Back to reality

Yes, it is really true...

We all hoped, and we all dreamed, but ultimately it wasn't to be.

Our Rubies had their little moments - Kaid Mohamed's run in the first 10 seconds, Russ Penn and Marlon Pack's half-chances, Junior Smikle's nutmeg of Danny Rose among the best - but the Premier League quality shone through.
Yes, Spurs made 10 changes from the side which had beaten West Brom last week, but I suspect if that was their first choice 11, it would comfortably hold its own in the top flight.
Eight full internationals, and three under-21s (Carlo Cudicini has one Italian cap at that level it seems) tells its' own story, and they were just quicker in speed and thought.

The Ruby Army filling up the South Stand

They were clinical too - it was credit to us that they only had two real chances in the first half, and they took them both, with Roman Pavlyuchenko's goal the real killer.
We kept our shape well, showed good discipline and didn't resort to kicking them and hoofing the ball up the field - we tried to stick to our normal game but were not able to impose it on them.

The pre-match line-up

 Our build-up play was neat and tidy, but they were happy to stand off and wait for the errors, and we just couldn't find that killer pass or telling cross that could really have opened them up.
Kaid was probably our best hope for that - he had some decent runs and again it was just that final decision which went awry.
At the other end, Scott Brown made some fantastic saves in the second half, the back four gave as good as they got against their pace and movement of Jermain Defoe, Pav, Aaron Lennon and Giovani, and our midfield competed well.

The press box view of White Hart Lane with the South
Stand packed full of the 5000 strong Ruby Army

The fans were superb - from my vantage point, about four rows behind Harry Redknapp (!!), they made great noise and kept their backing for the players throughout.

Yatesy talks to BBC Gloucestershire post match

It was a great day out. From arriving at the racecourse at 9am, with the tractor bedecked in balloons and the lines of coaches in convoy down the M40 and M25, it was great to see everyone enjoying the occasion.

... and Harry Redknapp faces
the media 

OK, so we didn't win, or get that money-spinning replay, but we can hold our heads high and, I think, say we gave it a decent shot and did not disgrace ourselves.
So we go back to the main aim - promotion from League Two, and Aldershot next week.

Player by player
Scott Brown - the national press gave him the man of the match, and he made some superb saves in the second half especially. No chance with any of the goals.
Sido Jombati - Will have done his reputation no harm. Held his own against pace of Lennon and Giovani.
Luke Garbutt - Wanted to prove he could play against top players, and did well. One moment when he took a corner, then a few seconds later won a tackle in our box showed his pace.
Alan Bennett - Good as ever, and made some brilliant interceptions and clearances.
Steve Elliott - Superb game, and very unlucky to deflect the third goal over Scott Brown's head.
Russ Penn - If only he had taken that chance at 2-0, then who knows... but had a decent game nonetheless.
Luke Summerfield - My man of the match for us. Was everywhere in the first half especially and looked to drive us on.
Marlon Pack - Quiet game by his standards but Spurs had him tightly marked and had obviously picked him as the danger man.
Josh Low - Disappointing game, and in hindsight I might have played Duffy or Spencer out wide, or given Junior a run.
Kaid Mohamed - Good game - tried to run at them every chance he got and had them worried on occasions. Just that final ball...
Jimmy Spencer - Frustrating afternoon for Jimmy as he did not get much service and had to go looking for the ball, but the experience will do him good in the long run.

Substitutes
Junior Smikle (for Josh Low 58) - Good display from Junior (despite the lime green boots...). He will want a DVD of his nutmeg of Danny Rose! Pushing for a start against Aldershot after last two substitute appearances.
Darryl Duffy (for Jimmy Spencer 62) - Surprised he didn't start, as top scorer and penalty taker (you never know...). Like Junior he improved the team when he came on and hope he starts on Saturday.
Jeff Goulding (for Russ Penn 77) - Won a couple of headers and set up Marlon's late chance.

For my full album of photos from White Hart Lane click the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150472334353589.368056.634768588&type=1&l=0474c2c0d3

