Cheltenham Town have ended a memorable League Two campaign by beating Harrogate Town 4-1 to win the first Football League title in the club’s long history.
Goals from Liam Sercombe, Sam Smith, Alfie May and Callum Wright helped secure the club’s 24th win of the league campaign - the most wins the club has ever managed in a single Football League season.
With automatic promotion already confirmed, Michael Duff was keen to achieve a title win that will go down as a key milestone in the club's history books.
Cheltenham will now play League One football next season after being promoted as champions and finishing on top of the League Two table with 82 points.
Travelling to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium to play Cheltenham for the first time, Harrogate had already confirmed their League Two safety after enjoying a successful season of their own having been promoted from the National League last season.
Despite only winning two of their last 11 League Two ties, a 5-4 win over Cheltenham’s title challengers, Cambridge United had all but confirmed a mid-table finish for The Sulphurites in their first season in League Two.
With another opportunity to define the outcomes of this season's top two, Simon Weaver’s side started the brighter as Jon Stead came close to marking his 700th career appearance with a goal.
As his strike partner in Harrogate’s 4-4-2 system, Brendan Kiernan struck the ball towards the far post, Stead nearly turned the ball into the net if it weren’t for Josh Griffiths’ intervention to gather the ball at the first sight of danger.
Though, despite only conceding once in the past six home games, Cheltenham were put on the back foot within the first minute as Jack Muldoon scored his third goal in his last four. As Stead helped the ball back across Griffiths' six yard box, Muldoon was on hand to convert from close range.
No sooner had the Robins fallen behind had they carved out a golden chance of their own. Matty Blair’s through ball towards May was made all the more effective when Harrogate’s Will Smith slipped over on the greasy Jonny-Rocks pitch and so May was afforded a clean run at goal.
Harrogate goalkeeper Joe Cracknell stood strong to deny May from close range before the Cheltenham forward dragged his second effort wide of the post. Though, merely a minute later and Duff’s side were back on level terms through Sercombe’s seventh goal of the League Two campaign.
May rectified for his gilt-edged miss by finding his composure when the ball fell to his feet inside the box and picked out Sercombe on the edge of the box whose strike was too hot to handle for Cracknell on the 11th minute.
A 10 minute period of pressure would then prove too much for the visitors in their attempt to go into the break level. Blair’s pass down the line made good use of Wright’s surge down the wing and after breaking into the box, the Leicester loanee initially had no luck in forcing his fourth goal of the season.
After Wright’s first effort was well saved by Cracknell, his rebound hit the post before his third strike fell to the feet of Smith, who after readjusting his feet struck into the roof of the net to force through an advantage for the hosts after 22 minutes.
Blair’s contributions in each of Cheltenham's goals were telling and with the Robins intent on putting this one out of Harrogate’s reach before the second half, the right-back played a crucial part in a third goal too.
As Chris Hussey stood the ball up towards the far post, Blair’s back-post arrival allowed May to turn home from a few yards out as the full-back put the ball on a plate 10 minutes before the break.
While Harrogate have scored eight goals in their last four outings, Kiernan couldn’t have come closer to getting one back for Harrogate as his effort from all of 30 yards came crashing off the crossbar.
Cheltenham started the second half as they ended the first, with intensity and a desire to get the job done, and most importantly, with another goal. Wright’s second of the afternoon sealed the League Two title thanks to the midfielders emphatic strike in the 56th minute.
While Griffiths didn’t manage to keep a clean sheet on the day Cheltenham sealed their League Two title, he's proved an exceptional loan signing this season having claimed 21 clean sheets.
The Robins will kick-off their League One journey on August 7, with the 2020/21 season fixtures released June 24.
CHELTENHAM TOWN (3-5-2): J Griffiths (GK); S Long, B Tozer, C Raglan; M Blair, C Hussey, C Thomas, C Wright (F Azaz '83), L Sercombe; A May (G Lloyd '77), S Smith. (A WIlliams '77. Subs not used: S Flinders (GK), L Freestone, E Chapman, I Vassilev.
HARROGATE TOWN (4-4-2): J Cracknell (GK); R Fallowfield, W Smith, K Lokko (C Hall ’60), M Roberts (W Burrell ’60); G Thomson, W Hondermarck (L Kelly ’60), E Francis (J Falkingham ’60), J Muldoon; B Kiernan, J Stead (J Andrews). Subs not used: J Belshaw (GK).
REFEREE: Benjamin Speedie
ASSISTANTS: Danny Gratton, Darren Wilding. Fourth Official: David Rock