The Robins are finally up and running after a hard fought first win of the season at Cambridge United.
It wasn’t a match that will live long in the memory, and they rode their luck at times but Russell Milton’s Cheltenham Town produced a well drilled and thoroughly dogged performance to take all the points.
The decisive moment arrived in 66th minute, Sam Jones with a goal on his debut to settle this one and send home the travelling faithful with a smile on their faces.
They were fantastic as ever, backing the side to mark the new era with a first victory on the road since March and boy, did the club need that after an eventful week at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.
Milton took was handed the reins for the third time on a temporary basis and made two changes to the side that salvaged a point in Macclesfield on Tuesday night.
In came Chris Hussey and Manny Duku, the pair that made all the difference four days ago, replacing Joshua Debayo and Alex Addai in the starting XI.
Hussey made such a difference to the outcome of the match after his introduction at half-time in midweek and produced the first chance of the game in the eighth minute, charging into the box after a great run down the left but David Forde tipped it over.
Cambridge responded with a couple of chances of their own through Liam O’Neill, with an angled drive and Ade Azeez from close range but Scott Flinders blocked.
Milton made a double substitution at the break with Jones, on loan from Shrewsbury Town, making his first appearance (for Conor Thomas) alongside Kevin Dawson (Liam McAlinden).
Scott Flinders was called into a string of saves throughout the afternoon and was forced into a good stop to deny Jevani Brown while Johnny Mullins stretched to block a strike by Brown around the hour mark.
But the Robins took their lead with 24 minutes to play, Duku making it down the right and the debutant finishing it off.
The striker pinched back possession and charged in on goal down the right and forced Forde into a smart low block.
But the ball cannoned off the Cambridge number one’s legs and into the path of the debutant who cooly placed his effort into the back of the net despite testing conditions.
CAMBRIDGE UNITED (4-4-2): Forde; Halliday, John, Taft, Carroll; O’Neil (Amoo 49), Deegan (c), Brown, Maris; Azeez (Dunk 70); Ibehre. Subs not used: Mitov (Gk), Amoo, Dunk, Osadebe, Darling, Davis, Lambe.
CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-5-1): Flinders; Forster, Mullins (c), Boyle, Hussey (Debayo 74); McAlinden (Dawson 46), Thomas (Jones 46), Atangana, Broom, Maddox; Duku. Subs not used: Lovett (Gk), Tozer, Addai, Debbano, Lloyd.
REFEREE: M Donohue
ATTENDANCE: 3,660 (140 from Cheltenham)