Ashton Gate Wednesday, January 31st, 2007   League One Attendance: 12,227       Bristol City 0-1 Cheltenham Town           Spencer 44
2006 /07

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Bristol City vs Cheltenham 0 - 1 Date: 31/01/2007 Venue: Ashton Gate Attendance: 12,227 Referee: Rob Styles Cheltenham Town pulled off a remarkable result at Ashton Gate to end Bristol City's run of 18 games unbeaten and collect three vital away points. Damian Spencer scored the only goal in the 44th minute but it was a result tinged with an element of tragedy as new signing Scott Brown was carried off on a stretcher after suffering a serious first half injury. Cheltenham defended resolutely in the second half to secure their third away victory of the season - the other two have also been against promotion contenders in Swansea City and Yeovil Town - and the result can only give the players confidence for the remainder of the season. Robins boss John Ward recalled Damian Spencer after a three match ban to face his old club and Craig Armstrong returned to the left-back slot after a one match ban. Brown was named in the starting line-up for his first match as a permanent Cheltenham Town signing, while David Bird returned after missing the last game against Gillingham with a hamstring injury. Brown started the match on the right-hand side of midfield with Spencer on the left and JJ Melligan playing just behind lone striker Paul Connor. For Bristol City Brian Wilson, transferred from Cheltenham Town to Bristol City three weeks ago, started on the left-hand side of midfield. Wilson was involved in the first chance of the contest after four minutes when he slipped a pass into the feet of striker Enoch Showunmi and the big striker produced a sharp turn before seeing his shot deflected wide off Shane Duff. Cheltenham's first attempt at goal arrived five minutes later when a sustained period of possession ended with a shot from Spencer that spun wide off a defender. But things went badly wrong with only 12 minutes on the clock when Brown crumpled to the floor following a bizarre clash with Spencer. Melligan played the pass forward to a promising position on the edge of the box and as Spencer shaped to drive shot at goal, Brown darted forward to try and reach the same ball. The result was a calamitous tangle of bodies as Spencer, fully committed to the shot, crashed his boot into Brown's left leg and the pair fell to the ground. Spencer got straight up but Brown lay motionless and it was clear from the reactions of both sets of players that the injury was serious. Bristol City captain Louis Carey comforted Brown as physio Ian Weston and the paramedic crew attended to him. Play was held up for over six minutes before the 21-year old was carried from the field on the stretcher to generous applause from the City fans. The injury seemed to take the intensity out of the game and after a spell of fairly cautious football from both sides, Melligan sent City goalkeeper Adriano Basso flying after a long-range effort that drifted just wide. Shane Higgs got down to hold a long-range right-footed shot from Wayne Andrews then Melligan, given a similar free-kick to the one he scored from against Gillingham, beat the defensive wall but saw his shot blocked comfortably by Basso. City created a good chance seven minutes before the break when Scott Murray, scorer of a spectacular goal against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Saturday, worked his way past two defenders before driving a shot towards the near post that Higgs managed to push aside. But the Robins confounded the form book on 44 minutes by taking the lead through Spencer. Melligan's free-kick from the right-hand side was met by a combination of Spencer and a defender six yards out. The ball fell for Connor and when his shot was blocked, Spencer was on hand to follow up and score. Melligan then had a shot parried by Basso and Duff lashed one wide from 18 yards as Cheltenham looked to be finishing the first half on top. However, back came City with a quick breakaway and following an exchange of passes with Andrews, Bradley Orr directed a shot towards the far post only for Higgs to pull off a remarkable save at full stretch. Cheltenham began the second half with the same brightness they ended the first and right-back Jerry Gill very nearly scored his first goal for the club with less than two minutes played. Gill let fly with 25 yard effort that appeared bound for the far corner until the flying Basso got his fingertips to it. Substitute Sosthene Yao, on for the injured Brown, was booked for a foul on Murray and it was the long-serving Scotsman who almost levelled for City moments later when his low drive hit Duff five yards out and bounced clear. By now City had cranked up the pressure and Showunmi was next to go close when he headed a couple of feet wide from a Lee Johnson free-kick. Armstrong followed Yao into the book for delaying the re-start of play as Cheltenham struggled to gain possession and prevent a rising tide of City pressure upon their goal. Kayode Odejayi, another former Bristol City player, was introduced in place of Melligan to try and stretch the City defence with his pace on the break for the last half hour. City kept up the pressure but a series of half chances came and went with nothing falling sweetly enough for them to get a clear strike at goal. Duff became the third player to be booked, harshly it seemed, when he appeared to win the ball cleanly in a challenge with Wilson, and Murray went close again 15 minutes from time when his out-stretched boot just failed to reach a cross from Orr with the goal gaping. Ten minutes from time City boss Gary Johnson made a double substitution to inject fresh legs into his attack, although Ward countered two minutes later with the introduction of defender Gavin Caines in place of Spencer. The tension mounted in the closing minutes as City mounted attack after attack and the Cheltenham defence creaked under the pressure. Jamie McCombe headed wide from a Murray cross and Armstrong booted the ball off the line after a cluster of bodies met a right wing corner two minutes from the end. Higgs dived to make another impressive save, this time from substitute Kevin Betsy, and Alex Russell volleyed over the bar from the edge of the box as the clock ticked into injury time. Gill went into the book for a foul on Murray but the resulting fre-kick came to nothing and Cheltenham held on. BRISTOL CITY (4-4-2): Basso; Orr, Carey, McCombe, McAllister (Noble 80); Murray, Skuse, Johnson (Russell 80), Wilson; Showunmi, Andrews (Betsy 46). Subs not used: Keogh, Weale (Gk) CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-5-1): Higgs; Gill, Townsend, Duff, Armstrong; Brown (Yao 15), Finnigan, Melligan (Odejayi 62), Bird, Spencer (Caines 82); Connor. Subs not used: Lowe, Brown (Gk) REFEREE: R. Styles (Hampshire) ATTENDANCE: 12,227 (596 from Cheltenham