Stevenage travel to Gloucestershire this Saturday for a Sky Bet League One clash with Cheltenham Town…
Boro have had an extremely positive start to life in the third tier, picking up an impressive fifteen points from their opening eight league games. The side sit inside the play-off places, just a point behind league leaders Portsmouth. Having lost just one league game so far, Stevenage are proving to be very difficult to overcome this season.
Last weekend, Steve Evans’ men added another point to their tally as they welcomed former Premier League outfit Charlton Athletic to The Lamex Stadium. The in-form Jamie Reid opened the scoring, but the visitors equalised late from the penalty spot.
The Opposition
Cheltenham Town have had a disappointing start to their campaign and will be looking to pick up some vital points this Saturday. The Robins sit at the bottom of the Sky Bet League One table, having picked up just one point from a possible twenty-four. They have also failed to score in all of their opening eight league fixtures.
Their most recent fixture consisted of a trip to Peterborough which did not go in their favour. Cheltenham’s James Olayinka saw red after five minutes which changed the complexion of the game as The Posh netted three past them to pick up a comfortable victory. The Robins were reduced to nine men late on as Nathan Butler-Oyedeji also received a red card. Butler-Oyedeji and Olayinka will consequently miss this Saturday’s clash.
Two days prior to this weekend’s battle, Cheltenham parted ways with First Team Manager Wade Elliott who had spent three years at the club. Assistant Manager Kevin Russell has been asked to take charge of the side against Stevenage on Saturday.
Head-to-Head
Stevenage have been quite familiar with Cheltenham over the years, first in the non-league days before both clubs made the Football League. The sides have met on twenty occasions in the past, with Boro winning eight, Cheltenham winning seven, and five of the games ending in draws.
Boro had to be patient at first to get a win over Saturday’s opponents as Cheltenham appeared to have their number in non-league. It was worth the wait though, as Stevenage picked up a 4-0 win at The Lamex Stadium in 2011 thanks to Byron Harrison’s brace, plus goals from Michael Bostwick and Mark Roberts.
Stevenage’s most recent trip to The Completely-Suzuki stadium ended in a 1-1 draw with Jack Aitchison grabbing his side’s only goal on Boxing Day 2020. Saturday’s encounter will be the first between the two clubs in the third tier of English football.
The Stadium
The Completely-Suzuki Stadium has been home to Cheltenham Town since 1932 and has a current capacity of 7,066. Away supporters are typically housed in the ‘Hazlewoods Stand’, an all-seater stand behind one of the goals which holds a capacity of approximately 1,100.
Officials
Leigh Doughty has been appointed as Match Referee for tomorrow’s fixture with Nigel Lugg and Bhupinder Singh Gill as his Assistants and Matt Corlett as Fourth Official. Doughty has dished out thirty-two yellow cards and one red so far this campaign.
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