In The Stands: Cheltenham 3-2 Macclesfield

WHAT a dreary, damp day in Gloucestershire. Reflective of the mood surrounding both Cheltenham Town and Sol Campbell’s Macclesfield Town after pour seasons in League Two. Both sides are stuck in a relegation battle, fighting to survive in the bottom tier of professional English football.

Cheltenham offer tickets for just £7 to students like myself, so off I went to watch my new local team play in a game that meant so much more to the supporters than it did to me. However, I had developed something of a love for lowly Cheltenham Town having watched them on several occasions over the past year.

Me and my pal got seats in the commentary gantry thanks to a fellow journalist who used to be media manager at Cheltenham Town, and I took my seat in the miniature stadium as kick-off drew near.

The team sheets were handed out and the important news was that veteran forward Luke Varney would once again start for the Robins. The 36-year-old was brought in by manager Michael Duff to help bolster his attacking options and add valuable experience as well as a cool head on and off the pitch.

When kick off arrived, I was ready for 90 minutes of exciting football. It inevitably got off to a flyer. Ryan Broom booked for a tough challenge on 2 minutes, Koby Arthur off injured just before Macclesfield were awarded a penalty after goalkeeper Scott Flinders’ rash challenge.

It went in off the post to add to the already present Cheltenham nerves.

A frantic opening reached its peak in a crazy 3-minute spell midway through the first half. Macclesfield defender Nathan Cameron saw red after elbowing Jacob Maddox, giving the fans and players a boost.

The Robins looked for an instant response but were caught with a sucker punch and fell 2 goals down. The worst fears were being realised by everyone connected to the club – could Cheltenham fall out of the Football League once again?

Varney had 2 clear-cut chances to pull a goal back before the interval, missing both uncharacteristically. Half-time arrived with a chorus of boos from the home support that signalled a big half-time team talk from Michael Duff.

And how? Whatever he said must have gone down a treat with the players in the dressing room, with the home side managing to turn the game around and lead 3-2 on 79 minutes. Varney’s volley and Jacob Maddox’s goal levels the thriller before a Charlie Raglan power header. Bedlam.

The drama, unsurprisingly, hadn’t finished there. The crowd all around me held their breath when Scott Wilson – scorer of the games second – looked certain to tie the match. He fizzed a shot wide and was greeted by a cheer of ‘wheeeey!’.

The Silkmen looked defeated, having played more than half the game a man down, and fall to the floor on the referee’s whistle. Victory for Michael Duff means the fans can go home singing in the rain! Meanwhile, Ex-England star Campbell concedes his opponents deserved the win as he gave his post-match opinion in the pouring drizzle.

The moral of the story – never give up.