Michael Duff lauds in-form Cheltenham striker Alfie May

Posted Sunday, February 16, 2020 by PA

Cheltenham boss Michael Duff praised in-form striker Alfie May after his fifth goal in eight starts helped keep the Robins’ promotion challenge on course with a 2-1 triumph over Leyton Orient.

A January signing from Doncaster, May cancelled out Conor Wilkinson’s opener in the first half at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.

Substitute Reuben Reid then headed in the winner with two minutes left to lift the Robins up to fifth, seven points off third with a game in hand.

“We saw Alfie’s enthusiasm and his quality as well,” Duff said.

“He’s disappointed in there and thinks he should have scored a hat-trick, but I said, ‘just keep scoring one a game and I’ll take 14 in the next 14!’

“He epitomises everything I want from a footballer and he is infectious around the place.”

Orient had taken the lead in bizarre circumstances in the 17th minute through Wilkinson, who charged down a low clearance from goalkeeper Owen Evans and the ball flew into the empty net.

But May levelled almost immediately after good work from strike partner Luke Varney.

May had a big chance to make it 2-1 in the 24th minute after a defensive error, but Lawrence Vigouroux made a good block and Varney’s follow-up effort was just wide.

Danny Johnson shot wide for Orient in the 29th minute and May curled one off target for Cheltenham after cutting in from the left.

Cheltenham had the strong wind behind them in the second half and they did most of the pressing with Chris Clements’ shot saved and Ryan Broom’s effort cleared off the line by Ousseynou Cisse.

With time running out, Jake Doyle-Hayes found Broom on the right and his cross was nodded in by Reid from close range to secure the points.

It was Reid’s second winning goal in five days, following his strike at Carlisle on Tuesday night.

“I think we deserved to win the game,” Duff said.

“I was really pleased with the performance and I thought we were excellent on a particularly difficult day.

“The cross for the winner was the moment of quality we needed and it almost said, ‘head me in’, but Reubs has got to be there, in the right place at the right time.

“That’s why we brought him in, he’s a different striker.

“We don’t expect Reuben to press one full-back and then run across the pitch to be pressing the other full-back as well, but when the ball goes into him and he gets a chance, he has proven he can put them away and that’s what we want. We want people coming on and affecting the game.”

Orient boss Ross Embleton said: “It’s a really tough one. The second half you feel as though we were a bit negative and we didn’t create enough chances, just to get ourselves up the pitch, not even at goal.

“You have to respect what we are standing in front of now in terms of the weather and we were under so much pressure, with conditions seeming to get even worse in the second half.

“It was a case of trying to see the game through and come out with a point.

“I feel a bit negative, obviously because we lost the game, but also about the way we approached the second half, but it’s tough to see another way we could have gone about it really.”