Nationwide Conference - 3/4/99 - Nene Park
Cheltenham's Easter Saturday trip to Conference title rivals Rushden turned out to be one of the most memorable games in the history of the club and arguably the most important.
This was not the day that Cheltenham secured the Championship, but it will be forever remembered as the day when the tide turned in their favour and Football League destiny was in their own hands.
Steve Cotterill's men went into the match in third place, one point behind Rushden with a game in hand. The game created a huge amount of interest and more fans made the trip to Northamptonshire than Rushden could have dreamt of.
One of the highest crowds ever assembled for a Conference game saw Rushden take the lead after 21 minutes through Miquel de Souza, who made one FA Cup appearance for Cheltenham in the early nineties. Guy Branston nodded down Darren Bradshaw's free-kick and de Souza was free to prod the ball past Steve Book from close range.
From that moment onwards Cheltenham were always on top, but an equaliser proved elusive. Mike Duff struck a shot against the post and David Norton forced a fine save from Mark Smith in the Rushden goal.
Robins skipper Chris Banks swept with time for elegance, having missed the previous two visits to Nene Park that had both ended in 4-1 defeats. Banks had made his Cheltenham debut on the same ground in a 2-0 win and de Souza's goal aside, his five-man back line looked comfortable.
Mark Freeman, who had been sent off in the corresponding fixture a year earlier, replaced Neil Howarth after 63 minutes and 'Boka' was soon to banish the painful memories of previous clashes with Diamonds.
As time began to run out, Duff crossed from the left and Freeman stooped to head in at the far post to send the Cheltenham supporters delirious. With 90 minutes already showing on the scoreboard, Cheltenham would have settled for a point, but with the fans still celebrating Freeman's leveller, the unthinkable happened.
Freeman hoisted the ball high over the Rushden defence and it fell to Brough who had been pushed up front. Brough brushed the ball beyond the advancing Smith and Grayson lunged towards the ball with defender Jim Rodwell. The ball hit the back of the net from Grayson's left foot and in a matter of seconds the whole complexion of the Conference title race had transformed.
Cheltenham followed up this huge victory with another crucial win over Kidderminster on Easter Monday, while Brian Talbot's demoralised side fell apart and ended up in fourth place.
Rushden & Diamonds (1) 1 (de Souza 21)
Cheltenham Town (0) 2 (Freeman 90, Grayson 90)
Rushden: M. Smith, Heggs, Bradshaw, McElhatton, Rodwell, Branston, Wooding, Cooper, de Souza, Collins, Underwood.
Cheltenham: Book, Duff, Victory, Banks, Brough, Howarth (Freeman 63), Howells, Bloomer (Milton 63), Grayson, Bailey (Knight 73), Norton.
Referee: Mr S. French (Wolverhampton)
Attendance: 6,312
Cheltenham's Easter Saturday trip to Conference title rivals Rushden turned out to be one of the most memorable games in the history of the club and arguably the most important.
This was not the day that Cheltenham secured the Championship, but it will be forever remembered as the day when the tide turned in their favour and Football League destiny was in their own hands.
Steve Cotterill's men went into the match in third place, one point behind Rushden with a game in hand. The game created a huge amount of interest and more fans made the trip to Northamptonshire than Rushden could have dreamt of.
One of the highest crowds ever assembled for a Conference game saw Rushden take the lead after 21 minutes through Miquel de Souza, who made one FA Cup appearance for Cheltenham in the early nineties. Guy Branston nodded down Darren Bradshaw's free-kick and de Souza was free to prod the ball past Steve Book from close range.
From that moment onwards Cheltenham were always on top, but an equaliser proved elusive. Mike Duff struck a shot against the post and David Norton forced a fine save from Mark Smith in the Rushden goal.
Robins skipper Chris Banks swept with time for elegance, having missed the previous two visits to Nene Park that had both ended in 4-1 defeats. Banks had made his Cheltenham debut on the same ground in a 2-0 win and de Souza's goal aside, his five-man back line looked comfortable.
Mark Freeman, who had been sent off in the corresponding fixture a year earlier, replaced Neil Howarth after 63 minutes and 'Boka' was soon to banish the painful memories of previous clashes with Diamonds.
As time began to run out, Duff crossed from the left and Freeman stooped to head in at the far post to send the Cheltenham supporters delirious. With 90 minutes already showing on the scoreboard, Cheltenham would have settled for a point, but with the fans still celebrating Freeman's leveller, the unthinkable happened.
Freeman hoisted the ball high over the Rushden defence and it fell to Brough who had been pushed up front. Brough brushed the ball beyond the advancing Smith and Grayson lunged towards the ball with defender Jim Rodwell. The ball hit the back of the net from Grayson's left foot and in a matter of seconds the whole complexion of the Conference title race had transformed.
Cheltenham followed up this huge victory with another crucial win over Kidderminster on Easter Monday, while Brian Talbot's demoralised side fell apart and ended up in fourth place.
Rushden & Diamonds (1) 1 (de Souza 21)
Cheltenham Town (0) 2 (Freeman 90, Grayson 90)
Rushden: M. Smith, Heggs, Bradshaw, McElhatton, Rodwell, Branston, Wooding, Cooper, de Souza, Collins, Underwood.
Cheltenham: Book, Duff, Victory, Banks, Brough, Howarth (Freeman 63), Howells, Bloomer (Milton 63), Grayson, Bailey (Knight 73), Norton.
Referee: Mr S. French (Wolverhampton)
Attendance: 6,312