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2012 play offs
SEMI FINAL 1st Leg CHELTENHAM 2 TORQUAY 0
Cheltenham gained the first-leg advantage in their npower League Two play-off semi-final against Torquay courtesy of goals from Jermaine McGlashan and Ben Burgess.
McGlashan's first-half opener capped a fine display from the midfielder, who signed from Aldershot in January, while Burgess' measured header put the Gloucestershire side in pole position for the Wembley final.
Torquay, beaten play-off finalists last season, settled quicker than their hosts and Rene Howe fired an early effort just over the bar.
Martin Ling's side narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and finished four points above the hosts but found goalkeeper Scott Brown in inspired mood.
He rushed out to deny Ryan Jarvis as the Walsall loanee looked to lift the ball over him from 12 yards out.
The home side were given a scare from the subsequent corner, which Brown badly misjudged to set up a goalmouth scramble from which Lee Mansell shot wide.
Mark Yates' men reacted well and imposing striker Burgess' header was tipped over by Robert Olejnik in the 18th minute.
The visitors then suffered a significant setback as Howe went off injured, Ling watching his 14-goal top scorer leave the action midway through the first half.
The breakthrough came soon after to compound Torquay's misery. Damon Lathrope conceded possession in midfield, allowing Luke Summerfield to feed McGlashan, who darted into the area and slotted home via the far post.
The goalscorer then took a whack to the face from an attempted clearance, leaving him groggy for a few minutes and it seemed to affect his balance when, moments later, he ran clear down the right wing only to fall over as he tried to deliver a cross.
Mansell's overhead kick dropped wide of the far post in Torquay's final attack of the half.
An action-packed start to the second half saw both sides strike the woodwork and the Robins double their advantage.
First Mark Ellis tried to poke Summerfield's cross behind for a corner but smashed the ball against the post, then Burgess directed a powerful header into the top corner from McGlashan's cross.
Jarvis spurned a glorious chance to reduce the deficit almost immediately as he headed against the bar from close range.
Substitute Taiwo Atieno tested Brown with a late toe-poke and a back-post header but could not find a way through, leaving Torquay with a two-goal deficit to overturn in the second leg.
SEMI FINAL 2nd Leg TORQUAY 1 CHELTENHAM 2
Cheltenham withstood heavy first-half pressure before goals from Jermaine McGlashan and Marlon Pack confirmed their place in the npower League Two play-off final.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Torquay came flying out of the blocks and Town goalkeeper Scott Brown was forced into a series of impressive saves within the opening half hour.
But Martin Ling's men ran out of steam after the interval and winger McGlashan, who opened the scoring at the Abbey Business Stadium on Sunday, effectively settled the tie with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Torquay substitute Taiwo Atieno levelled matters on the night before Robins midfielder Pack rifled home a magnificent 87th minute free-kick from 30 yards.
Mark Yates' men travel to Wembley a week on Sunday to face a Crewe side unbeaten in their last 18 outings. McGlashan was narrowly off target with a rasping 30-yard drive in the early stages before his side were forced to withstand a first-half onslaught.
Brown was the outstanding performer of the opening 45 minutes, and he got his night's work under way by tipping a Eunan O'Kane effort over following some deft footwork from the Torquay midfielder.
The Gulls headed into the contest without top scorer Rene Howe due to a hamstring injury, but they were not short on attacking threat, ably demonstrated when Ryan Jarvis burst into the box and forced Brown to push behind with a superb low block.
From the resulting corner, Cheltenham defender Keith Lowe fortuitously cleared via the post as he looked to hack clear from his own goalmouth and Brian Saah fired the loose ball wide.
Brown's best moment came courtesy of another low stop in the 27th minute when Mark Ellis' first-time shot from Stevens' shot emerged cleanly from a crowd of bodies.
Cheltenham striker James Spencer might have done better when he fired straight at Torquay keeper Robert Olejnik after the half hour, but it was at least an indication that Yates' men had weathered the storm.
