4th September 2019
The Robins’ first midweek game of the season sees them welcome Brislington Ladies to The DN Fire Stadium, under the floodlights in what is usually a hotly contested fixture.
Cheltenham come into the game with two league wins under their belt, a dominant performance and a 2-0 win on the opening day over Poole Town Ladies, and a 1-0 win over Buckland down in Devon last Sunday. The Robins see themselves sitting fourth in the league, on goal difference, but are one of only a handful of teams to have not conceded a goal so far in their league campaign.
These clashes are always a tough local derby (local by Division 1 SW standards!), but manager Alex Cheal is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces return to the side:
“We said it on Sunday, we’re rotating the group as we’ve got three in the week. It’s a tough run on the legs, and tough on a squad that’s already dwindling at the moment because of injury.
But we’ll have Ella [Hitchcox] coming back from being on holiday and Annie Martin trained yesterday, so there’s two already that come straight back into the squad and boost us on our National League experience, and goals as well. But just a rotation with the 14 that went to Devon on Sunday, as well as including Ella and Annie.
“It’s a potential banana skin in a bit of a local derby under the lights. And we slipped up against them a bit last year, so they can take points off us if we’re not careful. We beat them in a circus of a game, 7-4 at their place and then dropped points to them in a 2-2 draw in Cheltenham after Christmas, so it’s always going to be a tough one. They’re not going to come to us and roll over and I’ve heard they had a good performance against Southampton at the weekend, and probably deserved more than their result. That said, we trained well last night and we’re ready to go.”
Team News
Cheltenham keep hold of the 14 involved at Buckland, but see the return of pacey winger, Ella Hitchcox, and the club’s top goalscorer from last season, Annie Martin to the matchday squad.
First choice goalkeeper Bec Panniers, defenders Chloe Rogers and Sam Morris are still ruled out through injury.
Young goalkeeper, Molly Ripley, who travelled to Buckland but didn’t feature, will be saved for the Reserve’s, who open their league account this Sunday.
Opposition
It’s been a tough start to the season, with three losses from three in all competitions.
The visitors started their campaign in a tough opener at home to last season’s FA WNL Division 1 South-West runners-up, Southampton Women. They lost out 5-2, with Cheryl Baber and Rebecca Pritchard finding the net.
The following week they travelled to fellow Division 1 South-West outfit Chesham United in the FA WNL League Cup Determining Round, on the receiving end of an 8-0 scoreline.
Then last week, they faced the league’s newcomers, Southampton FC, losing out again, this time in a 5-0 drubbing.
Previous Meetings
The two clubs go back as far as 2016/17 in the FA WNL.
Their first meeting in the Women’s National League, saw Cheltenham lose 3-1, with Louise Fensome grabbing Cheltenham’s only goal. Now-Robin, Chloe Rogers, lining up against her current side in the centre of defence.
The return fixture saw Brislington go one better and pick up a 4-1 victory, Holly Rogers’ goal sparing Cheltenham’s blushes.
2017/18 saw the two clubs face off three times. The first encounter, a League Plate fixture, followed the previous season’s line, with Brislington winning 4-2. Cheltenham’s scorers on the day, captain Jen Brown-Wealls and winger Ellie Briscoe.
The league encounter a couple of weeks later saw the visitors overpower the Robins again, 4-1. Louise Fensome adding to her personal tally against the Bristol side.
Later that season, Cheltenham would travel to Brislington where a gutsy performance saw them dig out a 0-0 draw.
Last season the teams would meet three times again, but with considerably different results. The two sides met on the opening day, with Cheltenham’s Ella Hitchcox, Ellie Briscoe, Sophie Wyatt and an Annie Martin hattrick producing a 7-4 win over the hosts.
A month later the SSE Women’s FA Cup would push the teams together. A brace from both Annie Martin and Ella Hitchcox enough to put Cheltenham into the Third Qualifying Round.
The teams would meet for the last time just before the New Year’s break. Georgia Brown and Sally Butterfield finding the net, but the Robins could only earn a draw, 2-2.
Directions and Entrance Price
Location: The DN Fire Stadium, off St. Peter’s Close, GL51 9DX. (Find it on Google maps here)
By car:
Turn off Tewkesbury Road onto Moors Avenue and take the first left, onto St. Peter’s Close. On St. Peter’s Close, keep left and go around the outside of the housing estate. Follow the road round and the car park and entrance to the ground are directly in front of you.
By bus:
The C, 41 and 42 buses from Cheltenham town centre all stop at The Range, or The Moors, opposite the Lexus dealership on Tewkesbury Road, both of which are a short walk from the stadium.
Entrance to the DN Fire Stadium is £2 per adult, with children, Cheltenham Town FC season ticket holders and Robins Trust members getting in for free.
Coverage
For real-time match coverage, follow our twitter page, @CTLadies. You can also check the club’s Facebook and Instagram for half time and full time scores.
