Cheltenham Town fell to another heavy defeat, this time by Crewe Alexandra, but they can count themselves a little unlucky to have lost by a four-goal margin this afternoon.
Crewe deserved the points at the Abbey Business Stadium but they rode their luck a times with the home side rattling the woodwork on three occasions, two of which Crewe immediately punished at the other end of the pitch.
Alex boss Dario Gradi was at the helm six years ago when his side outclassed Graham Allner's team in a chastening Boxing Day experience, but this performance was at odds with that 4-0 reverse and offered a glimmer of encouragement despite the scoreline.
Nonetheless this was a concerning defeat, played out in front of an expectant crowd hoping to witness the first win here since the opening day of the season, a run that now stretches back over nine games.
TEAM NEWS: Acting manager John Schofield kept faith with the starting XI which registered a creditable 1-1 draw at Port Vale last weekend. The sole change arrived on the bench, Will Puddy named as a substitute for the first time this season at the expense of Barry Richardson. Schofield also chose to use the 4-3-3 formation which served him well at Vale Park seven days ago.
Eighth minute: Scott Brown pulled off a superb save to deny Shaun Miller the opening goal with eight minutes on the clock. The Alex striker raced on to a ball over the top before thumping one on target from a tight angle down the left, but the Cheltenham number one pushed it around for a corner.
9: Next John Brayford, the Crewe right back, headed James Bailey's free-kick a foot over the crossbar.
12: Cheltenham's first chance of the day arrived 12 minutes in when Frankie Artus rifled a 25 yarder against the angle of Adam Legzdins goal. Elvis Hammond and Julian Alsop were sharp to pounce on the loose ball, but neither could bundle it home
18: The home side assembled a slick move six minutes later, culminating in Low crossing from the left, Alsop laying it up and Michael Pook skewing one wide.
21: David Bird and Michael Townsend tangled on the edge of the box to hand Danny Shelley a shooting chance, but Brown was alive to the strike to concede another corner - Crewe's seventh of the match at this point, going on to deliver 10 from the right by the break.
27: Cheltenham struck the woodwork again midway through the first half when Legzdins pushed Bird's low shot onto the base of the left upright.
29 GOAL: Cheltenham Town 0-1 Crewe Alexandra
Crewe moved into the lead through Calvin Zola after 29 minutes when his side were awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Bailey fizzed it in, Patrick Ada turned it into the path of Miller who lifted it onto the head of the gangly striker from the byline to break the deadlock.
31: Artus should have done more with Low's delivery after another promising attack. The Bristol City loanee failed to meet it with any sort of header which would have troubled the Crewe goalkeeper.
33: A great move involving Low, Bird and Michael Pook produced a shot from the latter but Legzdins watched it travel well wide, but again there was plenty of encouragement from a Cheltenham perspective.
35: Hammond fashioned a shooting chance of his own ten minutes before the interval, but the striker's effort dropped the wrong side of the right post.
38 Cheltenham Town 0-2 Crewe Alexandra
Steven Schumacher doubled Crewe's advantage seven minutes before the interval and again it arrived through a set piece, and again delivered by Bailey 35 yards from goal. Drissa Diallo tried to clear it, but his header fell to the Crewe midfielder who smashed it past Brown. Cheltenham then switched to 4-4-2 for the remainder of the first half, with Theo Lewis moving to right midfield.
45+1: Both goalkeepers were called into action on the stroke of half time. First Cheltenham were gifted a late chance to reduce the deficit when Schumacher skied a clearance which was picked up by Artus, who swivelled before calling Legzdins into a smart, diving save from 16 yards. Then at the other end, Miller floated a ball over to Zola who should have made it three from close-range, but Brown kept it out with an instinctive block at the far post.
HALF TIME: 0-2
46: In a comical moment, the game re-started with the Crewe goalkeeper still in the tunnel.
51 SUBSTITUTION: Pook, more defensively minded in midfield, was sacrificed for Barry Hayles who went to the right-hand side of a three-pronged attack.
55: Bailey caused more chaos with another free-kick delivery with 55 minutes played, this time Brayford steered a chance wide of the mark at the far post.
60 SUBSTITUTION: Artus made way for David Hutton on the hour.
57: The home side's first real opening of the second half arrived in the 57th minute when Hammond's scruffy shot bounced wide of the left post after a promising build-up down the left.
67 SUBSTITUTION: Schofield made his final switch, swapping Holmar Ejolfsson with Kyle Haynes, who scored all four goals in the Youth side's 4-0 FA Cup success in Exeter on Tuesday night.
68: The crossbar denied Alsop his 38th Football League goal. The big man met Hutton's ball with a powerful enough header, but it needed to be an inch or two lower to count.
69 GOAL: Cheltenham Town 0-3 Crewe Alexandra
For the second time in the match, the visitors took full advantage of another let-off to punish Schofield's side. This time Miller got in behind the defence to send Brown the wrong way from 18 yards.
70: Hammond responded with a curler from the edge of the box, but Legzdins comfortably claimed it with both hands.
72: Hayles received a talking-to after he went down inside the box. The veteran striker set off on a fine solo run but took on one too many defenders before he could shoot, finishing the move on the deck.
73 GOAL: Cheltenham Town 0-4 Crewe Alexandra
Zola claimed his second of the afternoon, and number 12 for the season after steering Shelley's low centre from the right beyond Brown from close-range to complete the scoring.
74 SUBSTITUTION: Crewe boss Dario Gradi made his first move of the afternoon, switching Schumacher with Simon Walton.
80 SUBSTITUTION: Zola was withdrawn and replaced by Clayton Donaldson with ten minutes remaining.
90+2 BOOKING: Hayles' frustration boiled over in injury time when he was carded for a poor tackle on Bailey. He released Byron Moore down the right channel but Brown did enough to prevent the substitute adding number five.
FULL TIME: 0-4
CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-4-2): Brown; Eyjolfsson (Haynes 67), Diallo, Townsend, Low; Pook (Hutton 51), Lewis, Bird; Hammond, Alsop, Artus (Hayles 60). Subs not used: Gallinagh, Richards, Watkins, Puddy (Gk).
CREWE ALEXANDRA (4-4-2): Legzdins; Brayford, Ada, Mitchel-King, Westwood; Shelley, Bailey, Schumacher (Walton 74), Grant; Zola (Donaldson 80), Miller (Moore 87). Subs not used: Jones, O'Donnell, Murphy, Bossu (Gk).
REFEREE: G.D. Scott.
ATTENDANCE: 3,124 (231 from Crewe)
Murry Toms at the Abbey Business Stadium