There was drama a minute before the interval as Torquay full-back Kevin Nicholson's sweetly struck free-kick rattled the crossbar with Brown rooted to the spot.
The visitors immediately sprung up the other end and Olejnik stood firm to deny Kaid Mohamed.
Cheltenham began the second half with greater purpose and Olejnik gathered at the second attempt when McGlashan looked to clip home from an acute angle at the end of a mazy run.
O'Kane's 54th minute header looped up off Robins defender Alan Bennett to force Brown into another superb save, but it soon became clear that Torquay's early attacking verve had deserted them.
Mohamed hit a swerving shot over after a mazy run down the Torquay left by Robins full-back Sido Jombati before the decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute.
Mohamed was allowed to ease infield after collecting Ben Burgess' pass and he played in McGlashan, who stabbed home via Olejnik's boot and the inside of the far post.
Atieno reduced the aggregate arrears when he was left unmarked to glance in a near-post header from O'Kane's 85th minute corner.
However, Pack applied the gloss in memorable fashion when he found the top corner after Saah fouled Jeff Goulding.
Cheltenham gained the first-leg advantage in their npower League Two play-off semi-final against Torquay courtesy of goals from Jermaine McGlashan and Ben Burgess.
McGlashan's first-half opener capped a fine display from the midfielder, who signed from Aldershot in January, while Burgess' measured header put the Gloucestershire side in pole position for the Wembley final.
Torquay, beaten play-off finalists last season, settled quicker than their hosts and Rene Howe fired an early effort just over the bar.
Martin Ling's side narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and finished four points above the hosts but found goalkeeper Scott Brown in inspired mood.
He rushed out to deny Ryan Jarvis as the Walsall loanee looked to lift the ball over him from 12 yards out.
The home side were given a scare from the subsequent corner, which Brown badly misjudged to set up a goalmouth scramble from which Lee Mansell shot wide.
Mark Yates' men reacted well and imposing striker Burgess' header was tipped over by Robert Olejnik in the 18th minute.
The visitors then suffered a significant setback as Howe went off injured, Ling watching his 14-goal top scorer leave the action midway through the first half.
The breakthrough came soon after to compound Torquay's misery. Damon Lathrope conceded possession in midfield, allowing Luke Summerfield to feed McGlashan, who darted into the area and slotted home via the far post.
The goalscorer then took a whack to the face from an attempted clearance, leaving him groggy for a few minutes and it seemed to affect his balance when, moments later, he ran clear down the right wing only to fall over as he tried to deliver a cross.
Mansell's overhead kick dropped wide of the far post in Torquay's final attack of the half.
An action-packed start to the second half saw both sides strike the woodwork and the Robins double their advantage.
First Mark Ellis tried to poke Summerfield's cross behind for a corner but smashed the ball against the post, then Burgess directed a powerful header into the top corner from McGlashan's cross.
Jarvis spurned a glorious chance to reduce the deficit almost immediately as he headed against the bar from close range.
Substitute Taiwo Atieno tested Brown with a late toe-poke and a back-post header but could not find a way through, leaving Torquay with a two-goal deficit to overturn in the second leg.
SEMI FINAL 2nd Leg TORQUAY 1 CHELTENHAM 2
Cheltenham withstood heavy first-half pressure before goals from Jermaine McGlashan and Marlon Pack confirmed their place in the npower League Two play-off final.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Torquay came flying out of the blocks and Town goalkeeper Scott Brown was forced into a series of impressive saves within the opening half hour.
But Martin Ling's men ran out of steam after the interval and winger McGlashan, who opened the scoring at the Abbey Business Stadium on Sunday, effectively settled the tie with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Torquay substitute Taiwo Atieno levelled matters on the night before Robins midfielder Pack rifled home a magnificent 87th minute free-kick from 30 yards.
Mark Yates' men travel to Wembley a week on Sunday to face a Crewe side unbeaten in their last 18 outings. McGlashan was narrowly off target with a rasping 30-yard drive in the early stages before his side were forced to withstand a first-half onslaught.