To dare is to do

Audere est facere is the motto of Tottenham Hotspur, who will line up on one half of White Hart Lane in approximately 17 hours time on one of the biggest days in the history of Cheltenham Town.
Translated, it means to dare is to do - and that could adequately sum up the attitude needed by our ruby-clad boys tomorrow.
Can we win? Of course. Will we win? Probably not, but there is nothing wrong with dreaming.
If we don't carry that belief with us, there is no point in boarding the 56 coaches, trains and cars which will carry us to North London, is there?
I have that belief. My excitement has been growing all week, watching Twitter and Facebook buzzing with people getting tickets, transport, balloons, scarves and everything else sorted.
In my book, this game is right up there, Wembley 1998, Rushden and Yeovil 1999, West Brom and Cardiff 2002 Newcastle and Cardiff 06 - this one joins the list.
On paper, Spurs will be much stronger than us, we all know that.
Even their likely so-called second string side of Gomes, Fredericks, Bassong, Dawson, Rose, Krancjar, Livermore, Carroll, Pienaar, Giovani and Pavlyuchenko includes seven full internationals.
The other four are young English players with a point to prove - but somewhere, there will be an upset tomorrow, and why can't it be us?
But let's face it, the result is the least important thing about tomorrow's game.
In the grand scheme of things for Cheltenham Town this season, it is the least important game we will play.
Call me unambitious if you want, but if we lose 5-0, so what. Everyone will say we were expected to - the bookies certainly think so - and whatever happens the 5,000-strong Ruby Army will still applaud the team off the field.
It is a showcase. A chance for players, club and fans to show what our club is about, and then count the money afterwards.
The week has been fantastic. Everywhere you look, people have been talking about Cheltenham Town.
The national papers have been writing about us, the national TV channels and radio stations have been talking about us - driving to work this morning, I turned on Five Live and Mark Yates' voice came back at me.
This is our shop window, and it's also a chance for 2-3,000 people who do not usually watch us to join our happy band and - hopefully - catch the bug and keep coming back for more.
I hope no one is going to London tomorrow expecting us to win. I'm not. I am hoping this is the one in 100 chance that we could win.
Spurs need to have an off day, and our lads need to have the game of their lives, then we can win.
They have nothing to lose, they can go out there, play without fear and just do us proud.
They need to ignore the reputations of those in white, conquer the inevitable nerves and reproduce some of their football from Southend, Crawley or Oxford. Then it might happen.
All week I have been asked what the score will be, and my answer has always been the same - if we win, wonderful, if we draw, brilliant, if we lose, never mind.
A goal would be nice, but overall it's about our club having it's day in the spotlight.
Enjoy it, savour it.
Days like this don't happen very often.

Cup glory - or the lack of it...

Tottenham Hotspur v Cheltenham Town. I shall keep saying it over and over until it finally sinks in.
In 48 hours time, we will be reflecting on a great day, either hideously drunk in celebration of an upset, hideously drunk and awaiting a money-spinning replay, or hideously drunk as we get ready to concentrate on the promotion push.
Whatever emotion it is, we will be proud of the players' efforts and will have savoured one of the greatest days our club has ever seen.
But it was not always that way, and this game has given me the time to go down memory lane, raid my programme box and recall a time when our FA Cup fortunes were not so good, thanks to Trevor Senior, Matt Lazenby, Chris Yates and Chris Souness.
Who? Well, yes, you might well ask, but they all made me thoroughly miserable in the 1980s.
For less than 30 years ago - reaching the first round of the FA Cup (let alone round three...) was, for us Robins fans, the Holy Grail.
In fact, the final qualifying round was something we very rarely managed.
We got that far, in 1981-2, but an 18-year-old whizzkid called Trevor Senior knocked us out with a hat-trick in Dorchester's 3-1 win en route to a successful career at Reading and a disastrous spell at Watford (I think it was karma...).
The following season, we were even closer o that promised land of the first round proper. I remember the conga on the pitch at Thame United after Jimmy Gough's last minute winner, then we demolished Gloucester 5-1 and beat Trowbridge after a replay.

Weymouth v Cheltenham Town
replay programme

In our way then stood Weymouth. They were a big club - in the Alliance Premier League (Conference to you and me...) and we drew 0-0 at home in front of 1,805 - a big crowd then - and I remember bunking off English for the replay (sorry Mum).

Windsor and Eton v Cheltenham programme

We lost 4-0, well beaten on the night, and we thought, OK, maybe next year...
But we failed again in 1983-4 as well. Glastonbury, Bridgend and Barry Town were the vanquished giants as we headed for Stag Meadow, the home of Isthmian Leaguers Windsor and Eton.
We were in the Southern Premier by now, and they were managed by the soon-to-be Woking legend Geoff Chapple, and it was a scrappy game, heading for a replay until disaster struck, John Murphy stood on the ball and Chris Yates scored the winner.
That was made worse when Windsor drew Bournemouth in the first round. They lost, and two rounds later, on this corresponding weekend 27 years ago, Bournemouth beat then-holders Manchester United 2-0. It could have been us...
Bournemouth's manager that day? Harry Redknapp. An omen? who knows...
I'm glossing over 1984-5 as we got hammered at Merthyr, but the following two seasons really represent the nadir of our FA Cup fortunes during my Robins-watching time.
1985-6 was our first season in the Gola League (still the Conference to most of you...) and this was going to be our time - the FA Cup run was going to happen.
We were drawn at Minehead, of the Western League, and I remember watching us run out at Irnham Road, slightly concerned at the sight of Brian Hughes, our star goalscoring midfielder and now manager of Cirencester, in the goalkeeper's kit...

