Preview: Walsall (A)

18 October 2019

Over a fortnight on from Cheltenham Town's last League Two run out, the Robins make the short journey to Walsall on Saturday (kick-off: 3pm).

With last Saturday's game with Newport County AFC postponed because of international commitments for the Welsh side, Michael Duff's charges have been without a League game since the draw at Oldham Athletic at the beginning of the month.

Having put together a six match unbeaten league run heading into this weekend's contest the opportunity to keep pushing at the top end of League Two and to extend that unbeaten stretch is the prize.

Walsall head into the game having suffered back-to-back defeats against the two teams promoted into the division from the National League last season and will be looking to get back to the positive form they recorded in the second half of September.

Team news

An injury picked up in training rules Tahvon Campbell out. Rohan Ince and Will Boyle are set to be part of the squad on their return to fitness again though.

Luke Varney is set to return but Max Sheaf and Josh Debayo are definitely out, as is Dan Bowry following his loan transfer to Bath City.

Watch Michael Duff's press conference previewing the match:

Watch some of the preparation on the training pitches ahead of this weekend's game below:

Opposition

Walsall are back in League Two for the first time since the 2006/07 season when their title win in the fourth tier took them up to League One where they remained until last season.

Winning away at Northampton on the opening day of the season and then holding Forest Green to a draw on matchday two suggested a strong start for the Saddlers, but after then they went on a run of eight games without a win in all competitions.

A run of three straight league victories plus a Leasing.com Trophy win over Southampton under-21s built a bit of momentum in September and they head into Saturday's match 19th in the table.

Former Bristol Rovers manager Darrell Clarke is in charge having been appointed during the summer as he looks to repeat the success he achieved at the Memorial Stadium with his current employers.

He has taken some of the talented players he had at Rovers with him to Walsall. Defender James Clarke and energetic midfield man Stuart Sinclair are two key men in their ranks, while striker Rory Gaffney is another that wore Pirates colours when Clarke was in charge.

The Saddlers line-up also features former Liverpool and Reading midfielder Danny Guthrie who is back in English football after a spell in Indonesia. Academy graduate Lewis Kinsella and the versatile Gary Liddle are likely to be involved too, while there are two ex-Robins loanees in Cameron Pring and Elijah Adebayo (pictured below) who may play a part.

Previous meetings

Yet to win against the Saddlers, Saturday's game represents another opportunity for Cheltenham to record a first competitive win over the day's opponents.

The first meeting between the two clubs was a 2-2 draw in the LDV Vans Trophy in November 2004, while the last competitive clashes came in League One during the 2008/09 campaign with both matches again ending all square.

Before then though Walsall enjoyed back-to-back wins during the 2007/08 League One season as well as a Johnstones Paint Trophy win at Whaddon Road in October 2008.

The two teams met in a pre-season friendly (pictured below) at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium in late July 2018. Walsall came out on top with a 2-1 win that day thanks to goals from Nicky Devlin and Andy Cook. Scottish forward Brian Graham netted the Robins goal that afternoon.

Tickets & travel

Tickets are available to buy on the day. Prices are:

Adults £22
18-21 year olds £18
Over 60s £15
Under-18s £10
Family ticket (1 adult & 1 under-18) £22

Supporters booked on the Travel Club coaches are reminded that they leave from the Jonny-Rocks at 11.45am.

Coverage

Follow @CTFCofficial on Twitter for team news, updates and pictures throughout Saturday. The official CTFC Facebook page will also have team news and goal updates available.

After the game visit the club website to read the match report and to hear from the manager and a player on interview.

You can tune in to hear full commentary of the game too via the iFollow service online.

Match Reports

Report & highlights: Walsall 1-2 Robins

19 October 2019

Apologies, this video is unvailable.

Cheltenham Town produced a display full of character and resiliance to take all the points away from the Banks's Stadium, recording a first ever win against Walsall in the process.

Goals by Ben Tozer and Luke Varney, his fourth of the campaign, handed the Michael Duff's side a well earned victory in the shadow of the M6.

