Dr Martens Premier Division - 29/3/97 - The Grove
Two days before their Easter Monday promotion showdown with bitter local rivals Gloucester City at Whaddon Road, Cheltenham faced a tricky looking trip to Halesowen Town.
The Yeltz were always difficult opponents especially on their own turf, but Cheltenham had emerged victorious in the sides' previous meeting at Whaddon Road. That match marked Steve Cotterill's first win as Cheltenham boss, Keith Knight scoring at both ends as the Robins won 2-1.
Halesowen took the lead at the Grove and it was another own goal, this time from Mark Freeman. The big defender inadvertently deflected a shot with his head past Robins keeper Kevin Maloy to give the Yeltz a fortunate advantage.
The scoreline remained the same until the hour mark, when something special began to happen that would transform Cheltenham's season.
Knight, playing against the club he had recently left to rejoin Cheltenham, lashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner of Mark Hart's near post to level the scores. It was the winger's second goal against his former club in as many games and Halesowen must have been wishing that they had never let him leave.
Cheltenham began to take complete control against a shell-shocked Yeltz side and loan-signing from Barnet Richard Dunwell scored two in quick succession. The speedy forward's first was a stunning strike that flew past Hart's outstretched arms and into the roof of the net. He then drilled home a penalty after he had been tripped in the area after another powerful run.
With the game now beyond them, Halesowen capitulated and Darren Wright added another to his impressive scoring run in the latter half of the season. Wright's fine strike was followed by another good goal from Martin Boyle. Everything Cheltenham hit seemed to fly into the net and Boyle's goal completed a remarkable comeback for Cotterill's buoyant troops.
This superb result put Cheltenham in the perfect frame of mind for the visit of the Tigers two days later. The large Cheltenham presence at the Grove stayed behind long after the final whistle singing and rightly celebrating a fantastic away performance.
Halesowen Town (1) 1 (Freeman og 31) Cheltenham Town (0) 5 (Knight 60, Dunwell 73, 75 pen, Wright 81, Boyle 87)
Halesowen: Hart, Clarke, Bradley, Owen, Snape, Evans, Harrison (Bellingham 76), Wright, Halsall, Shearer, Hackett (Sharpe 76).
Cheltenham: Maloy, Chenoweth (Eaton 84), Knight, Banks, Freeman, Victory, Howells, Wright, Dunwell, Boyle, Bloomer.
Referee: F. G. Stretton (Nottingham).
Attendance: 1,406