Cheltenham Town v Swansea City

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Jon Palmer
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Joined: 13 Feb 2010, 20:19
Team news, live updates and reaction all here this evening:

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/s ... y-10369277
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Shade
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Looking at the strengths of the starting XI's, it'll be interesting to see how many Swansea score in the first half. I'll go for 5.
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Jerry St Clair
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Looks like a real mismatch on paper.

A very strong, possibly full strength, Swansea against a, shall we say mixed, Cheltenham team. Potential for a thumping………
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mikep101
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Well Mike Garlick is in attendance so good way for Flynn to demonstrate the squads weakness while putting out a stronger side in second half.
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Shade
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0-0 at the break :o
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mikep101
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Fair play to the young uns and trialists. Was Bennetts substitution on 30 mins planned?
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Shade
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Cheltenham lead through trialist B :o
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Shade
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That didn't last long :lol:
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Ihearye
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Shade wrote: ↑23 Jul 2025, 19:07 Cheltenham lead through trialist B :o
Just going to nip over to last seasons predictions table :lol:
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ctfc-fan
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Is Snoop Dog there?!
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ctfc-fan
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After the doom and gloom of the previous match, does this mean we’re going to p!## the league now?
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Shade
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Absolutely, HMS p!## The League is getting ready to leave the dock once a few more crew are aboard :lol:

Young corner, Pell flick, Angol at the back post. Wonder how many times that might be repeated in the next 10 months.
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HamTown
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Just relieved we've avoided being thumped 3 times by the big boys
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tunnelvision
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mikep101 wrote: ↑23 Jul 2025, 18:52 Fair play to the young uns and trialists. Was Bennetts substitution on 30 mins planned?
I don't think so. He looked a bit uncomfortable after a strong tackle. Left the field shortly afterwards.

I also can't see why Flynn wants rid of Bakare, when Bennett is injury & accident prone, Cundy also injury plagued.
Bakare is a strong, competent defender. OK, he might be a bit unconventional at times, but surely there should be a place for him in our squad!
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tunnelvision
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Shade wrote: ↑23 Jul 2025, 19:07 Cheltenham lead through trialist B :o
That's his price tag going up above our budget! :roll:
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Jim
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Trialist B was Jake Bickerstaff I believe. Came through at Wrexham in 2017 and been there ever since. Was on loan at Altrincham in the NL last season, scoring a 2 in 26.
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Ihearye
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Jim wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 08:55 Trialist B was Jake Bickerstaff I believe. Came through at Wrexham in 2017 and been there ever since. Was on loan at Altrincham in the NL last season, scoring a 2 in 26.
With those stats, he should fit right in :D
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PCrobin
Posts: 286
Joined: 05 May 2023, 10:56
Ihearye wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 09:12
Jim wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 08:55 Trialist B was Jake Bickerstaff I believe. Came through at Wrexham in 2017 and been there ever since. Was on loan at Altrincham in the NL last season, scoring a 2 in 26.
With those stats, he should fit right in :D
You never know....Alfie scored 10 in 92 games for Doncaster before he signed for us.. ;)
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Si Robin
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I've spoken to a couple of Wrexham fans and they're convinced there's a cracking player there just waiting to settle somewhere and break out.
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PCrobin
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Si Robin wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 09:22 I've spoken to a couple of Wrexham fans and they're convinced there's a cracking player there just waiting to settle somewhere and break out.
Well that sounds positive. Maybe he will settle with us. Again, a bit like Alfie I guess..

I really need to get over the Alfie obsession :roll:
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Shade
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How did Dodoo get on? I've seen Bickerstaff's goal and they seemed to link well for it, with Dodoo doing well to win the ball and cross it to him.
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Si Robin
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I only watched on Swansea's stream, but I thought Dodoo looked good. Very tenacious, bigger than I expected and, as you said, did brilliantly for the first goal.
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Jim
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Shade wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 11:05 How did Dodoo get on? I've seen Bickerstaff's goal and they seemed to link well for it, with Dodoo doing well to win the ball and cross it to him.
He did well I thought, a little off the pace at times, which can be said for both trialists. But as MF said, they only came in today so no surprise if they weren't quite at the level fitness wise.

