7th March 2020
Cheltenham Town Ladies kept their top-three finish dreams alive last weekend with a tight 1-0 win over local rivals Swindon Town at All Saints Academy.
Georgia Brown’s strike from a corner was just enough to seal the deal in a good contest and sees Cheltenham keep the pressure on Exeter – who they are yet to face in the league – with a game in hand on the Grecians.
This weekend’s trips to Maidenhead (2pm kick-off), sees the first of four away fixtures on the bounce, three of them in a week, for Cheltenham as they go on to face Bristol Ladies Union on the 15th, Swindon on the 19th and Exeter City on the 22nd.
But manager Alex Cheal insists his team are not looking too far ahead, taking games one at a time. He also hopes that getting past the poor weather and building up more game time with less disruptions as the season heads towards its business end, will only see the Robinesses improve “I have always maintained that a run of games will bring out the best in this group and that’s something we have been short of. If we show our control and quality that came through in the first half next week, it is in our hands.
We always tailor our week to our opposition and regardless of who we play, our aim is to get three points”
Team News
Cheltenham retain the majority of the squad that faced Swindon.
Robyn Levett remains in goal following the Robinesses’ fifth clean sheet of the league campaign.
Elle-Mae Simpson may receive her second start, while Caitlin Marron and Hannah Galpin hold their positions in the squad.
Both Jasmine Bull and debutant Kerry Walklett could force their way into the starting XI after good displays after coming off the bench last weekend.
Opposition
While the Magpies find themselves in a less than ideal place in the table, third from bottom, they can take comfort in the fact that they have seen improvements. Last season they spent almost the entire campaign at the foot of the table, only lifting themselves off the bottom and switching places wth Poole after a 1-0 win over now-defunct Southampton Saints on the final day.
There have been some good performances from the Magpies, pushing Cheltenham Town Ladies all the way in the reverse of this fixture earlier in the season. They’ve also managed to rack up wins over both fellow relegation battlers, Poole and Swindon.
Previous Meetings
Ties between the two clubs go back as far as 2015/16, with the two teams meeting twice before the New Year’s break. The first National League clash between the sides saw Maidenhead pick up the win at the DN Fire Stadium, 3-2. Cheltenham’s goals provided by Adele Brown and Emily Skipp.
The return fixture, just over a month later, would see Maidenhead collect all three points, in a 3-0 drubbing.
The following season would see the teams trade home wins over each other. The first clash, saw Maidenhead overturn a 1-0 deficit at half time to run out 2-1 winners, Ella Hitchcox’s first half goal undone by Rachel Panting and Lucy Smith. At the DN Fire Stadium a month later, three goals in twenty minutes from Jen Brown-Wealls, Ella Hitchcox and Holly Rogers saw the Robins claim a much needed win. One of only four they would collect that campaign.
2017/18 saw Maidenhead pick up the double over the Robins, once again turning over another 1-0 deficit at half time at Whaddon Road to finish up as 2-1 winners. At York Road, an Alex Dover goal, combined with a Lucy Casey brace was enough to secure a 3-2 win. Ella Hitchcox and an own goal providing Cheltenham with their couple.
Last season, it was Cheltenham that would have the last laugh, chalking up five goals in a 5-1 rout, with Sam Morris, an Annie Martin hattrick and Ella Hitchcox adding to her personal tally against the Magpies.
The last meeting between the two teams, back in January, saw the Robins storm to a 3-0 victory. Issy Newns, Ellie Briscoe and Annie Martin all on target for the Robins, with young goalkeeper Katie Christopher making her senior team debut.
The previous meeting this season was a real knife-edge affair, with the Robinesses doing just enough to fight back against a good start from the visitors and claim a 3-2 win.
Directions and Entry Price
Chalfont St. Peter FC,
Mill Meadow,
Gravel Hill,
Chalfont St Peter,
SL9 9QX
Match Coverage
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