The Bideford programme

The programmes from our defeat
by Minehead, first game and replay

He only played a half in goal as Neil Hards' car broke down, but Matt Lazenby scored and only a very late own goal by Alan Impey earned us a very fortuitous replay. Never mind, we would do the job this time.
Er, no. We wouldn't actually, as Lazenby scored twice at Whaddon Road and we were out. Again.
The following season was worse as we lost 4-3 at home to Bideford, another Western League side, with Chris Souness scoring twice. That defeat was made worse when I later went to work in Plymouth and Souey became a good friend of mine, along with another Bideford player that day, John Hillson, and they constantly reminded me about it.
The following season we cracked it - thanks to a bloke called Brett Angell, who gave us a memorable day at Wolves - well, for about a minute after scoring a cracker. Then Steve Bull scored a hat-trick and some blond winger called Keith Downing got one as we were well beaten 5-1.
But it didn't matter. We had cracked the first round of the FA Cup at last - but we came down with a bump the following season as Gloucester City beat us 3-0.
We went through the '90s towards our arrival in the Football League with those epic games against Exmouth Town, a narrow loss at Birmingham and replay defeats against Bournemouth and Peterborough, and more recently those Newcastle, Fulham, Burnley, Oldham and West Brom games have given us some good memories to savour.
More will be made on Saturday at White Hart Lane, and I will enjoy it as I am sure every Cheltenham fan will - but I will tip a nod towards Lazenby, Souness, Yates and Senior, who upset the odds against us back then and wondering if there is a hero amongst our lads waiting to be crowned...

Where are they now???

As you all know, I love my stats, and have been wanting to do this for a while.
Thanks to my good friend Phil Ruck, this is a list of all players who have appeared for Cheltenham Town in the Football League, and where they are now (as at Jan 3, 2012).
The list is in order of the number of Football League starts they made/have made for the club
Any mistakes/omissions/new information gratefully received.

