Wade Elliott rues missed Cheltenham chances in draw with Accrington

Posted Sunday, February 12, 2023 by PA

Boss Wade Elliott was left frustrated after Cheltenham failed to make their superiority count as they were held to a goalless home draw by fellow strugglers Accrington.

Looking for their first league win of the calendar year, the Robins created several clear-cut chances but a mixture of wasteful finishing and excellent goalkeeping kept them out.

The normally deadly Alfie May spurned the best opening of the game early in the second half while Burnley loanee Lukas Jensen made one superb stop in each half.

Elliott said: “The performance was really good and we took it up a gear in the second half.

“It’s difficult because they make it tetchy, they make it antsy, but we were really disciplined.

“They want you to get frustrated and fragmented but we kept doing what was asked.

“Defensively in the second half we weren’t threatened at all and we made enough chances to win the game.

“It’s just one of those days and you’d put your house on Alfie (May) converting a couple. Not just him, though, and I think he is in enough credit.”

Jensen denied Taylor Perry with a save low to his right after a slick attacking move in the 11th minute as the home side made the stronger start.

Jensen, who saved a penalty in the midweek draw at Port Vale, made an even better stop to keep out Liam Sercombe’s effort in the 57th minute.

Cheltenham’s leading scorer May wasted a clear opportunity to break the deadlock early in the second half as he miscued wide with the goal gaping after Aidan Keena’s pull-back.

Accrington’s only chance of note fell to Sean McConville, who saw his volley blocked by Luke Southwood after Rosaire Longelo’s low delivery from the right just before half-time.

May forced Jensen into evasive action again 10 minutes before the end but once again the Danish goalkeeper was equal to it and Sercombe volleyed wide late on.

Cheltenham are two points outside the drop zone while Accrington remain in the bottom four but climbed one place to 22nd.

Stanley boss John Coleman admitted his side look set to go the distance in their battle to survive in the third tier.

He said: “Who wrote A Tale of Two Cities? Dickens? Well, that was a tale of two halves.

“We’ve got to build on that first-half performance but it’s still only a point. It’s going to be a scrap from now until the end of the season.

“We had two good chances and they had four to be fair. When the opportunities present themselves we have to take them.

“They played for a lot of long throw-ins but we defended them really well. They upped their game in the second half and credit to our lads for working as hard as they did.

“It’s going to be a long hard slog but that’s another point closer to the magic 50 mark.”