Darrell Clarke was delighted to see his out-of-form Cheltenham side come from behind to take a 2-1 League One win from relegation rivals Burton.

“It’s a good comeback win,” Clarke said. “It’s a must comeback win in a real pressure game where I thought we had to win it and we’ve done that.”

Albion had edged ahead in a poor first half when substitute Steve Seddon fired home after a long throw into the Cheltenham box in first half added time.

But the visitors hit back after half-time through the experience of striker Matty Taylor, with the equaliser and a first goal for the club for 39-year-old Curtis Davies to seal the win with a header from Will Ferry’s corner.

“The response in the second half was very good,” Clarke added. “Matty Taylor does what he does with a great finish and it was about time Curtis got a goal. He is a proper guy and I have got a lot of time for him.

“He has really stood up and been counted over a consistent period this season and I am delighted for him to get the winner.”

Cheltenham now have their fate in their own hands and Clarke issued a “call to arms” to fans to get behind the side with two home games to come.

“Now we take it to the final week of the season in our own hands, so this is a call to arms,” he said.

“We are depleted with a lot of players out and I just want the fans to turn up in their numbers on Saturday and Tuesday and really get behind the boys because I think they deserve it.

“We need to turn the next two games into a fortress and see if we can get over the line.”

Burton boss Martin Paterson was left facing up to an eighth home loss in a row which keeps the Brewers firmly in the relegation dogfight and frustrated at how his side failed to build on a first-half lead.

“We didn’t come out for the second half,” he said. “I thought they started the game brighter than us then after 20 minutes, we started stepping towards the ball and looking dangerous and we got a goal to go in at half-time with everything in our own hands.

“Two set plays and goals in the second half and people not doing their jobs. Simple as that.”

Albion have one last chance on home soil against Reading on Saturday to grab a much-needed home win and the magnitude of the game was not lost on Paterson.

He added: “This was a huge game and Saturday is a huge game. We have just come off the back of a good performance at Stevenage so if the drop off can go one way, I am pretty sure it can go the other way as well.”

Elliot Bonds’ double ensured Cheltenham gave their Sky Bet League One survival chances a lift with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Blackpool.

The midfielder scored the first brace of his career on his 100th Robins appearance, finding the net in each half.

Cheltenham were on top for much of the first half, with George Lloyd heading over from close range in the 27th minute.

And four minutes later, Sean Long’s corner from the right fell to Bonds after a scramble and he found the net with a low left-footed finish.

Daniel Grimshaw parried a powerful strike from Will Ferry over the bar before half-time.

The Blackpool goalkeeper also denied Lloyd, who was played in one-on-one by Bonds in the 54th minute.

Kylian Kouassi saw a close-range header caught by Luke Southwood at the other end for Blackpool’s first effort on goal.

Lloyd was then tripped in the box by Jordan Gabriel but Grimshaw dived low to his right to push away Aidan Keena’s well-struck spot-kick in the 75th minute.

Bonds then made sure of the points five minutes from the end, beating Grimshaw after a neat turn and finish.

Reading claimed their first league victory in almost six months when they edged past Cheltenham 1-0 in League One at the SCL Stadium.

With Cheltenham offering little going forward, Reading dominated the first half and went in front in the 33rd minute through a deflected own-goal from Town midfielder Will Ferry.

Neither side impressed in an uninspiring second period, with Reading just about doing enough to merit their rare win.

Reading had not won since a 3-1 success over Blackpool in the Championship back in late February – a barren run of 15 games.

Defender Matty Carson strode forward purposefully early on and unleashed a fierce 20-yard drive that Luke Southwood, the former Royals keeper, did well to turn away.

But Southwood had no chance when, after a mazy run from Reading’s Caylan Vickers, Ferry inadvertently looped to ball over him and into the net.

Struggling Cheltenham, without a point this term, improved marginally after the interval but were toothless in attack and Reading safely negotiated the nine minutes of added time at the end.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.