VICTORY, JAMIE - Cheltenham Town's Under-16 coach.
HIGGS, SHANE - Northampton Town
BIRD, DAVID - still at the club
FINNIGAN, JOHN - Shortwood United, works at Winchcombe School
DUFF, MICHAEL - Burnley
YATES, MARK - manager, Cheltenham Town FC (!!)
McCANN, GRANT - Peterborough United
DUFF, SHANE - not playing at the moment, at Hartpury College and working for PA at games.
GILL, JERRY - head of Kidderminster Harriers' Academy
BOOK, STEVEN - Cheltenham Town goalkeeping coach and occasional FA Cup sub
DEVANEY, MARTIN - Tranmere Rovers
BROWN, SCOTT - still at the club
TOWNSEND, MICHAEL - Hereford United
ALSOP, JULIAN - Carmarthen Town (made sub appearance v Aberystwyth, 2/1/2012!!)
SPENCER, DAMIAN - no club (released by Grimsby, Jan 2012)
HOWELLS, LEE - Assistant manager, Bath City
BANKS, CHRISTOPHER - physio, Stoke City
MELLIGAN, JOHN - Solihull Moors
CAINES, GAVIN - Eastwood Town
WILSON, BRIAN - Colchester United
GALLINAGH, ANDREW - still at club
MILTON, RUSSELL - Centre of Excellence Manager, Cheltenham Town FC/Under-15 coach
HOWARTH, NEIL- assistant manager, Cheltenham Town FC
ODEJAYI, KAYODE - Colchester United
LOW, JOSHUA- still at club
ARMSTRONG, CRAIG - player-coach, Hucknall Town
BROUGH, JOHN - Head of Youth, Cheltenham Town FC
GUINAN, STEVEN - Kidderminster Harriers, works at Hartpury College
GRAYSON, NEIL - Carlton Town
McAULEY, HUGH - director of the Innovation Group, a customised luxury car sourcing company
GRIFFIN, ANTONY -
WALKER, RICHARD - works for a car dealership in Nottingham
GILLESPIE, STEVEN - Colchester United
NAYLOR, TONY -
ANDREW, DANNY - still at club
ELLIOTT, STEVEN - still at club
LOWE, KEITH - still at club
FREEMAN, MARK -
RIDLEY, LEE - Gainsborough Trinity
POOK, MICHAEL - Maidenhead United
PACK, MARLON - still at club
WRIGHT, ALAN - centre of excellence coach, Blackpool
CONNOR, PAUL - Gainsborough Trinity
VINCENT, ASHLEY - Colchester United
DIALLO, DRISSA - returned to France
GOULDING, JEFF - still at club
WILLIAMS, LEE - assistant manager, Leamington
LINDEGAARD, ANDREW - Director of Dymond Strength, a fitness company
THOMAS, WESLEY - Bournemouth
RICHARDS, JUSTIN - Burton Albion
SMIKLE, BRIAN - still at club
ARTUS, FRANCIS - Grimsby Town
HAYLES, BARRY - Truro City
BRAYSON, PAUL - Harrogate Town
HAMMOND, ELVIS - Woking
RUSSELL, ALEX - Bath City
FORSYTH, RICHARD - PE teacher at North East Wolverhampton Academy
EASTHAM, ASHLEY - Blackpool
RILEY, MARTIN - Mansfield
BENNETT, ALAN - still at club
MOHAMED, KAID - still at club
WESTLAKE, IAN - Montreal Impact (MLS expansion team)
TAYLOR, BOB
PENN, RUSS - still at club
HUTTON, DAVID - Boreham Wood
TAYLOR, MICHAEL - Chester
SPENCER, JAMES - still at club
SUMMERFIELD, LUKE - still at club
LEWIS, THEO - still at club
OWUSU, LLOYD - no club (last club Barnet)
THORNHILL, MATT - no club (released by Hibernian, Jan 2012)
FYFE, GRAHAM - lives in Australia
DUFFY, DARRYL - still at club
BROOKER, STEVE - no club (last club Doncaster)
CONNOLLY, ADAM - Bath City
JOMBATI, SIDO - still at club
SINCLAIR, DEAN - Arlesey Town (on loan from Hayes and Yeading)
JONES, DARREN - Aldershot Town
D'AGOSTINO, MICHAEL - Sportfruende Seigen (Germany)
ELITO, MEDY - Dagenham and Redbridge
KENTON, DARREN - Rochester Rhinos
BROWN, SCOTT - no club (last club Morecambe)
GARBUTT, LUKE - still at club
MURRAY, SCOTT - Bath City
MYRIE-WILLIAMS, JENNISON - Stevenage (on loan to Port Vale)
BELL, MICKEY - manager, Clevedon Town
BUTLAND, JACK - Birmingham City
BROWN, MARVIN - Chippenham Town
AMANKWAAH, KEVIN - Rochdale (signed Jan 2012)
LABADIE, JOSS - Tranmere Rovers
GOODRIDGE, GREG
GREEN, MATT - Mansfield Town
SERTORI, MARK- masseur to the England national team
KEOGH, RICHARD - Coventry City
WESTWOOD, CHRIS - Wrexham
PAYNE, JOSH - Oxford United (on loan at Aldershot, Jan 2012)
HAYNES, KYLE - Hednesford Town
WHITE, JASON
WATKINS, MARLEY - Bath City
BIGNALL, NICHOLAS - Reading
HENRY, KARL - Wolves
MORGAN, ALAN - Musselburgh Athletic
MacDONALD, CHARLES - MK Dons
COZIC, BERTRAND - retired May 2011 (last club Exeter City)
JONES, STEVE - assistant manager, Bishop's Cleeve
ANTONIO, MICHAIL - Reading
PIPE, DAVID - Newport County
LESCOTT, AARON - Halesowen Town
MUGGLETON, CARL - assistant manager, Notts County
BERCHICHE, YURI - Real Union (Spain)
MARSHALL, BEN - Stoke City (loan at Sheffield Wednesday)
FLEETWOOD, STUART - Luton Town
BLOOMER, ROBERT - works for the Football League
FREESTONE, CHRIS
O'LEARY, KRISTIAN - manager, Neath FC
BRISSETT, JASON
MONTROSE, LEWIS - Gillingham
SHROOT, ROBIN - Stevenage
CONSTANTINE, LEON - Boston United
WATKINS, DALE
WYLDE, MICHAEL - Cambridge United
WESOLOWSKI, JAMES - Oldham Athletic
EYJOLFSSON, HOLMAR ORN - VfL Bochum (Germany)
CLARE, DARYL - released by Cambridge, October 2011
BOZANIC, OLIVER - Central Coast Mariners (Australian A-League)
JEFFERS, SHAUN - Coventry City
THOMSON, JAKE - Forest Green Rovers
HAYES, JONATHAN - Inverness Caledonian Thistle
STRONG, GREG - player/manager, Rhyl
ROSA, DENES - Ferencvaros
ROSE, MICHAEL - Colchester United
JONES, MARK
BROWN, AARON - Darlington
IWELUMO, CHRIS - Watford
YAO, SOS - Maldon & Tiptree United
REID, CRAIG - Stevenage
JACKSON, MICHAEL - Bishop's Cleeve
CLEVERLEY, BEN - Weston-super-Mare
MADJO, GUY - Stevenage (on loan to Port Vale)
LEE, MARTYN
HILL, KEITH - manager, Barnsley
LEE, JAKE - Bishop's Cleeve
HYNES, PETER - Drogheda United
ALMOND, LOUIS - Blackpool (recently finished loan at Barrow)
SMITH, ANDY - Ballymena United
SIMPKINS, MICHAEL - Retford United
TYSON, NATHAN - Derby County
HOPKINS, GARETH
GRAHAM, BAGASAN - still at club
JONES, MARCUS
DENTON, TOM - Mossley
STEVENS, IAN
ROWE-TURNER, LATHANIAL - Torquay United
ROSE, ROMONE - no club (last club Muangthong United, Thailand)
PUDDY, WILL - Chippenham Town
COX, SAM - Barnet
GILL, BEN- no club (last club Wealdstone)
ELVINS, ROBERT - Worcester City
WALSH, PHIL - Dagenham and Redbridge
MURPHY, CHRIS
DURRANT, JACK - Didcot Town
BRADSHAW, GARY - North Ferriby United
WARD, GRAHAM - Nuneaton Town
DOBSON, CRAIG - Kettering Town
REID, BOBBY - Bristol City
LEDGISTER, AARON -
JACKSON, MARLON - Bristol City (on loan at AFC Telford, Jan 2012)
HOOMAN, HARRY - still at club
HEMMINGS, ASHLEY - Plymouth (moved permanently from Wolves, Jan 2012)
EMERY, JOSH - Stourport Swifts
CORBETT, LUKE - Worcester City (on loan at Leamington)

