This Saturday Cheltenham Town are looking ahead to a tight relegation clash between Accrington Stanley at The Completely-Suzuki Stadium with both sides going through a tricky spell in League One.
The Robins are hoping to win their first game since their 1-0 win away to Shrewsbury Town in late December, with Wade Elliot’s men now only two points of the bottom four.
Stanley are without a win in four and will be looking to dampen The Robins and put more pressure on the underperforming Gloucestershire side.
Here are five key factors that we could expect from the game this weekend
- Aidan Keena
Cheltenham’s new star striker is in line to start this weekend after making a brief appearance against Bolton where The Robins suffered a 1-0 defeat. The 23-year-old Irishman who is now The Robins record signing after signing a three-year contract with the club scored 18 goals in 32 games for Sligo Rovers last season.
Keena has been described in the past as, ‘The complete striker and a fantastic finisher’ from the Sligo Rovers faithful and looks like an exciting new addition for Elliot’s men.
With Cheltenham’s striker problems in the past to find the right striker to partner with top goalscorer Alfie May, will Keena be the suitable candidate?
2. The return of Liam Sercombe
Cheltenham have faced several injury problems this season, Liam Sercombe being a key one as the experienced midfielder suffered an injury in Cheltenham’s 3-2 defeat to Derby County which saw him out for almost a month.
Sercombe like Keena also made a brief cameo in the defeat to Bolton last Saturday and could be in the frame to being in the starting XI.
Sercombe has been a key figure for Cheltenham in previous seasons and now in his third season with the club he’s looking to continue his fight for full fitness towards the end of the season.
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3. No sign of any goals
Both sides this season have faced goalscoring problems, with the two being in the bottom four teams for least goals scored this season.
The reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 win for John Coleman’s men after an early Sean McConville goal.
However, their were goals galore in the away fixture last season and has been branded as the ‘game of the season’ where the two sides drew 4-4 after two late goals from former players Callum Wright and Will Boyle got The Robins a point.
However, this time round don’t expect too many goals with both teams eager for a win, a passive approach could be the case.
4. Alfie May’s hot form
With goals being a problem for Cheltenham there has been the shining light in Alfie May, as the striker has been on firing form in recent time after four goals in his last six league games.
Now alongside new signing Keena, May doesn’t have all the responsibility to the put the ball in the back of the net.
May scored 23 goals in League One last season and is on course for double figures once again with the 29-year-old on nine goals in the league this season and has recently being nominated for the PFA Player of the month
5. The relegation battle
As always the League One relegation battle is as tight as ever with eight teams involved within the race to stay in League One this season this include the likes of Cheltenham and Stanley but also Forest Green, Cambridge United, Morecambe, Burton Albion, MK Dons and Scott Brown’s Fleetwood Town.
With three points separating the sides this season, it’s set to be a tight affair, defeat for The Robins this weekend could see them fall into the bottom four and with Forest Green up against Morecambe, it’s going to be a tense start to what is set to be a dramatic finish in League One.
