Cheltenham Town captain Russell Penn scored the decisive winner in his side's final League away game of the season to keep hopes of automatic promotion alive. In a game of average quality but high importance, the Robins, backed by 841 supporters, many wearing fancy dress, secured only their second away victory in 2013 in an impressive display against Exeter City under the salubrious Devon sunshine.
It took an unchanged Cheltenham side a mere five minutes to take the lead, thanks to influential captain Russell Penn. After an intelligent Kaid Mohamed knock-down, the tenacious midfielder struck from the angle to give the Robins the lead, to the delight of Darth Vader, Iron Man and the Honey Monster amongst others in the away end.
This impressive start was maintained by Cheltenham, with combative midfielder Jason Taylor's tackling and Yorkshire-accent screams complimenting the silky passing of Marlon Pack to strangle a dangerous Exeter midfield. Striker Byron Harrison has recently found his forte up-front, and could twice have doubled the Robin's lead, striking wide after a mazy run before seeing a weak shot cleared off the line.
In defence, Steve Elliott and Michael Hector kept prolific veteran Grecians striker and former Cheltenham target Jamie Cureton at bay, whilst Sido Jombati and former Exeter man Billy Jones also helped ensure a half time 1-0 lead.
The second half saw an inevitable Exeter attacking onslaught, with the Devon outfit desperate to hold on to a play-off place. The supposedly potent home attack force were woefully inaccurate in the final third, consistently firing gravitationally challenged shots over Scott Brown's crossbar. The Grecians' attacking style did little to compete with the dress-sense of their fashion-conscious manager Paul Tisdale!
Byron Harrison could have made the game safe for Cheltenham after being played through one-on-one by Steve Elliott, but was foiled by Exeter 'keeper Artur Krysiak, who had earlier saved a Michael Hector header. Opposing 'keeper Scott Brown ensured his 19th clean sheet of the season in style, acrobatically tipping a late Jimmy Keohane drive over to secure a vital victory.
The full time roar from the Robins following was magnificent, as the Cheltenham players left the pitch to a standing ovation. This impressive performance from Mark Yates' men will act as the perfect tonic for a final day showdown against Bradford City, as the Robins look to defy the odds and achieve automatic promotion to League 1.
OUT OF TEN
Scott Brown - 8 - Another deserved clean sheet for Brown, who ensured all three points with an impressive late save.
Sido Jombati - 7 - Solid performance from the Portuguese full back, who coped with a pacey Exeter attack-force admirably.
Michael Hector - 7.5 - Another high-quality performance from the youngster, who now feels like part of the furniture here at Cheltenham Town.
Steve Elliott - 8 - Flawless performance from Elliott as per usual, who safeguarded a clean sheet against the potent Jamie Cureton.
Billy Jones - 7 - Assured performance against his old club, despite the odd wobble at times. Jones showed particular satisfaction with the result at full time!
Jermaine McGlashan - 7 - Another improved performance from the livewire winger, who is benefitting from improved playing surfaces.
Jason Taylor - 7 - Taylor did the dirty work in the middle, allowing the likes of Russell Penn to maraud into the Exeter penalty area.
Marlon Pack - 7 - Good display from Pack who spread possession nicely, starting attacking moves whilst contributing to the defensive effort.
Russell Penn - 8.5 - One of those trademark performances from Penn that we have all come to know and love. Tenacity, spirit and desire were all on show from our captain who vowed in the Echo that he would get his goal - and didn't disappoint!
Kaid Mohamed - 7 - Respectable performance from Mo, who caused Exeter problems with his speed as well as taking the ball away from danger.
Byron Harrison - 7.5 - Excellent display from the striker who led the line admirably. Harrison constantly subjected the Exeter defence to pressure, harrying them into unforced errors. Needs to work on his shooting though.
Substitutes
Sam Deering - 6 - A good contribution to the game from the little man, who ensured that defensive panic was converted into attacking opportunities
Darryl Duffy - N/A
Star Man
The 12th Man - The 841 Cheltenham fans were a credit to their club and an integral part of the victory.