Sombreros and masks

Back in a previous time when Cheltenham Town used to go away from home and win a few times, Steve Cotterill described one such victory as 'a bandit  raid where we put on our sombreros, masks and rode away with the points.'
Yesterday's trip to Vale Park was a similar scenario - we were pegged back for the best part of an hour, broke away, scored twice, and got the victory, before getting on horseback and riding away into the sunset.
After the game, I spoke to some fans outside the ground and they were all of the same opinion - we didn't play well, dug in, and came away with the win.'
Rather disappointingly, one fan told me that there were a few fans booing at half time.
I am sure it was only a few, but even so - come on...!
But let's gloss over that and talk about the positives, as they are plentiful.
Our 15th league win of the season, our ninth game unbeaten, our seventh league away win of the season, goals from a centre-half and a squad player, no red cards... the list goes on.
We were not at our best in the first half, especially from an attacking point of view, this is true.
I am sure there were a few tired bodies around after the Christmas schedule.
Alan Bennett told Radio Glos afterwards that he woke up very tired and stiff before the game. If he plays like he did when he is tired, how good is he when he is fresh...
The pitch looked like a carpet pre-match, but within a few minutes, the central area was very rutted and cut up.
Same for both sides, I hear you cry - yes it is, but it seemed to affect us more and we could not get our passing game going and could not make use of the wide pitch.
But we defended superbly, and Vale, despite having more possession in the final third and more territory overall, did not manage to test Scott Brown with any meaningful efforts.
Marc Richards should have scored with a couple of headers - one was blocked by Captain Marvel Benno and the other went over and was a poor miss.
Junior Smikle told us after the game that the dressing room consensus at half-time was that they would have taken a 0-0 - most of us on the terraces and in the press box would have agreed.
The second half started much as the first, until the hour mark when Mark Yates introduced Jeff Goulding and Smikle into the proceedings, for Josh Low and Russ Penn.
Whether it was an exercise to rest some weary legs or an attempt to change the game, it certainly had the latter effect.
Within two minutes of coming on, Junior had won a free kick, and Benno glanced it in at the far post.
The second goal was all about Junior. A much-maligned figure in his time at Whaddon, Junior is a willing worker and the sort of squad player every club needs.
He may miss a few chances, he may not be the most skilful, but he is reliable and never lets the side down.
His goal yesterday was started by a lung-busting 50 yard run, aided by a decoy run from Marlon Pack, a lay-off from Darryl Duffy, and then a great finish.
Sean Rigg pulled one back to become the only Gloucestershire boy to score in the match (he is from Wotton-under-Edge...) after Browny made his only save of the match but Rigg put away the rebound.
They pushed three men up, we matched them with Keith Lowe coming on, and never looked like conceding a second.
So another win, but maybe a slightly fortunate one - however, as is said so often, the hallmark of a good team is one that can keep on picking up points even though they don't hit top form.
I don't think we have hit top form since Southend, and we have won twice and drawn twice with Barnet, Shrewsbury, Rotherham and now Vale.
At one time yesterday we were within a goal of top spot, which is nothing short of remarkable considering where we have come from.
So on to the next game.
Sorry... who are we playing again...?

Player by player
Scott Brown - Only one save of note to make and was unlucky when the rebound fell nicely for Rigg to score. Protected well by his defence and his handling was much better than in previous games.
Sido Jombati - Unable to get forward as had to contend with first Rob Taylor and then Rigg who pushed him back well.
Luke Garbutt - Had his hands full with Jennison Myrie-Williams, who was a threat but luckily for us has got no better with providing end product than when he was with us. Defended well.
Alan Bennett - Captain Fantastic one again. Won just about every header against Tom Pope and came up trumps with a crucial goal at the other end.
Steve Elliott - Also very solid against tough customers in Pope and Richards. Picked up a booking, but otherwise another excellent game.
Marlon Pack - Unable to run the game as Vale kept him quiet very well. Heart in mouth moment when he went down at the end, but walked to the team bus afterwards.
Russ Penn - Quiet game by his usual energetic standards. Looked a bit leggy to me and good decision to bring him off after an hour.
Luke Summerfield - As with Russ, Luke wasn't his usual self, but still did his bit to keep Vale at arm's length in the first hour.
Kaid Mohamed - Very quiet. Had our best first-half chance but shot wide. No real chances to use his pace and run at Vale.
Josh Low - Also very quiet and also rightly taken off. Did some good work defensively but no threat going forward.
Darryl Duffy - Battled away against two big centre-halves and got nothing from the referee. One chance in the second half was saved and played a part in Junior's goal.