Brown was the outstanding performer of the opening 45 minutes, and he got his night's work under way by tipping a Eunan O'Kane effort over following some deft footwork from the Torquay midfielder.
The Gulls headed into the contest without top scorer Rene Howe due to a hamstring injury, but they were not short on attacking threat, ably demonstrated when Ryan Jarvis burst into the box and forced Brown to push behind with a superb low block.
From the resulting corner, Cheltenham defender Keith Lowe fortuitously cleared via the post as he looked to hack clear from his own goalmouth and Brian Saah fired the loose ball wide.
Brown's best moment came courtesy of another low stop in the 27th minute when Mark Ellis' first-time shot from Stevens' shot emerged cleanly from a crowd of bodies.
Cheltenham striker James Spencer might have done better when he fired straight at Torquay keeper Robert Olejnik after the half hour, but it was at least an indication that Yates' men had weathered the storm.
There was drama a minute before the interval as Torquay full-back Kevin Nicholson's sweetly struck free-kick rattled the crossbar with Brown rooted to the spot.
The visitors immediately sprung up the other end and Olejnik stood firm to deny Kaid Mohamed.
Cheltenham began the second half with greater purpose and Olejnik gathered at the second attempt when McGlashan looked to clip home from an acute angle at the end of a mazy run.
O'Kane's 54th minute header looped up off Robins defender Alan Bennett to force Brown into another superb save, but it soon became clear that Torquay's early attacking verve had deserted them.
Mohamed hit a swerving shot over after a mazy run down the Torquay left by Robins full-back Sido Jombati before the decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute.
Mohamed was allowed to ease infield after collecting Ben Burgess' pass and he played in McGlashan, who stabbed home via Olejnik's boot and the inside of the far post.
Atieno reduced the aggregate arrears when he was left unmarked to glance in a near-post header from O'Kane's 85th minute corner.
However, Pack applied the gloss in memorable fashion when he found the top corner after Saah fouled Jeff Goulding.
THE FINAL - CREWE 2 CHELTENHAM 0
England Under 18 international Nick Powell produced a moment of magic to set Crewe on the road to npower League Two play-off glory against Cheltenham.
Powell - one of nine products from the famous Gresty Road academy in Steve Davis' starting line-up - is reportedly the subject of transfer interest from host of Barclays Premier League clubs, and his spectacular turn and shot after a quarter of an hour will have done his prospects of a big-money move little harm.
Alex made sure of promotion after three seasons in the fourth tier when Byron Moore opened up a flagging Robins backline eight minutes from time.
But Crewe were made to work hard in blistering temperatures before chalking up a 19th game without defeat.
Jeff Goulding almost had Cheltenham back on terms when he rattled the crossbar moments after Powell's opener, before Alex somehow survived an onslaught of set-piece pressure on the stroke of the interval.
Mark Yates' men failed to maintain the charge in the closing stages as the succumbed to a first play-off defeat in their history.
Cheltenham made two changes to the side that overcame Torquay in the semi-final second leg 10 days ago as Keith Lowe and James Spencer dropped to the bench to accommodate Everton loanee Luke Garbutt and Goulding.
Luke Murphy recovered from a groin injury to take Lee Bell's place in the Crewe midfield.
Following a sedate opening to the game, Powell put the Railwaymen ahead in sublime fashion.
Collecting a pass from Kelvin Mellor, he produced a clever flick to escape the attentions of Marlon Pack and Alan Bennett before rifling an unstoppable left-footed shot beyond Brown from 20 yards.
Cheltenham almost found an immediate response as Goulding crashed a venomous long-range effort against the bar, Ben Burgess unable to convert the rebound as goalkeeper Steve Phillips remained rooted to his line.
Goulding converted a Burgess flick-on from an offside position in the 25th minute and the latter's aerial prowess was starting to cause problems for Crewe.
Kaid Mohamed and Goulding both shot wastefully over following knockdowns from the former Blackpool man, and Powell almost made them rue their profligacy when he scampered in from from the left to fire narrowly past the far post in in the 36th minute.