It's fair to say the Robins' travel sickness has well and truly been nipped in the bud after this third win in four on the road, a result which stretched their unbeaten record to seven.

They didn't have it all their own way and conceded an equaliser shortly after the break from the penalty spot.

But they responded well to the setback, restoring their lead only five minutes later before battling manfully to see out the game.

Next up then it's Macclesfield Town at The Jonny-Rocks Stadium on Tuesday and the manager is solely focused on the that game, even if the boistrous travelling contingent are daring to dream.

Varney returned to the side after a three-week absence with a hamstring injury and replaced Alex Addai who dropped to the bench.

The first meaningful chance of the contest fell to Jake Doyle-Hayes who raced onto Ryan Broom's low ball from the left only to be denied by a decisive defection, taking it a foot wide of the right post.

Next Varney met a brilliant cross by Sean Long with a brave header but goalkeeper Liam Roberts did enough to turn it away for a corner.

There was a massive let-off on the half-hour when Scott Flinders fumbled an awkward pass on the edge of his own area, under pressure from Rory Gaffney, but Josh Gordon pulled his effort the wrong side of the left upright with the goal gaping.

Flinders was sharp to punch away a lively effort by Gordon a moment later, testing the Cheltenham number one at his near post from a tight angle.

The Robins took the lead through the skipper with 35 minutes on the clock after Gavin Reilly had won a corner out on the right. Chris Hussey swung in a beauty and Roberts spilled it, allowing Tozer to prod it home to hand his side the initiative at the interval.

The home side were back on terms within eight minutes of the restart after Hussey had tripped Gordon just inside the box on the right to concede a penalty kick. The Walsall man took it himself, beating Flinders to his left.

But the lead lasted only five minutes, Varney with the goal to restore the lead. Gavin Reilly picked it up inside his own half and drove forward before rolling one into the path of the evergreen striker, who finished brilliantly from an angle down the left.

Flinders was called into a smart stop to deny substitute Elijah Adebayo, another former Robin loanee in Walsall's ranks. His shot on the turn was decent enough but it was straight at the Robins keeper. Then Tozer made a vital tackle to prevent the striker getting a shot away from a promising position.

Adebayo wasted the best chance of lot to get his side back into it six minutes from time but the former Fulham man blasted it well over the bar, wasting the opportunity to salvage a point.

WALSALL (4-3-3): Roberts; Liddle (Holden 68), Clarke (c), Jules, Pring; Bates, Sinclair, Kinsella (Adebayo 68); Gordon, Gaffney (Hardy 85), McDonald. Subs not used: Rose (Gk), Norman, Sadler, Roberts.

CHELTENHAM TOWN: (3-5-2): Flinders; Raglan, Tozer (c), Greaves; Long, Broom, Thomas, Doyle-Hayes (Ince 86), Hussey; Reilly, Varney (Smith 89). Subs not used: Lovett (Gk), Clements, Boyle, Lloyd.

REFEREE: D Drysdale

ATTENDANCE: 4,494 (708 from Cheltenham)

Ticket News

Tickets & travel: Walsall

15 October 2019

Tickets and away travel for Saturday's match at Walsall are on sale from the ticket office this week.

The Banks Stadium plays hosts to the Robins this weekend with a 3pm kick-off against the Saddlers.

Tickets and away travel are available to buy from the ticket office this week in the lead up to the match.

Prices for tickets are as follows:

Adults	£20
18-21 year olds	£16
Over 60s	£15
Under 18	£10
Family ticket (1 adult & 1 under 18)	£22

Fans can buy on the day at Walsall but prices go up by £2 on each ticket.

The cost of a seat on the Travel Club coach is £10/£8 for members, £12/10 for non-members, and £4 for Junior Robins.

The coach leaves the Jonny-Rocks Stadium at 11.45am.

Tickets can be bought during ticket office opening hours at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium between 10am and 1pm on Friday.