Substitutes
Jeff Goulding (for Russ Penn, 60 mins) - Did well when he came on. Won some flick-ons and was a bit of a nuisance for the centre-halves.
Junior Smikle (for Josh Low, 60 mins) - Won the free-kick which led to the first goal and scored the second. Can't ask for much more than that!
Keith Lowe (for Darryl Duffy, 85 mins) - Brought on when Vale went to three up front to match them man for man. Helped us see the game out.

Half-term report

Well, what a first half of the season it has been to be a Cheltenham Town fan - made more exciting by the fact that it was so unexpected.
As usual, we were the bookies' favourites for the drop, and every newspaper going had us marked down as heading for the Blue Square Premier come next May.
The summer had been one of great change, with Alan Bennett, Russ Penn, Marlon Pack, Darryl Duffy, Kaid Mohamed, Sido Jombati and loanee Jimmy Spencer arriving, with the likes of Frankie Artus, Martin Riley and top scorer Wes Thomas heading out, joined during the early weeks of the season by Michael Pook, Kyle Haynes and Ethan Moore.
Pre-season wasn't exactly promising - we lost at Stourbridge and Newport and drew at Telford and Cirencester. The doom-mongers were having a field day.
A tepid start at Gillingham and a comprehensive Carling Cup defeat by MK Dons didn't exactly do much to change that mindset.
But home wins over Crawley and Swindon and a comeback victory at Northampton finally got the season up and running, and then came two more loanees, goalkeeper Jack Butland from Birmingham and Luke Garbutt from Everton.
However, the decision which really transformed the season came at Bristol Rovers at the start of October, when Mark Yates deployed three his central midfielders Pack, Penn and Summerfield together, dropped regular left-back Danny Andrew and let Kaid Mohamed loose to wreak havoc in a 3-1 win.
That was Sido Jombati's full debut at left back, but he was then swapped to the right in place of last season's player-of-the-year Keith Lowe with Luke Garbutt coming in to left-back, and the team never looked back.
Since that Rovers game, Cheltenham have lost twice - to Crewe and Barnet in the JPT, drawn twice, at Barnet in the League and at home to Shrewsbury, and won the rest of their games, some in great style.
It has been an amazing transformation, and with 46 points from 23 games, the foundations have been laid.
If I am being honest, I have not seen anyone for us to fear, and we just need to repeat what we have done in the opening half of the campaign.

