutes away from outwitting one of the 21st century’s most celebrated coaches.
He was little over 10 minutes away from the most remarkable of FA Cup results.
He was little over 10 minutes away from a success that would not have been ill-deserved.
But then up stepped class, up stepped brilliance, up stepped a player on a different level to anyone else on the field, never mind the League Two personnel.
Phil Foden’s simple run and volleyed equaliser was quickly followed by goals from Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres, but there was much more to the England midfielder’s performance than his invaluable goal.
His vision would have seen gaps in any defence, his touch deceived any opponent, his movement foxed the most accomplished foe.
In the ranks of Manchester City’s most important players, Foden is ascending fast.
He was certainly their outstanding performer in a thoroughly enjoyable cup tie that ended in a scoreline that was painfully harsh on Cheltenham.
The temptation had been to dismiss this as some sort of rags against riches rigmarole. Yes, of course, this
was a David-Goliath scenario, but it was not as though Pep Guardiola’s team were taking on a motley collection of part-timers.
As if we needed reminding, Cheltenham gave a performance that highlighted the quality that runs deep in the English game. As Premier League clubs import talent from near, far and wide, there is a trickle-down effect.
Quite simply, very good players are having to drop further down the pyramid in search of regular first-team football.
The standard of modernday League Two is way above the standard of the old Third Division. As is the standard of surface.
No messing around with a deliberately scuffed surface here, no long grass, no old school nonsense.
This was a great showcase for the professionalism of a smashing club. And it was certainly a showcase for manager Duff, who had his team superbly set up to counter the obvious challenges posed by whatever team Guardiola fields.
Not that Duff was ever going to park the bus.
When he was not straying offside – which was not often enough, as it happened – Alfie May was a more than moderate threat.
Defending, though, was always going to be on the top of Cheltenham’s to-do list.
And no one did it better than captain Ben Tozer, whose headed goal line clearance from Benjamin Mendy’s first-half rocket should make any end-ofcompetition highlights reel. It was remarkable.
Almost as remarkable as Tozer’s long throw, which caused a couple of first-half moments of panic in City ranks.
But the long throw does not define the way Cheltenham play, it is merely a useful tool to be used now and again. And just how useful was underlined in spectacular fashion when Cheltenham took that lead early in the second half, as May converted from close range after Tozer launched one.
And for 20 minutes or so, the dream result edged towards unlikely reality.
But up stepped Foden with a cushioned volley and Jesus and Torres exposed exhausted limbs.
Not for the first time at Cheltenham, the outsider had been collared with the winning post in sight.
And, in Foden, the hot favourites had a thoroughbred to thank.
Duff was 10 minutes from outwitting one of the best coaches of the 21st century
YOU WERE AMAYZING Manager Duff congratulates
scorer May