Nightmare on Cheltenham Street

Cheltenham Town (A) - League 2 - 15th February 2025

Cheltenham are one of three League Two sides with streets named after them in Barrow with the other two being Newport Street (where we last played away from home) and Harrogate Street, one of two locations where we’ve emerged victorious in the league this season, the other being our victory against Grimsby Town in Cleethorpes way back in September. 

However, this is a Barrow side with a renewed sense of optimism with back to back victories at home against Gillingham and the Milton Keynes Dons respectively, we can and will win away from home again in the league eventually, why not today? Ooh, that graphic that the club has posted shows that we’ll be wearing our Yellow and Black change kit, oh no hang on a minute, we’re in that ruddy green kit again, oh, forget it!

Andy Whing named an unchanged side from Tuesday’s evening and can we really blame him? Surely one of the reasons for our shortcomings this season has been due to the chopping and changing of starting line-ups, asking a 38 year old to go again in an unfamiliar position for the third game in a week, why not? Theo Vassell and Leo Duru returned to take their places on the substitutes bench, if required.

This was a Cheltenham side who had a full week on the training ground following a 2-0 defeat at Fleetwood the previous Saturday. Mike Flynn, the most league two-ey out of all of the league two managers has turned things around after a slow start to the season following relegation from League One. However, this is a team that is more than the sum of its parts, a useful mixture of those a) lads plucked from the depths of non-league b) vastly experienced football leaguemen and c) loan signings from the Barclays Premiership. Given our shambolic away record, a point would most certainly be a credible return this time around.

This is the first time that Barrow have visited Cheltenham since 2020-21 where they emerged with a 2-0 victory at a Cheltenham side who were promoted as League Two champions. Due to lockdowns, there were of course no supporters present so you would have to go back to the 22nd August 2015 for the last Barrow visit complemented by travelling supporters. That ended in a 2-1 defeat to a Cheltenham side including future Bluebirds, Asa Hall and Billy Waters with a young Elliot Newby appearing from the bench in a Vanarama National League clash.

The first half an hour of today’s encounter was largely both teams taking turns to whip a variety of crosses into the penalty area with nobody able to get on the end of any of them. However, Paul Farman was forced into an excellent save after one of the more dangerous Cheltenham deliveries. The presence of half of a stand filled with a noisy Year One field trip reminded you that this was most definitely the edge of a reasonably well-to-do town on the edge of the Cotswolds rather than the Ali Sami Yen. They were however silenced after 32 minutes when a delicious Jackson delivery was glanced home expertly by 38 year old auxiliary defender, Sam Foley at the ground where he started his career without making a senior appearance way back in 2006. His first goal for the club since opening the scoring by heading home during our last away victory at Grimsby in September, could this be the omen we’ve been searching for?

The referee blew up for half time and the travelling support headed to either the burger van or the incredibly spacious bogs depending. The architect who designed this stand in the early 2000s clearly opted for cavernous toilet facilities rather than any bar facilities. A strong public health message but not quite the warm hospitality required having travelled a long distance. Having procured some chips covered in molten hot lava masquerading as cheese, I took my seat in the away end to devour much needed sustenance.

Hang on a minute, GOAL cue pandemonium in the away end, Barrow have doubled their advantage, restraint must be shown to avoid fellow travelling supporters in delicious hot cheese, I remain seated. Ben Whitfield capitalised upon Scot Bennett’s indecision and having failed to deal with Paul Farman’s long punt upfield (things we like to see) Whitfield lifted the ball above Joe Day, alluding the goalkeeper and nestling almost in slow motion in the back of the net in front of the travelling support. The first goal of his second spell at the club - we have missed this sort of thing. 

When an individual or a team is short of confidence, their judgement can often become clouded, going 2-0 up away from home should be a good thing, it should breed confidence. However, such is our poor record away from home, our confidence is brittle, we retreated almost instantaneously. Mike Flynn introduced Brentford loanee Ashley Hay and veteran striker Matty Taylor, a man who has only scored one goal so far this season. Yes, you know precisely what happens next.

