A last-gasp Cheltenham Town equaliser and subsequent penalty shootout defeat left our Under-21s’ EFL Trophy hopes hanging by a thread on a dramatic night in Gloucestershire on Tuesday.
Having stormed back from conceding the opener to lead 2-1 via second-half goals from Richarlison and Miracle Adewole, we looked on course to pick up what would have been a deserved victory in Southern Group A.
But in the last few seconds, George Miller scrambled home his second of the game for the League Two side to ensure honours ended even, sending the tie to spot-kicks for an extra point.
Goalkeeper Sam Archer made two fine saves from George Nurse and Austria international Andreas Weimann but after Harry Byrne and the returning Jun’ai Byfield were denied by the Robins’ young substitute stopper Mamadou Diallo, either side of Malachi Hardy firing over the bar, it was left to Freddy Willcox to hand the home side a 7-6 victory on penalties and leave us at the foot of the standings with a solitary point, needing two Oxford United games – one of which we’re involved in – to go our way if we’re to advance to the knockout stages.
More to follow.
Line-ups
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Cheltenham Town: Day (Diallo 19), Tomkinson, Nurse, Sweeney (Willcox 65), Wilson (c) (Shipley 46), Stevenson, Bickerstaff, McCann (Evans 79), Miller, McWilliams (Weimann 79), Otchere. Substitutes (not used): McNamee, Robinson.
Spurs: Archer, Rowswell (c) (Byfield 70), King, Hardy, Dorrington, Byrne, Adewole, McFadden (Feeney 80), Boast (Lehane 80), Ramsey (Sowunmi 70), Richarlison. Substitutes (not used): Doran, Moncur, Adedeji.
Match data
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Goals: Cheltenham Town – Miller 45+1, 90+5; Spurs – Richarlison 56, Adewole 73.
Yellow cards: Cheltenham Town – Stevenson 68; Spurs – Archer 90+9.
Referee: Harrison Blair.
Venue: EV Charger Points Stadium, Cheltenham.
Weather: Clear sky, gentle breeze, 13 degrees.
Attendance: 1,731.
Penalty shootout
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Spurs – Adewole – scoredCheltenham – Bickerstaff – scoredSpurs – Dorrington – scoredCheltenham – Nurse – savedSpurs – Sowunmi – scoredCheltenham – Otchere – scoredSpurs – Byrne – savedCheltenham – Evans – scoredSpurs – Richarlison – scoredCheltenham – Miller – scoredSpurs – Lehane – scoredCheltenham – Shipley – scoredSpurs – Hardy – missedCheltenham – Weimann – savedSpurs – King – scoredCheltenham – Stevenson – scoredSpurs – Byfield – saved
Cheltenham – Willcox – scored