Cheltenham Town 2 Bristol City 2

Last updated : 23 December 2006 By Footymad Previewer
The points were shared in this Christmas cracker of a local derby with struggling Cheltenham Town showing enough to suggest that they have turned the corner in their fight to avoid the drop.

Bristol City boss Gary Johnson set his team a target of eight points from the Christmas and new year fixtures, but his team needed a goal two minutes into time added on to salvage just the one.

Cheltenham tore into their opponents from the start with all the relish of the underdog getting stuck into a big FA Cup match.

The home side could have been two or three goals up within the first ten minutes such was their breathless start to the contest.

Brian Wilson and Kayode Odejayi both had shots held by goalkeeper Adriano Basso before Damian Spencer headed wide from a David Bird cross.

Spencer then met a Steve Guinan centre with a blistering header that was partially saved by Basso before being cleared off the line by Liam Fontaine.

Cheltenham kept going forward and their reward came in the 36th minute when Odejayi played the ball from deep inside his own half up the right to Guinan. The striker's first-time ball found Kristian O'Leary in space and the on loan midfielder sprinted from the halfway line, holding off both City central defenders, before planting a shot past Basso.

Two minutes later the lead was extended when Odejayi received the ball from a throw in and burrowed into the box. His initial shot was blocked but the rebound fell to Bird, who beat Basso from ten yards out.

It was virtually one-way traffic in the first half until Cheltenham goalkeeper Shane Higgs dived to beat away a shot from Enoch Showunmi right on the whistle.

The chance was indicative of what was to come in the second half as City came out fighting and hauled themselves back into it with eight minutes of the second half played.

Lee Johnson made it with some skill around the edge of the box, holding on to the ball before finding Bradley Orr with a pass inside. The defender beat Higgs with a low drive from the edge of the box.

Higgs saved twice from Scott Murray but just as it seemed Cheltenham would hold on for another vital win, big defender Jamie McCombe got hold of a long free-kick from Louis Carey on the edge of the box and turned before lashing another low drive just inside Higgs' right-hand post.