A Team Of Two Halves

As frustrating as Torquay`s late equaliser at Whaddon Road on Tuesday night was, it was also depressingly inevitable. The good work by Cheltenham in the opening 45 minutes was undone by a laboured second half effort. The Robins seemed to sit back and gave away possession far too easily, handing the initiative to the Gulls. There could be a number of factors behind the disappointing second forty-five, but the overall display summarised why the Robins find themselves in the lower reaches of the division going into the final few months of the season.

The disappointment felt at the end of Tuesday`s game contrasted directly with the jubilation felt at the victory against Morecambe three days earlier. In the second half of that match, Cheltenham pushed on after the break and doubled their lead by the hour mark. Further chances were squandered, but it was a satisfying outcome as the Robins took the game to the opposition and belied their lowly league status. The belief gained from such a display seemed to disappear over the course of the second half against Torquay and proved that confidence is still very brittle amongst the Cheltenham squad.

A major factor in the promising opening half against Torquay was the performance of Matt Thornhill. The Nottingham Forest loanee seems to link up effortlessly between the midfield and front two and the lack of his presence seemed to directly influence the uninspired efforts of the second half. Theo Lewis came on in his place and failed to assert himself on the game. Of course the youngster has shown promise previously and shouldn`t be overly criticised, but he looked out of his depth after entering the fray at half time. Perhaps in this case the judgement of Mark Yates should be questioned.

Barry Hayles and Julian Alsop again worked well initially for the Robins, but two games in four days is a tough ask for the two veterans. Hayles deserved his rather fortunate goal against Torquay for the effort and application he has shown recently. The trouble comes with the options in reserve, as Justin Richards and Elvis Hammond just don`t seem to assert themselves enough. Richards has performed well at times this season, but looks disinterested and low on confidence at this present moment. As for Hammond, his inability to remain on his feet long enough diminishes any chance he has to impress.

The rest of the team is a mixed bag, with some players performing more consistently than others. Michael Pook again imposed himself well on Tuesday night and David Hutton does show some real promise at times despite his lack of a physical presence. Andy Gallinagh also impressed against Torquay and it was a real shame that his one error of the night led to the equaliser. Such mistakes undo the quality that the team are capable of at times. The lack of calm and confidence to push on for a second goal on Tuesday ultimately showed Cheltenham to be a team of two halves.