He had some good touches, worked hard out wide, intelligent balls into the box, especially the goal where he waits for the run and takes his time rather than rushing it in a panic.
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HamTown
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Sounds worth a closer look for both then

From what ive seen about Tustin also caught the eye again
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CS85
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Jim wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 11:13
Shade wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 11:05 How did Dodoo get on? I've seen Bickerstaff's goal and they seemed to link well for it, with Dodoo doing well to win the ball and cross it to him.
He did well I thought, a little off the pace at times, which can be said for both trialists. But as MF said, they only came in today so no surprise if they weren't quite at the level fitness wise.

He had some good touches, worked hard out wide, intelligent balls into the box, especially the goal where he waits for the run and takes his time rather than rushing it in a panic.
I was going into the game already with a critical opinion on this guy due to his record over the last ten years,but he had a good game,high work rate,some nice footwork,a great tackle and then cross for the goal. I feel both trialists are worth a other look.
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Jerry St Clair
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Si Robin wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 09:22 I've spoken to a couple of Wrexham fans and they're convinced there's a cracking player there just waiting to settle somewhere and break out.
Fits our model of being an opportunity club then. We have to take calculated risks and this might be one of those.
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Jerry St Clair
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tunnelvision wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 08:32
I also can't see why Flynn wants rid of Bakare, when Bennett is injury & accident prone, Cundy also injury plagued.
Bakare is a strong, competent defender. OK, he might be a bit unconventional at times, but surely there should be a place for him in our squad!
Reminds me a lot of Lewis Freestone. In his first season it was clear he was strong and committed, but also plagued by horrendous errors. It looked like his days were numbered.

Those errors gradually reduced in his second season under Duff to the point where he was rewarded with a three year contract.

Bakare is now the age Freestone was under Duff in that 21/22 season. He’s going to need a break to get in the team, but if he does and he cuts the errors out like Freestone did, he might just salvage his Town career. Otherwise it’s curtains.
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Ihearye
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Jerry St Clair wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 17:21
tunnelvision wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 08:32
I also can't see why Flynn wants rid of Bakare, when Bennett is injury & accident prone, Cundy also injury plagued.
Bakare is a strong, competent defender. OK, he might be a bit unconventional at times, but surely there should be a place for him in our squad!
Reminds me a lot of Lewis Freestone. In his first season it was clear he was strong and committed, but also plagued by horrendous errors. It looked like his days were numbered.

Those errors gradually reduced in his second season under Duff to the point where he was rewarded with a three year contract.

Bakare is now the age Freestone was under Duff in that 21/22 season. He’s going to need a break to get in the team, but if he does and he cuts the errors out like Freestone did, he might just salvage his Town career. Otherwise it’s curtains.
Duff was a good defensive coach. Bakare hasn't got that sadly
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Si Robin
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Not sure he was that good a defensive coach, we conceded 80 goals in his last season with us.
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Ihearye
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Si Robin wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025, 17:40 Not sure he was that good a defensive coach, we conceded 80 goals in his last season with us.
maybe not a fair comparison, in the same league with a squad of league 2 players - 39
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Si Robin
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Maybe Ben Tozer was more important than we thought.

We only conceded 61 the following season with a very similar squad of players under what one would assume to be an attack minded coach. Though, oddly, we only scored 45 goals compared to the 66 in Duff's final season.

But I'm being facetious. Short of being on the training field, we don't know who coached what. Being a defender doesn't necessarily make a defensive coach. Being an attacker doesn't necessarily make you a great forwards coach - see George Graham for example, a midfield/forward who was one of the most defense minded coaches going.

It's one of the criticisms of Aaron Downes I don't understand. Everyone assumes because he was a defender he must be the only person doing the defence work at the club, but there is nothing to suggest that's the case at all.
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asl
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Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 09:37
In his first stint as a coach here, he definitely did take the defence coaching: last time this was mentioned here, I looked and found an article from that time (that I'm damned if i can find now) where he confirmed that. I didn't post it at the time because we were talking about 'now' - but maybe that's where the impression comes from, the fact that he used to do the defensive duties as first team coach.
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RegencyCheltenhamSpa
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I do recall Duff talking about how he worked with Freestone and other defenders on body shape and starting position.
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horlickfanclub
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Tom Bradbury spoke about having to adapt his game and struggling to do so when he got back in to the side. This was the Managers way of playing.
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