Mellor rose unchallenged to plant Ashley Westwood's 41st-minute corner over the bar, but Cheltenham's set-piece threat brought them desperately close to an equaliser before the break.
Amid a flurry of intense pressure, Phillips was at full stretch to deny Goulding before Powell and Westwood cleared off the line from Steve Elliott and Mohamed respectively.
Cheltenham retained that intensity as the second-half got under way, with Pack fizzing a low 20-yard drive just wide.
An untimely stumble from Crewe centre-back Adam Dugdale allowed Mohamed to scamper beyond him and through on goal in the 54th minute, but Phillips stood firm to save.
Dugdale found himself in the thick of the action in Town's area with 19 minutes to play, but a heavy touch at the back post from Westwood's free-kick allowed Brown the time to produce a fine last-ditch stop.
Moore saw a shot from the edge of the area squirm wide before making amends by clinching League One football in the 82nd minute.
The winger exchanged passed with Ajay Leitch-Smith and steered low into the far corner despite losing his footing.
Brown spared his side further woe with a pair of splendid late saves from Moore and substitute Max Clayton.
Powell - one of nine products from the famous Gresty Road academy in Steve Davis' starting line-up - is reportedly the subject of transfer interest from host of Barclays Premier League clubs, and his spectacular turn and shot after a quarter of an hour will have done his prospects of a big-money move little harm.
Alex made sure of promotion after three seasons in the fourth tier when Byron Moore opened up a flagging Robins backline eight minutes from time.
But Crewe were made to work hard in blistering temperatures before chalking up a 19th game without defeat.
Jeff Goulding almost had Cheltenham back on terms when he rattled the crossbar moments after Powell's opener, before Alex somehow survived an onslaught of set-piece pressure on the stroke of the interval.
Mark Yates' men failed to maintain the charge in the closing stages as the succumbed to a first play-off defeat in their history.
Cheltenham made two changes to the side that overcame Torquay in the semi-final second leg 10 days ago as Keith Lowe and James Spencer dropped to the bench to accommodate Everton loanee Luke Garbutt and Goulding.
Luke Murphy recovered from a groin injury to take Lee Bell's place in the Crewe midfield.
Following a sedate opening to the game, Powell put the Railwaymen ahead in sublime fashion.
Collecting a pass from Kelvin Mellor, he produced a clever flick to escape the attentions of Marlon Pack and Alan Bennett before rifling an unstoppable left-footed shot beyond Brown from 20 yards.
Cheltenham almost found an immediate response as Goulding crashed a venomous long-range effort against the bar, Ben Burgess unable to convert the rebound as goalkeeper Steve Phillips remained rooted to his line.
Goulding converted a Burgess flick-on from an offside position in the 25th minute and the latter's aerial prowess was starting to cause problems for Crewe.
Kaid Mohamed and Goulding both shot wastefully over following knockdowns from the former Blackpool man, and Powell almost made them rue their profligacy when he scampered in from from the left to fire narrowly past the far post in in the 36th minute.
Mellor rose unchallenged to plant Ashley Westwood's 41st-minute corner over the bar, but Cheltenham's set-piece threat brought them desperately close to an equaliser before the break.
Amid a flurry of intense pressure, Phillips was at full stretch to deny Goulding before Powell and Westwood cleared off the line from Steve Elliott and Mohamed respectively.
Cheltenham retained that intensity as the second-half got under way, with Pack fizzing a low 20-yard drive just wide.
An untimely stumble from Crewe centre-back Adam Dugdale allowed Mohamed to scamper beyond him and through on goal in the 54th minute, but Phillips stood firm to save.
Dugdale found himself in the thick of the action in Town's area with 19 minutes to play, but a heavy touch at the back post from Westwood's free-kick allowed Brown the time to produce a fine last-ditch stop.
Moore saw a shot from the edge of the area squirm wide before making amends by clinching League One football in the 82nd minute.
The winger exchanged passed with Ajay Leitch-Smith and steered low into the far corner despite losing his footing.
Brown spared his side further woe with a pair of splendid late saves from Moore and substitute Max Clayton.