Saturday 26th October

[Son of Cod]

I am still in the camp who think our points haul doesn’t reflect our performances. We probably have at least 6 more points than we should.

These ‘easier’ games on the horizon doesn’t sit well with me. Every game can be tough, even more so this season. I just can never see Grimsby scoring enough goals to be near the playoffs, coupled with an error prone defence makes me think 12th would be an outstanding return

You're gonna have to show your working out on those maths I reckon mate. Have you factored in the defeats at Fleetwood and Chesterfield?

 

[Grimsby Road]

Which is funny because I remember being completely outplayed at Blundell Park in April of that season (1-0) and praying Grimsby went up automatically so that we didn't meet them in the playoffs.

It helped that Russell Slade had already made his escape plans and didn't give a shit about taking Grimsby up by the time of the playoff final.

We had a good side then tbf we should probably have gone up automatically but cocked it up to some degree then ended up at Cardiff which was a bit weird. It reminds what a quality player McCann was when he pumps us as a manager every season with Donny ,Duff was a pretty good player for Cheltenham to if I remember rightly .

 

[Si Robin]

Michael Duff is a club legend as a player and a manager. He came up the leagues with us from Southern League to Division 2 (now League 1 of course). He was our first international player that came through our youth system.

He then came back as manager and turned us from League 2 strugglers to our first ever EFL championship and highest ever finishing position.

Grant McCann is probably the most naturally talented player I've ever seen in a Cheltenham shirt. How he didn't score in that playoff final blows my mind. He hit a decent penalty that was brilliantly saved by Mildenhall (a dirty Gloucester scummer) and then his lob hitting the bar was so beautiful. I was adamant that was going to cost us!!

What a bloody day!

And as I've said on here many times before - I've never had an issue with Grimsby after bumping into a few of their fans in a bar in Cardiff after the game and they were so gracious in defeat and actually bought us all a beer by way of congratulations.

 

[GTFCfish]

Michael Duff is a club legend as a player and a manager. He came up the leagues with us from Southern League to Division 2 (now League 1 of course). He was our first international player that came through our youth system.

He then came back as manager and turned us from League 2 strugglers to our first ever EFL championship and highest ever finishing position.

Grant McCann is probably the most naturally talented player I've ever seen in a Cheltenham shirt. How he didn't score in that playoff final blows my mind. He hit a decent penalty that was brilliantly saved by Mildenhall (a dirty Gloucester scummer) and then his lob hitting the bar was so beautiful. I was adamant that was going to cost us!!

What a bloody day!

And as I've said on here many times before - I've never had an issue with Grimsby after bumping into a few of their fans in a bar in Cardiff after the game and they were so gracious in defeat and actually bought us all a beer by way of congratulations.

Your player of the match should have been whoever it was that injured Michael Reddy as that’s what won you that final, soon as he went off we were absolute toilet.
Reddy should’ve been playing a league or two higher he was a joy to watch, another one who’s career was ended too soon by injury unfortunately.

 

[Si Robin]

Craig Armstrong - every year on his birthday I post the photo of him with his broken nose on Twitter as a thank you.

 

[Si Robin]

Looks like a nasty injury for Wyke.

That was never a red lol. Just a regular mistimed tackle and unfortunate injury

Wyke out for the season with a fractured ankle.

Got to feel for the lad. As you say, didn't think it was a red when I saw it, and Flynn was very quick to wish him the best in his post-match interview.

 

[valefan16]

Wyke out for the season with a fractured ankle.

Got to feel for the lad. As you say, didn't think it was a red when I saw it, and Flynn was very quick to wish him the best in his post-match interview.

Big blow for Carlisle that.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Just heard Pep moaning about injuries, fuck off Pep. Let’s not moan about injuries lads/girls it is fucking tedious. They are part of the game.

 

[valefan16]

Just heard Pep moaning about injuries, fuck off Pep. Let’s not moan about injuries lads/girls it is fucking tedious. They are part of the game.

Poor bloke, having to dig into the likes of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden to cover injuries, if only he'd had the riches us clubs have down here!

 

[クレイグ]

Poor bloke, having to dig into the likes of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden to cover injuries, if only he'd had the riches us clubs have down here!

"Andy Cook makes way and coming on in his place is Theo Robinson."

Don't know they're born those lot.

 

[valefan16]

"Andy Cook makes way and coming on in his place is Theo Robinson."

Don't know they're born those lot.

You've gone way to far there! I'd just got the memories out of Theo!

 

[lordofthepies]

Poor bloke, having to dig into the likes of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden to cover injuries, if only he'd had the riches us clubs have down here!

Pep's lot are known as the Port Vale of the PL

 

[leedsvaliant]

Pep's lot are known as the Port Vale of the PL

One of the podcasts recently genuinely called us the Man City of league 2! We've spent a few quid but Christ!

 

[valefan16]

One of the podcasts recently genuinely called us the Man City of league 2! We've spent a few quid but Christ!

Tolaj does look a bit like Harland to be fair… the hair and that.

 

[Son of Cod]

Your player of the match should have been whoever it was that injured Michael Reddy as that’s what won you that final, soon as he went off we were absolute toilet.
Reddy should’ve been playing a league or two higher he was a joy to watch, another one who’s career was ended too soon by injury unfortunately.

