Cheltenham Town advanced in the EFL Trophy with a 7-6 penalty shootout victory over Tottenham Hotspur U-21 after a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night. George Miller scored twice for the Robins, who needed a late equaliser and a heroic performance from substitute goalkeeper Mamadou Diallo to secure the win.
Steve Cotterill's side, currently eighth in League Two with 15 points from 10 games, showed resilience to come from behind twice. The match was played in front of a decent crowd at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium and provided a significant morale boost ahead of their next league fixture away to Oldham on Saturday.
Miller brace forces shootout
Cheltenham took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Miller found the net. Tottenham's under-21s, who are unbeaten at the top of Premier League 2 this season, responded after the break. Brazilian forward Richarlison, making a rare appearance at this level, equalised in the 56th minute. Miracle Adewole then put the visitors ahead in the 73rd minute, seemingly setting them on course for victory.
Cheltenham suffered a setback when goalkeeper Joe Day had to go off injured. Diallo came on as his replacement. The home side pushed hard and were rewarded in the fifth minute of added time when Miller headed in Jordan Shipley's cross to make it 2-2 and send the tie to penalties.
Diallo the shootout hero
The penalty contest was a tense affair, extending to sudden death. Diallo emerged as the hero, saving efforts from Harry Byrne and Jun’ai Byfield. Tottenham goalkeeper Sam Archer was booked during the shootout for encroachment. After Malachi Hardy fired over for the visitors, Freddy Willcox stepped up to calmly slot home the winning penalty for Cheltenham.
Manager Steve Cotterill was pleased with the performance and the experience gained. "We are happy with that tonight," he said. "I really enjoyed that game." He also praised the attitude of Tottenham's star player, adding, "Richarlison's attitude was immaculate tonight. He was really, really good and his attitude was great."
Squad news and next steps
The match saw the return of Shaun McWilliams, who played with a cast protecting a broken hand. Ben Stevenson was sent off late in the game, but the club is appealing the decision. The result continues a mixed run of form for Cheltenham, whose recent results include a 2-1 win over Chesterfield and a 2-0 loss to Salford City.
Attention now turns to League Two action and a trip to face 21st-placed Oldham. The squad will be hoping to carry the confidence from this cup success into that key league encounter.
