Big Bank Backs Baldwin’s Return

On the 10th time of playing Cheltenham Town we finally got something out of game. Nothing to be proud of perhaps, but at this stage of a difficult season a point is a point. Indeed the first Football League point we’ve ever earned against the Robins.

After the dismissal of club captain Danny Coles last Saturday at Bury, fans hoped that Pat Baldwin would win a place back at the heart of defence. Not only was he back but he was given the captain’s armband.

The fans really got behind Pat as well. Each time that the stadium announcer named the team Baldwin easily got the biggest cheer. The sponsors also named him as their man of the match. That announcement also got a huge cheer! Baldwin played the lead role in defence admirably and was vocal and inspirational in his role as captain His behaviour after the final whistle with rookie keeper Pym, showed his leadership capability in mentioning the heart stopping defensive slip up while being fully supportive of Pym’s efforts.

The crowd also was vocally fully supportive of David Wheeler being bought on in the 62nd minute.

Jordan Moore-Taylor picked up his first goal for the first team. Speaking after the game he said:-

It’s nice to get the first one out the way. As a defender you don’t really focus on goals – you normally worry about the other end. It would have been nice to get a clean sheet and let someone else get the goal. I got the goal, and it’s unfortunate we couldn’t keep a clean sheet.

Coming here as a youngster and as a fan, you always think about scoring in front of the Big Bank rather than the away end! So that was nice.

Manager Paul Tisdale, while making no mention of Pat Baldwin’s contribution, said:-

We started really well and I couldn’t have asked for much more of the players during that first quarter – they really took the game to Cheltenham and played with a lot of forward pressure.

I’m disappointed that Cheltenham got the equaliser; they had very little to show for their first 20 minutes and they bundled one in with a scrappy goal. I’m not sure whether it was soft on our behalf or fortuitous on their behalf.

It ebbed and flowed – they missed some chances in the second half, and so did we. I’m pretty pleased with the way we played. It’s an anxious time, it’s nerve-wracking for us all, and there’s a lot at stake on every pass, tackle and decision you make.

Robins manager Mark Yates added:-

There were lots of chances at both ends but I thought it was a tight game. We weren’t at our best but we dug in and probably had the clearer chances with Jamie and then the one at the end with Sammy in the 92nd minute. That probably sums up Sammy’s luck and confidence in front of goal for some reason. Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to convert a couple of decent chances he has had but I’m not going to start criticising him for that now.

We could have been talking about a win, a needed win but Exeter threw everything at us and started really well. We responded well and it’s a tough place to come because they were going to give it everything and we weathered it. We could have played a lot better in the second half but I’m pleased with a point I suppose.