I really don't know if I think we would have won with Reddy on the pitch mate. He'd been having niggly injuries and not really firing for a while by that point and we absolutely stunk out the Millenium Stadium with a complete whopper of a performance that day. Such a massive anti-climax. It hurt a lot that one and it took a while to admit that Cheltenham deserved it. Little did we know what the next 20 or so years had in store for us!

I liked Reddy but I don't hold him in quite as high esteem as a lot of Town fans. We should have snapped Bristol City's hand off for that 300k we turned down for him. Was an exciting player like you said, but for me, the real star of the show was Gary Jones. Big silky lump. Reddy dined out on his flick ons and hold up play. Brilliant pairing and alongside Jones and Whittle at the back the standouts in that side, which otherwise was pretty average really. Just really good at mincing the dross in the division.

 

[Dan Phillips]

I don't think anybody will be disagreeing with this to be fair given your current form and your knack of beating other top teams seemingly every week.
Although I do remember in 05/06 we played Wycombe at home of a Friday night and at half time in that game (they tore us a new arsehole for 45 mins) I said anybody finishing above that Wycombe team would be going up.
They finished 5th, we finished 4th, and Cheltenham did us both in the play offs and went up instead.

Is our midfield still not the best mate?

 

[Si Robin]

I really don't know if I think we would have won with Reddy on the pitch mate. He'd been having niggly injuries and not really firing for a while by that point and we absolutely stunk out the Millenium Stadium with a complete whopper of a performance that day. Such a massive anti-climax. It hurt a lot that one and it took a while to admit that Cheltenham deserved it. Little did we know what the next 20 or so years had in store for us!

I liked Reddy but I don't hold him in quite as high esteem as a lot of Town fans. We should have snapped Bristol City's hand off for that 300k we turned down for him. Was an exciting player like you said, but for me, the real star of the show was Gary Jones. Big silky lump. Reddy dined out on his flick ons and hold up play. Brilliant pairing and alongside Jones and Whittle at the back the standouts in that side, which otherwise was pretty average really. Just really good at mincing the dross in the division.

I mean, you should have had a pen in the first half and that could have changed the whole outcome.

But we don't talk about that....

 

[GTFCfish]

I mean, you should have had a pen in the first half and that could have changed the whole outcome.

But we don't talk about that....

I’ve genuinely no recollection of that, I just know we were dogshit for the whole game apart from the last 5 minutes when we just started hoofing it into your box and only then did we look even a little bit dangerous.

 

[GTFCfish]

I really don't know if I think we would have won with Reddy on the pitch mate. He'd been having niggly injuries and not really firing for a while by that point and we absolutely stunk out the Millenium Stadium with a complete whopper of a performance that day. Such a massive anti-climax. It hurt a lot that one and it took a while to admit that Cheltenham deserved it. Little did we know what the next 20 or so years had in store for us!

I liked Reddy but I don't hold him in quite as high esteem as a lot of Town fans. We should have snapped Bristol City's hand off for that 300k we turned down for him. Was an exciting player like you said, but for me, the real star of the show was Gary Jones. Big silky lump. Reddy dined out on his flick ons and hold up play. Brilliant pairing and alongside Jones and Whittle at the back the standouts in that side, which otherwise was pretty average really. Just really good at mincing the dross in the division.

I just remember that he went off early and we were utter garbage after it so I’d put it down to that in my head.
Real painful watch wasn’t it, and then their penalty miss gave us some false hope that it could be a momentum swinger but it was just the same old shit after it instead.

 

[Son of Cod]

I mean, you should have had a pen in the first half and that could have changed the whole outcome.

But we don't talk about that....

Same as Fish, I have absolutely no recollection of that...must have erased it. I've never watched it back and doubt I ever will.

I just remember that he went off early and we were utter garbage after it so I’d put it down to that in my head.
Real painful watch wasn’t it, and then their penalty miss gave us some false hope that it could be a momentum swinger but it was just the same old shit after it instead.

Yep, such a massive disappointment. Players out on the lash in Cardiff straight after the match left a bitter taste too.

I feel like the NL v1.0 playoff defeats almost get looked upon a bit more favourably as time goes by as they feed into the narrative that we continually picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and went again the next season. Really ties into the misty eyed nostalgia of the likes of Disley, Pearson, Podge, Tait, Magnay, Toto, Townsend, Clay, etc. running through brick walls for Hursty. There's something very romantic about losing on sudden death pens in the playoff final and then coming back the next season and winning them.

The 05/06 L2 defeat just gets worse and worse and cements itself as more and more of a missed opportunity with time though. One real crack at promotion from L2 in 20 years is utterly abject and unforgiveable. If we do manage to have a proper go it at (next season would be nice) it's gonna be wild if we secure it and I just hope that if/when that day comes I'm there. Everyone talks about that FGR win in 15/16 being massive and it obviously was but I think I'll feel a greater sense of relief getting out of this division as it's just felt like something so out of our reach for so many seasons now. I despise these L2 relegation scraps and lower midtable finishes.

 

[Si Robin]

Same as Fish, I have absolutely no recollection of that...must have erased it. I've never watched it back and doubt I ever will.

30 secs in - bald lad goes over Caines leg. Clear pen.