Cheltenham Town were outclassed by an impressive Aldershot Town outfit at the EBB Stadium this afternoon, going down 4-1 on the day to bring their unbeaten run on the road to an abrupt end.
The only previous meeting between the two sides came on this ground back in the 1946-47 season, and ironically the Robins had shipped four goals on that occasion (losing 4-2).
Cheltenham saved their better football for the second half, but it was an afternoon in which nothing went right for Martin Allen despite Justin Richards fourth goal of the season, which came from the penalty spot in 64th minute.
Aldershot though had produced three of their own in the second half, the last of which from all of 45 yards, to consolidate their opener 10 minutes before the break to dash any hope of another comeback.
TEAM NEWS: Boss Allen made two changes to the side which held high-flying Rotherham United to a 1-1 draw at the Abbey Business Stadium last weekend. An ankle injury prevented Frankie Artus from travelling so David Bird joined Andy Gallinagh in central midfield with Kyle Haynes, back after picking up a dead leg in training, restored to his natural right back role. Otherwise Elvis Hammond was promoted to the starting XI, with David Hutton dropping to the bench to accommodate Josh Low on the right. The versatile winger started last Saturday's match against the Millers at right back.
Although Allen had lined his side up in a 4-4-2 formation from the start, the manager soon reacted to Aldershot's three-pronged attack by bringing Low inside to a central role, using Gallinagh to shield his centre halves and using Hammond on the left. Julian Alsop was left to fend for himself up front.
Second minute: The home side made a confident start and could have taken the lead as early as the second minute when Spurs loanee Dean Parrett shot over after racing onto a ball by Lewis Chalmers.
22: Aldershot striker Louie Soares tested Scott Brown with a low shot from 20 yards.
23: Next Marvin Morgan went close after he had cut inside and released a shot from the edge of the box although Michael Townsend had shadowed the front man all the way and managed to get enough on it to steer it wide of the target.
29: Kirk Hudson had the ball in the back of the net with 29 minutes on the clock but the effort was ruled out for offside.
30 BOOKING: Townsend became the first player to go into the referee's book on the half hour mark when he was penalised for a poor challenge on Morgan as Aldershot broke down the right.
34 GOAL Aldershot Town 1-0 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham, who had been reduced temporarily to ten men with Gallinagh receiving treatment on the sideline, were finally undone in the 34th minute after they had conceded a corner on the Aldershot right. Parratt swung it in and David Winfield rose above everybody to dispatch his free header into the top right-hand corner, despite a valiant effort from Lee Ridley to clear.
35 SUSBSTITUTION: Gallinagh had come off second best in challenge with centre half Chris Blackburn down the left moments before the goal and was unable to continue. Therefore Michael Pook returned to action for the first time since he was injured at Hereford United three games into the campaign.
37: Aldershot threatened Scott Brown's goal, again from a corner from the Aldershot right. This time Chris Blackburn rose to meet Parrett's delivery but his header flew wide of the left upright.
44: Allen's side by contrast were incohesive and had struggled to fashion a chance of note before the break but Haynes' deflected shot amounted to his side's first effort of the afternoon but it was comfortably gathered by goalkeeper Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz.
45: Morgan really should have made it two on the stroke of half time after left back Anthony Straker burst down the left and cut one back into the path of the striker.
HALF TIME: 1-0
46 DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION: Boss Allen made a double switch at the break, replacing Alsop and Haynes with Marley Watkins and Barry Hayles. Low went to right back and while the young Welsh winger played in front of him.
47: Richards produced the first opportunity of the second half, turning before releasing a shot which drew a diving stop from Jaimez-Ruiz at his near post to concede a corner. That though came to nothing.
53: Hudson created a shooting chance for himself eight minutes after the restart but failed to find the target from the edge of the box.
60: Aldershot responded positively to Cheltenham's better play by created a trio of fine openings of their own. First Donnelly danced around a couple of defenders before threading a ball through to Soares, who drew a smart save from Brown from 16 yards to earn a corner. Donnelly swung that in from the Aldershot left and Winfield's header deflected wide. Then the centre half met a Parrett corner from the opposite side but steered it past the left post.
64 GOAL Aldershot Town 1-1 Cheltenham Town
It was a piece of trickery from Hammond which created the chance for Allen's side to square the game from the penalty spot, drawing a clumsy foul from Straker down the left-hand side of the penalty area. Richards stepped up and sent Jaimez-Ruiz the wrong way, thumping the ball to the goalkeeper's right to register his fourth of the season.
69 GOAL Aldershot Town 2-1 Cheltenham Town
The lead however lasted only five minutes, Cheltenham guilty of poor defending to gift the home side their second on the day. Donnelly sent a searching ball over the top from a deep position and Charles arrived completely unmarked to head past Brown and against the base of the right post. It cannoned back into the path of the skipper who could have taken all day if he had wanted to bundle home the ball to restore his side's lead.
73 GOAL Aldershot Town 3-1 Cheltenham Town
Morgan extended his side's lead only four minutes after Charles' goal when he took advantage of Drissa Diallo's error to run onto a lofted ball by Soares and round Brown before stabbing home from an angle down the left.
83: Watkins twisted and volleyed on target to call Jaimez-Ruiz into a decent save with seven minutes remaining.
90: Soares released a searing strike which grazed the crossbar on its way through.
90+2 GOAL Aldershot 4-1 Cheltenham Town
To rub salt into the wounds, the impressive Donnelly launched an audacious effort from all of 45 yards which sailed over Brown to complete Cheltenham's misery.
FULL TIME: 4-1
ALDERSHOT TOWN (4-4-2): Jaimez-Ruiz; Blackburn, Winfield, Charles (c), Straker; Parrett (Herd 81), Chalmers, Donnelly; Soares, Morgan, Hudon. Subs not used: Masters, Grant, Hylton, Hopkinson.
CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-4-2): Brown; Haynes (Hayles 46), Diallo, Townsend, Ridley; Low, Gallinagh, Bird (c), Richards; Alsop (Watkins 46), Hammond. Subs not used: Richardson (Gk), Cox, Lewis, Hutton, Pook.
REFEREE: G Ward (Surrey)
ATTENDANCE: 2,964 (265 from Cheltenham)
Murry Toms at the EBB Stadium
