Stevenage 2-1 Cheltenham Town: The Robins drop back into League Two after an encouraging defeat.

Cheltenham Town have been relegated from League One after three seasons in the third tier after a thrilling 2-1 defeat by Stevenage on the final day of the season.

Cheltenham Beat Peterborough 2-0 at home. To take their fight to the final day of the campaign on Tuesday, however, they have to beat Stevenage and hope Burton or Cambridge can drop points to avoid relegation.

While Burton were beaten 3-0 by Fleetwood, Daryl Clarke’s Cheltenham could not get the three points they needed to secure their place in the division as Nick Freeman scored a 90th-minute winner for the hosts.

Goalkeeper Luke Southwood has been a consistent presence in goal for Cheltenham this season and did well to keep his side in the first 20 minutes of the match, keeping the elite-list strike intact. Made back-to-back saves to keep and then Nesta Guinness-Walker’s rebound. .

But Cheltenham suffered a major blow when Southwood – who has played every minute in the league – was stretchered off less than 10 minutes after the lengthy stoppage.

The Robins enjoyed more shots and possession but Stevenage scored in stoppage time at the end of the first half, when Elliott Bonds tripped Elliott in the box and the referee pointed to the spot, Kane Hemmings converting the penalty. What did

However, Matty Taylor headed in a Will Ferry corner early in the second half to draw Cheltenham level and give the Robins hope.

Cheltenham knew another goal would keep them up and they forced an excellent save with James Olenka and Tom Bradbury pushing hard for the winner as Hemmings and Freeman cleared a header off the line. Passes were Stevenage’s best chances.

Freeman, however, struck a devastating blow against a run-off play for Stevenage in the 90th minute, as the ball clipped to the right and he slotted it into the bottom corner.

A team that lacks goal scorers.

Cheltenham won promotion under manager Michael Duff in 2021 and this campaign marked only the second time in their history that they have played three consecutive seasons in the third tier.

The Robins, who finished 15th and 16th the previous two seasons, lost their director of football, recruitment analyst and first-team coach during the summer of 2023. Star striker Alfie May.

The talismanic May was always going to be difficult to replace after scoring 43 league goals in the last two campaigns – he is also, incidentally, the division’s top scorer at new club Charlton this season – but his absence was immediately felt. .

The goalless Robins picked up just one point in their first 11 games before manager Wade Elliott left in September and Daryl Clarke was appointed.

Clarke set a target of 15 wins to ensure survival. Results have improved significantly with five wins and four draws in 12 games from October to the end of 2023.

However, goals remain an issue, with their tally of 41 among the lowest in the league, and midfielder Liam Sarcombe their top scorer.

Losing four in a row at a crucial point in the campaign in April made the task more difficult and, while a win against Peterborough gave Cheltenham hope, it was too late to save them from the drop.