Dale and Powell on target in County Cup win
A young Cheltenham Town side edged past Gloucester City in the much-delayed Gloucestershire Senior Cup first round meeting played at Evesham United's Spiers & Hartwell Jubilee Stadium.
The Robins will now play away to Forest Green Rovers in the quarter-finals.
Cheltenham's team consisted of first year professionals Joe Hanks and Ed Williams and a mixture of first and second year scholars. Gloucester fielded half the team that had defeated Stockport County in a league game at the weekend with former Cheltenham Town left-back Billy Jones, a recent signing by the Tigers, named among the substitutes.
Only two minutes were on the clock when Cheltenham sprang a suprise with a quickly-taken free-kick by Adam Powell. Bobbie Dale was more alive to it than a hesitant Gloucester defence and darted through to beat goalkeeper Mike Green with a clever lob shot.
Chances proved hard to come by during a first half that witnessed plenty of effort from both sides but little in the way of flowing football, although Gloucester should have levelled mid-way through the half when Charlie Griffin directed a free header just wide.
Green got down to hold a weak shot from Harry Williams then did rather better in the second half, diving full length to block a shot from Hanks after a powerful run and cross from the right by Jamal Lawrence.
Gloucester equalised on 69 minutes when Connor Waldon crossed from the left, Griffin challenged for the ball with Spencer Hamilton and as the ball ran free, Griffin stuck out a leg to jab the ball beyond Harvey Rivers from 10 yards out.
Cheltenham regained their lead only seven minutes later when Ed Williams played a ball into the area of the left and when it ran free from a knot of players around the penalty spot, Powell was on hand to thump in a left-footed shot from the edge of the box.
A good win, then, for Cheltenham against a more experienced Gloucester team with the young Robins displaying a lot of energy and determination to carry them into the next round.
GLOUCESTER CITY (4-4-2): Green; Rawlings, Roome, Rose, Giglio; Groves, Green (Mustoe 61), Hogg, Binns (Parker 46); Waldon, Griffin. Other subs: Phillips, Jones, Mustoe, Webb
CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-2-3-1): Rivers; Craddock, Hamilton, Keightley, Bowen; Powell, Hanks; Lawrence (D.Reynolds 88), H.Williams, E.Williams; Dale. Other subs: H.Reynolds (Gk), Whitehead, Goodwin, Kirkpatrick-Jones
REFEREE: M.Pates