Cheltenham went big on crosses, a ball whipped in on the right was picked up deep on the left hand side where another delivery found Matty Taylor who got in between Foley and Canavan to head at goal, a tremendous save from Farman denied him initially but the ball fell back at his feet and he pulled a goal back for the home side on the hour mark, doubling his tally for the season. 

The Robins could smell blood, a corner was conceded soon after, Farman was booked for time wasting, Sam Stubbs (son of Alan) headed wide, Matty Taylor had an effort blocked. Farman went down injured (of course he did). This allowed Emile Acquah to be introduced to proceedings as a 67th minute replacement for Aaron Pressley who had completely ran out of steam. We were so deep that our target man was camped in his own half alas we had no outlet to help us get further up the pitch.

Barrow won a free kick on the 69th minute which Canavan and Cameron ventured forward for, an opportunity to hit back, Ben Whitfield launched the ball into the penalty area. Cameron’s flick-on was collected by Joe Day who, like Farman at the start of the half, launched the ball forwards on a counter attack. The pace on the ball was enough for it to bounce over Whitfield’s head to find Matty Taylor, he then turned the diminutive winger inside out and fired home to equalise for Cheltenham. Bugger.

Heads well and truly in the metaphorical tumble dryer now, Whitfield was withdrawn with what appeared to be a hip injury and was replaced by Tyler Smith and Barrow looked to salvage something from the contest. However, a series of crosses and corners were again not really dealt with until a ball whipped in by Ethan Williams which found Ashley Hay, who found himself in space in between Niall Canavan and Emile Acquah* (!) and was able to put the visitors in the lead after 76 minutes, the comeback well and truly complete, we have been here before, we already knew the ending.

Whing then responded with changes that appeared to be more tactical than enforced, Leo Duru, Theo Vassell and Connor Mahoney replacing Newby, Foley and Spence respectively. The latter, who has been able to find form under the new manager having an uncharacteristically quiet afternoon in Gloucestershire and was unable to have an impact. There was however little in the way of response, Canavan joined Acquah as a makeshift striker and we did little to capitalise on a generous 8 minutes of stoppage time, again there was no lack of effort or quality, not to go all Jake Humphrey at this time on a Sunday evening, this was all about confidence and mindset. As things stand we have a mental block when playing away from home that will, as things stand, be a big hurdle to clear as we try and move forward during the remainder of this season and into the next one too.

Apart from that, it is not easy to pinpoint where it went wrong, it would be with the benefit of hindsight to say that Andy Whing should have made changes from Tuesday evening. Yes, it is less than ideal to ask a 38 year old to play three times in a week in an unfamiliar position and he will know that. One can only assume as per the post match interview that Theo Vassell and Leo Duru didn’t have 90 minutes in the tank, otherwise we would have seen round pegs in round holes. Likewise, as Whing acknowledged there should have been changes sooner, the substitutions of Pressley and Whitfield seemed to be out of necessity rather than out of choice. We were already 3-2 down when the players who could really make a difference arrived on scene and by then it was too late.

As we very well know this is a league where there are very tight margins, the benefits of having a clear week on the training ground was probably a factor in our shortcomings when combined with our shoddy away record. Although we emerged victorious against MK Dons, it was a very hard earned victory with square pegs in round holes and no doubt took a lot out of the players (yes, they’re professional footballers, they should be able to cope etc. etc.). That’s where earlier substitutions can be our friend and I’m certain that if Whing could go back in time he would have made those changes and stemmed the tide of the Cheltenham onslaught.

It’s Crewe (a) next, a team who themselves are not in the finest of form, the aforementioned week on the training field will no doubt make a difference when Barrow walk out at the Mornflake Stadium for a lunchtime kick-off next Saturday. We emerged victorious on the first day of the season, and our festive visit there last season was probably the high point in a campaign which ended disastrously. Whilst it looks like this one has the potential to fizzle out into nothingness, what is key is that we look to improve our away record from here on in. I’m not quite sure how we ensure a dramatic reversal in our fortunes. If that green kit somehow gets misplaced at the laundrette during the week, ahead of Crewe (a) we might be onto something.