Cheltenham Town Under-18s goalkeeper Archie Burford saved a second half penalty as the Robins beat Forest Green Rovers Under-18s 3-0.
Three first half goals scored by Cam Walters, Eddie Lewis and Fin Jenner put the Robins in control, but Forest Green Rovers rallied in the second half to try and find a way back into the match.
Luca Alonzi was impeded by Walters as he tried to dart into the penalty area, earning a spot kick for his team. Alonzi took the penalty himself, but his low, right-footed attempt was met by the strong palms of Burford, who was able to divert the ball over his own crossbar.
The save represented a key moment at the match, as the Robins’ interim lead player development phase coach Ashley Vincent identified.
“[Forest Green Rovers] were in the ascendancy for sure, so that save kind of helped us reset and keep it at 3-0 rather than 3-1 so that they can’t feel like they’re back in the game,” Vincent told Park Life Sport.
“Archie’s had a lot of praise from his teammates and the goalkeeper coach on the bench, so he’ll be pleased with that.
“I thought his all-round game today was excellent, from his communication with the back-three to his decision making of when to play out from the back or recognizing that they’d closed in so playing a little bit longer.”
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Burford went on to make a string of saves throughout the second half, equal to everything the Rovers forwards threw at him, but ultimately he was able to keep Cheltenham’s first clean sheet of the season.
Cheltenham Town under-18s will be in action once more on Saturday, October 22, when they travel to play Swindon Town in the EFL Youth Alliance South West.
