Match ends, Cheltenham Town 0, Stevenage 1.
Cheltenham Town 0-1 Stevenage
- From the section Football
Substitute Ben Kennedy kept Stevenage in the hunt for a play-off place as they saw off bottom side Cheltenham.
Stevenage wasted a clear chance early on when Charlie Lee tapped gently into the arms of Trevor Carson.
Craig Braham-Barrett hit the post for Cheltenham in the opening minute of the second half before Will Packwood went close with a header.
Kennedy was then tripped by Jack Deaman in the 78th minute and he stepped up to send goalkeeper Carson the wrong way.
Graham Westley's side earned their first win in six and sit sixth in the League Two table, just one point inside the play-off places, while Cheltenham are three points from safety.
Cheltenham Town manager Gary Johnson told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
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"We had 20 shots compared to their 7, but we needed a bit of quality in our shooting and that's down to mental toughness.
"We've got to be more professional than we were today. We flashed at the ball and didn't hit the target from good positions.
"I felt that some could have done more, some have not quite got that fitness, and for the next few games it's going to be about picking the right team.
"Hopefully we're not leaving it too late. Every game that goes by is getting even tighter"
Stevenage manager Graham Westley told BBC Three Counties Radio:
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"It's never easy on a very difficult pitch. You've got to be resilient, you've got to be hardworking and you've got to be brave.
"If you don't put fresh legs in you tend to suffer. In fairness as the game wore on I thought we did run on and that led to the goals and the chances later on.
"I knew that others were likely to drop points today and I knew it was a great opportunity to build our position.
"Our destiny is in our hands and it's up to us to go on winning games."
Line-ups
Cheltenham
- 1Carson
- 2VaughanBooked at 82mins
- 26PackwoodSubstituted forDeamanat 53'minutes
- 5Brown
- 3Braham-Barrett
- 20Wynter
- 16Hanks
- 8Richards
- 28McDonaldSubstituted forHaynesat 65'minutesBooked at 79mins
- 39MansetSubstituted forHarradat 74'minutesBooked at 77mins
- 10Burns
Substitutes
- 9Haynes
- 12Gould
- 15Deaman
- 17Kotwica
- 24Sparrow
- 25Berry
- 29Harrad
Stevenage
- 16DayBooked at 18mins
- 7Whelpdale
- 3Dembele
- 19Wells
- 23OkimoBooked at 26mins
- 50MartinSubstituted forDeaconat 76'minutes
- 8WaltonSubstituted forAndradeat 65'minutes
- 6Bond
- 18Parrett
- 20BeardsleySubstituted forKennedyat 57'minutes
- 22Lee
Substitutes
- 1Beasant
- 11Pett
- 12McAllister
- 32Conlon
- 33Kennedy
- 34Deacon
- 36Andrade
- Referee:
- Richard Clark
- Attendance:
- 2,858
Match Stats
Home TeamCheltenhamAway TeamStevenage
- Possession
- Home51%
- Away49%
- Shots
- Home10
- Away7
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away4
- Corners
- Home4
- Away11
- Fouls
- Home13
- Away10
Live Text
Full Time
Second Half ends, Cheltenham Town 0, Stevenage 1.
Attempt missed. Danny Haynes (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Foul by Dean Parrett (Stevenage).
Lee Vaughan (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Dean Parrett (Stevenage).
Joe Hanks (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jerome Okimo (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordan Wynter (Cheltenham Town).
Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordan Wynter (Cheltenham Town).
Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Craig Braham-Barrett (Cheltenham Town).
Booking
Lee Vaughan (Cheltenham Town) is shown the yellow card.
Dean Parrett (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Lee Vaughan (Cheltenham Town).
Booking
Craig Braham-Barrett (Cheltenham Town) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!
Goal! Cheltenham Town 0, Stevenage 1. Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Booking
Shaun Harrad (Cheltenham Town) is shown the yellow card.
Penalty Stevenage. Ben Kennedy draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Jack Deaman (Cheltenham Town) after a foul in the penalty area.
Substitution
Substitution, Stevenage. Roarie Deacon replaces Dave Martin.
Foul by Andy Bond (Stevenage).
Matt Richards (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Jerome Okimo.
Substitution
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Shaun Harrad replaces Mathieu Manset because of an injury.
Dave Martin (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Lee Vaughan (Cheltenham Town).
Foul by Chris Whelpdale (Stevenage).
Craig Braham-Barrett (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Stevenage. Bruno Andrade replaces Simon Walton.
Substitution
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Danny Haynes replaces Shaquille McDonald.
Attempt missed. Shaquille McDonald (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Lee Vaughan (Cheltenham Town) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Substitution
Substitution, Stevenage. Ben Kennedy replaces Chris Beardsley.
Attempt missed. Lee Vaughan (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Bira Dembélé.
Corner, Stevenage. Conceded by Trevor Carson.
Substitution
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Jack Deaman replaces Will Packwood because of an injury.