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Cheltenham Town Fans Verdict: A League Win At Last

Harry rounds up what the fans had to say after Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Cheltenham.

By harry.chafer
/ new
PA Images via Getty Images

I think Tuesday’s game was as close as you could possibly get to a ‘must win’ this early on in the season. The mood was sour after Saturday’s loss to Port Vale, and for good reason. The fans needed a reaction and they got it.

Selles made seven (yes, seven) changes to the team from Saturday, bringing in plenty of the youngsters who won so convincingly at the Den last week - and boy did they impress again.

It was a huge win (slightly soured by Wednesday’s news of a one-point deduction) that we very much needed. Here’s how the fans reacted to the key talking points.

The starting lineup

The fans wanted changes after the debacle at Vale Park and they got them. It was a brave team selection from Ruben Selles, who picked near enough the same team from the Millwall game, apart from not using Coniah Boyce-Clarke and Tivonge Rushesha, with David Button and Charlie Savage preferred.

The players repaid his faith with a much, much better performance than the second half on Tuesday and, ultimately, our first league win since the back end of February.

The fans were grinning from ear to ear at circa 7pm Tuesday night when the team sheet was released...

Nelson Abbey

Many players impressed on Tuesday night, but none more so than stand-in skipper Nelson Abbey. He was given a rest on Saturday after his stoic showing at Millwall, but surely now the left-centre-back spot is his to lose.

I must be honest, I hadn’t seen a huge amount of Abbey before this season, but he looks the real deal. Strong, lightning quick and really comfortable on the ball. And also a Reading lad, which always helps.

He’s taken to first-team football like a duck to water, and the fans have been impressed...

A win at last

It’s been a long, long time coming, but we finally got a +3 in the points column. In true Reading FC style, one of those points was knocked off on Wednesday (a painful reminder of the dark cloud still hovering over the club), but a win is a huge boost for confidence and morale nonetheless.

The performance actually followed a similar pattern of the first two games I thought: bright first half with a drop-off in performance levels in the second. However, this time, thanks to a much better defensive performance and a pretty toothless opposition, we managed to see out the win.

The fans were certainly relieved after a long wait for a league win...

Conclusion

A really good result and a performance that showed character and fight to dig in and get all three points. The youngsters showed maturity beyond their years and were fully deserving of the win.

Next up, another home game against newly promoted Stevenage who have started the season in fine form. Another tough test. URZ.

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