Late Dicko Goal Hands County Point

Liam Dickinson snatched a valuable late point for County in a six goal thriller at Whaddon Road.

Dickinson, Allen & Collins were all left out of the team from last week with Dickinson and Collins on the bench. Rob Clare, Michael Raynes & Jamie Ward started in place of the three as it looked like County were to go with 4-5-1 with Bramble up front on his own.

Yet again County took a magnificent following to Cheltenham, with around 500 fans making the 2 and a half hour journey and as the players came out onto the pitch they were welcomed with another loud reception from the County fans.

County could have took the lead early on when Jamie Ward, looking effective on the right, knocked the ball between two defenders and squeezed through himself to open up a chance for a cross, the cross came in and just evaded Bramble and Griffin in the penalty area.

But some slack defending allowed Cheltenham to grab the lead against the run of play, a lack of concentration on the right hand side of the defence allowed Armstrong in to get a cross from the by-line and Odejayi had a free header which he guided into the bottom corner, maybe Spencer could have done more to try and stop it.

Bramble was unlucky to grab an equaliser for County, some good work from Beharall in midfield gave Bramble a chance to head in but he couldn?t get it on target.

Bramble was then fouled just outside the penalty area to hand a free kick to County in a promising position. But Jamie Ward could not get it goalwards and it was blocked by the wall, with his follow up shot going over the bar.

The referee was having a shocking day, as was the linesmen and various times throughout the half the referee would give a foul when the linesmen was waving play on even though the linesmen was closer!

For some reason the referee gave a free kick to Cheltenham just outside the box but it was well saved by Spencer as he punched it out for a corner to Cheltenham. As the corner came in you could see it was heading goalwards with out a touch of anybody, but Mark Robinson was there to head off the line.

County were attacking well though, and won a corner out of some good work on the right hand side. From the corner, David Beharall was brought down in the box and the referee awarded County a penalty. Mark Robinson, the County left back, stepped up and put it into the bottom right hand corner to put the scores back level.

Another awful decision from the referee came minutes later, when a Cheltenham played handled the ball in the box but the referee gave nothing. The County fans could see it was hand ball and they were 70 yards away.

County fans were however praising the linesmen, when a Cheltenham corner and some good work down the left hand side was ruled offside by the linesmen, but the referee didn?t see the flag and played on, so the ball ended up in the net and the linesmen still had his flag up 30 seconds later. The score stayed at 1-1.

At half time County were all square with Cheltenham at 1-1.

Jamie Ward made a great run from the half way line, and he got his shot away just outside the penalty area. Shane Higgs, who was getting a lot of stick from the County fans behind the net, couldn?t keep hold of the ball but nobody was there to get a touch for County.

County then snatched a goal, when Bramble got the ball outside the penalty area and pointed to where he wanted Jason Taylor to go. The Cheltenham defence watched Bramble but did nothing, Taylor then crossed in from the left and the ball fell to Briggs at the back post who got his shot in from a tight angle and it went underneath Shane Higgs to give County the lead and send the County fans mental!

Spencer was at fault for the second goal, when he flapped at a cross from the Cheltenham right winger and it gave Brian Wilson a chance to shoot and the ball flew in off Aidan Collins to make it all square again at 2-2.

Another poor decision from the referee gave Cheltenham a controversial penalty in the 88th minute. Odejayi was backing into Collins, but the referee gave the foul against County, McCann slotted home though Spencer got close to it.

County fans thought they were out of it, but Jim Gannon immediately sent on Liam Dickinson and as County piled the men forward looking for an equaliser, Dickinson got his one and only touch and it went straight into the back of the net. Ward put the ball in the box and Dickinson turned and shot in one movement to send the County fans, who hadn?t stopped singing all day, mad!