Player by player
1 Scott Brown - A stop-start campaign as Jack Butland came in and ousted him from his regular place in goal. His performances have been the usual mix of great saves, hesitation at coming off his line, the odd spilled cross or shot, and only one real mistake, against MK Dons. With Butland's return, he has got his place back and I hope fans give him a chance and don't resort to 'Butland Would Have Saved That' syndrome every time he lets a goal in.
2 Keith Lowe - Player of the year last season, and deservedly so, but one of the high-profile casualties of the mid-season transformation. Played at centre-half in some JPT games and didn't let us down. A useful player to have around should injuries and suspensions kick in over the next few months.
3 Danny Andrew - Regular last season, now becoming something of a forgotten man as he cannot even get on the bench these days. I hope he still has a future at the club as he is an asset going forward and with his set-pieces but I suspect he may be a candidate for a loan deal this month.
4 Dave Bird - A great servant to the club, and in his testimonial year, but I am afraid it is hard to see a long-term future for him. Has hardly been seen in the side or on the bench and apparently did well while on loan at Kidderminster. Another loan deal in the offing.
5 Andy Gallinagh - Similar position to Birdy. Can't get a sniff of the first 16 and another seemingly without a long-term future at Whaddon. had a successful time at Bath and they want him back, and I suspect that will happen, or else he will go somewhere else.
6 Steve Elliott - One of the survivors of last season, but has been one of our best performers. Struggled at times last season and had fans doubting the merits of the signing. But having Alan Bennett alongside him has brought the best out of him.
7 Marlon Pack - The marquee signing of the summer as we snapped him up on a two-year contract, and could prove to be one of the best bits of business the club has ever done. He just oozes class and has at times run games on his own and now has four goals as well. Could earn the club a lot of money one day, but hopefully after he has taken us up.
8 Josh Low - A real curates egg of a player, who can either look fantastic or a liability, with seemingly no middle ground. At 32, another whose career seems to be coming to an end sooner rather than later as he has his career as a solicitor to fall back on. Hopefully he still has something to contribute this season.
9 Darryl Duffy - Arrived with something to prove as he seemed to have been written off at Bristol Rovers and elsewhere due to injuries. Has 11 goals despite having been in and out of the side and has helped fans forget about Wes Thomas. If he carries on, he will be a 20-goal striker this season.
10 Jeff Goulding - Another regular last season reduced to bit-part player this time around. Unfortunately for Jeff, the system we have been playing does not suit his strengths, and the goals from Duffy and Jimmy Spencer have not helped his cause either. Out of contract in the summer, so will hope to get a chance to stake his claim for a new one.
11 Junior Smikle - Yet another of last season's regulars now unable to get a start outside the JPT. Lost his record of playing in every game since arriving at the club when he didn't come on against Shrewsbury. Another who will want the chance to prove he is worth a new contract, but he never let us down.
12 Jack Butland - One day this lad will win full England caps, and we can say Cheltenham Town started it all. Eight clean sheets in 12 games - but was protected superbly by his defence and had very few actual saves to make in many of his games. But his confidence and domination of his box was a great morale booster to those around him. Would love him back in January, but can't see it happening.
14 Jimmy Spencer - Delighted we have got him for the season. Seven goals already and for a 19 year old he works so hard and shows great commitment every time he plays for us, which is all you can ask for. Great upper body strength which helps him against these big centre-halves and will be an asset in the second half of the season.
15 Alan Bennett - The leader and captain we were desperately missing last season. Has also brought the best out of Steve Elliott and, alongside Marlon Pack, is one of the best signings we have made for several years. A quality defender.
16 Russ Penn - Has brought drive, energy and commitment into our midfield, again something we were desperately in need of. His performances in that advanced role of the midfield trio have been crucial to our success and he was badly missed at Barnet when he was suspended.
17 Theo Lewis - Not got much of a look in this season, and another victim of the cut to five substitutes. Another player for whom it is difficult to forsee a future at the club past this summer, and I suspect Theo will be another candidate for a loan spell somewhere.
19 Luke Garbutt - Staying for another month, and would hope he can be here for the season. Was a bit surprised when we signed him, but has brought some quality to the back four, and also good going forward and from set-pieces.
21 Bagasan Graham - Impressed in pre-season and has done well in his cameo appearances and in the JPT. Looked a bit nervous on his full debut against Rotherham but is still learning and hope to see him make an impact in the run-in.
22 Sido Jombati - A revelation since coming from Bath - thanks to club legend Archie Howells from sending him our way. Well done to the club for getting him on a new contract pronto after some great displays. Earned his place in the side in October and has not looked back. Made the odd mistake, yes, but the plusses greatly outweigh the negatives and he is another who could go a long way.
23 Kaid Mohamed - Pace to die for but does not always use it as much as he could. Has definitely been better away from home (five of his six goals have come away from Whaddon Road) and is another integral part of how we play. Has definitely surprised me as I was unsure about him when we signed him having remembered his spell at Forest Green, but has won me over - despite his frustrating in-and-out performances.
24 Harry Hooman - Young defender who performed well in the JPT games and has been on the bench once or twice, coming on as a striker in one game! A good prospect for the future.
25 Luke Summerfield - Our bonus signing who has become an unsung hero. Was rated at £1.5million at one time while with Plymouth in the Championship, and hard to believe he is only 23. Some great performances and great goals in midfield for us and will continue to improve, and has become a great asset.
26 Bobby Reid - Loan signing who came on against Southend, looked quite lively, but has not been seen since.
27 Marlon Jackson - Another loanee, short appearance at Oxford, but that's it.

Mark Yates - Late last season, many fans were calling for his head. Now, seven months later, they are singing his praises. Some ruthless decisions in the summer, shrewd signings and more tough choices have turned it around in spectacular fashion. The signings of Butland, Spencer and Garbutt, the decision to bring Jombati into the side and the switch to a three-man midfield have been the biggest three factors which have seen us fly in the last few months. He has had some luck with how his signings and tactical decisions have come off, and the lack of injuries in the squad, but has deserved that with the hard work put in by him and his staff. The big test for him is now - to try to finish the job.

Grinding down the Millers

IT was perhaps fitting that one of only three players who started our first game of 2011, the 2-1 home defeat by Wycombe, should score the goal which ended it on a winning note.
From the 18 who lined up last New Year's Day, only Marlon Pack, Steve Elliott and Scott Brown started last night's game, while Keith Lowe, Jeff Goulding and Junior Smikle were on the bench.
Danny Andrew, Dave Bird and Andy Gallinagh were in the stand and as for the others - well, they ply their trade anywhere from Stevenage to Solihull Moors, Mansfield to Maidenhead or Grimsby to Greece.
That transformation sums up just what a year it has been (see the previous blog post for a light hearted look back at 2011) but this performance shows why we can look ahead with optimism.
It was probably the third game in a row, after Barnet and Shrewsbury, where we have not hit the flowing heights that we did from early October to the Southend game.
But from those games, we have eked out two draws and a win, five points from nine, and will go into 2012 sitting second in the league.
Yes, I know, Southend have two games in hand and are four points behind, but points on the board and all that... they have to win them...
It was scrappy stuff last night, and we really had to dig in for this one, but the record books will say Cheltenham 1 Rotherham 0, and that will do for me.
The Millers had a lot of territory, they put a lot of crosses into the box, they pressed us back, they forced us into a change of formation in the second half, but how much did they really threaten us?
Not much is the answer - the closest they came was a header in the 77th minute, well saved by Scott Brown, which was their only on-target effort.
Apart from that, a few shots went over, or wide, and a cross spilled by Brown was really the only other major alarm we had over the 90 minutes.
We started slowly, but then scored a fabulous goal, which got us going.
Marlon Pack's strike was low, and true, and arrowed into the corner through a crowd of players from 25 yards, and was worthy of settling any game.
It sparked us into life and Bags Graham, on his debut, could have scored when Josh Low's cross reached him, but he seemed to snatch at the shot and it went across the face of goal.
That summed up Bags' hour or so on the pitch - he showed good first touch, but then seemed a bit nervous to take players on - when he did, the full-back fouled him and got a yellow card for it eventually.
But the teenager looked nervous - understandable as he is till learning, and he will get better, but maybe his role for now will have to be off the bench as an impact player.
We were comfortable until half-time, but Rotherham came out well I felt after the break, and it is a compliment to them that we changed our system to stop their wide men and full-backs having so much space.
That saw Bags come off and Darryl Duffy go on as we went to 4-4-2 with Russ Penn moving wider, but it didn't suit him and negated his use to us going forward.
We did have chances to win by more - Jimmy Spencer hit the outside of the post, Kaid Mohamed's first touch after he came on was to sting Conrad Logan's gloves and Spencer then hit the bar with the rebound.
Also, Jimmy had a header and Luke Summerfield shot wide after good work from Junior Smikle, so it could have been more comfortable.
But as it was, we managed to grind it out and take the win, our 14th in the League this season, which is one more than we managed in the whole of 2010-11, and 46 points from 23 games is a great return.
So now we have played everyone once, and, let's be honest, seen nothing to fear from anyone.
Another half of the season like this one, and it will be party time in May...

Player-by -player
Scott Brown - A few minutes in the second half summed Scotty up perfectly - a spilled cross which nearly put us in trouble, then a superb save from a header to keep our lead intact. But however he does it, it was another clean sheet, which is all that matters.
Sido Jombati - Steady enough game, dealt ok with the his wide man who got a few crosses in but none of any consequence. Got caught out of position a couple of times, but also did some good covering for others.
Luke Garbutt - Not as good as he was on Boxing Day. Like Sido, was caught on his heels a few times and allowed a few too many crosses in from his side for my liking, but also made some important tackles and interceptions.
Alan Bennett - Thought he had a few rocky moments, giving the ball away or not getting enough on his clearances. Lost a lot in the air to Alex Revell, but fellow defenders covered well.
Steve Elliott - Struggled a bit against the pace of Lewis Grabban, who showed him up a few times, but otherwise did his usual steady job and helped us to another shutout.
Russ Penn - Didn't seem to have the same impact as he has in recent games. Spent some time playing further wide when we switched to a 4-4-2 which didn't suit him at all.
Luke Summerfield - Quieter game than recently, and also unable to make much on an impact. Touch and passing seemed to be a bit 'off' to me.
Marlon Pack - Fantastic strike for the goal, but I thought he had a mixed night. Some fantastic passes and touches, but also times when he gave the ball away and looked a bit casual.
Bags Graham - Given his full debut, but struggled to get the better of his full-back, although he did get him booked. First touch was good, but then lacked the nous to know what to do next. But remember - he is 18 and can only improve from here. There is a player in there.
Josh Low - Thought he did OK. Had a couple of promising runs and got space for crosses which nearly came to something. But again looks flaky when asked to defend or in 50-50 situations. Have to say I would like us to look for a right-sided winger in January.
Jimmy Spencer - Frustrating evening for Jimmy, as he was bashed about in the first half, then had some near misses in the second, hitting the post and then clipping the bar.

Substitutes
Darryl Duffy (for Bags Graham, 58) - Shame to see Bags come off early, but he is still learning. Duffy's arrival saw us change system to 4-4-2 and he was his usual lively self and had a half-chance.
Kaid Mohamed (for Josh Low, 68) - Great cameo for Kaid as he did just what we want him to - got the ball and ran at people. His first touch saw him get the ball, beat three men and force Conrad Logan into a save, and he was a pain for Rotherham for that last 20 minutes.
Junior Smikle (for Jimmy Spencer, 82) - Phew. Normality is resumed. Ironic that he was in the programme, saying how proud he was to have played in every game since coming to the club...! Thought he did well when he came on, and nearly set a goal up for Summerfield.