Under-21s suffer late agony at Cheltenham

Having stormed back from conceding the opener to lead 2-1 via second-half goals from Richarlison and Miracle Adewole, we looked on course to pick up what would have been a deserved victory in Southern Group A.

But in the last few seconds, George Miller scrambled home his second of the game for the League Two side to ensure honours ended even at 2-2, sending the tie to spot-kicks for an extra point.

Goalkeeper Sam Archer made two fine saves from George Nurse and Austria international Andreas Weimann but after Harry Byrne and the returning Jun’ai Byfield were denied by the Robins’ young substitute stopper Mamadou Diallo, either side of Malachi Hardy firing over the bar, it was left to Freddy Willcox to hand the home side a 7-6 victory on penalties and leave us at the foot of the standings with a solitary point, needing two Oxford United games – one of which we’re involved in – to go our way if we’re to advance to the knockout stages.

We’d suffered a frustrating 2-0 defeat at Exeter City in our opening game of the competition, which sees Under-21 sides from some of the country’s top Academies competing against senior opponents from Leagues One and Two, but that has thus far been the only real blot on our copybook at Under-21 level in 2026/27 with Wayne Burnett’s team unbeaten at the top of the Premier League 2 standings and off to a winning start in the Premier League International Cup.

Steve Cotterill’s men enjoyed an early spell in the ascendancy with Archer forced into a couple of good saves before Brazil international Richarlison – who memorably came to watch his compatriot Lucas Moura in action for our Under-21s at Arsenal in 2023 but had never previously taken to the pitch himself in a competitive game at this level for us – had our first attempt on 12 minutes, collecting Max McFadden’s deft pass after initially going to ground before testing goalkeeper Joe Day.

Miller drilled wide for Cheltenham who then lost Day to injury before we had loud appeals for a penalty waved away when the lively Adewole’s delivery appeared to strike the arm of Shaun McWilliams – nothing doing, said referee Harrison Blair. Kirsten Otchere and Cole Ramsey saw respective efforts blocked in either box as the teams traded chances, but in the first minute of time added on at the end of the first period, the hosts took the lead as Miller swept in at the second time of asking after a menacing delivery in from the left by Charlie McCann.

Ramsey had another effort blocked in the box while Miller saw his back-post effort ruled out for offside at the start of the second half, but we were producing some nice passages of play at times and our equaliser felt warranted on 56 minutes, Richarlison producing a clinical first-time finish across Diallo and into the far corner from James Rowswell’s right-sided cross.

Richarlison then sent Ollie Boast away down the left, the young striker firing straight at the keeper, before the 29-year-old hooked a half-volley off-target, either side of a header that zipped just over from Cheltenham’s danger man Miller.

There was a welcome sight on the 70-minute mark as young centre-back Byfield came on for his first appearance of the season after several months on the sidelines, but it was Adewole who stole the limelight with a wonderful individual goal to fire us into the lead three minutes later, roaming in from the right flank and arrowing a low, left-footed shot inside the near post. That appeared to have secured our first win of the season in this competition, but right at the end of stoppage time, Miller scrambled home in the wake of a corner to leave us kicking ourselves.

The equivalent meeting between the sides last term ended in a 2-2 draw and subsequent shootout win for the hosts, and so it proved once again. Adewole, Alfie Dorrington, Elisha Sowunmi, Richarlison, Ellis Lehane and Maeson King all scored their penalties for us while keeper Archer got booked in the lead-up to saving Weimann’s spot-kick, but ultimately after Byfield was denied, it was Willcox who had the final say in an extended shootout to secure the extra point for Cheltenham. The result means we now need Oxford United to beat Cheltenham before defeating Oxford ourselves next month if we’re to make it out of the group.

Line-ups

Cheltenham Town: Day (Diallo 19), Tomkinson, Nurse, Sweeney (Willcox 65), Wilson (c) (Shipley 46), Stevenson, Bickerstaff, McCann (Evans 79), Miller, McWilliams (Weimann 79), Otchere. Substitutes (not used): McNamee, Robinson.

Spurs: Archer, Rowswell (c) (Byfield 70), King, Hardy, Dorrington, Byrne, Adewole, McFadden (Feeney 80), Boast (Lehane 80), Ramsey (Sowunmi 70), Richarlison. Substitutes (not used): Doran, Moncur, Adedeji.

Match data

Goals: Cheltenham Town – Miller 45+1, 90+5; Spurs – Richarlison 56, Adewole 73.

Yellow cards: Cheltenham Town – Stevenson 68; Spurs – Archer 90+9.

Referee: Harrison Blair.

Venue: EV Charger Points Stadium, Cheltenham.

Weather: Clear sky, gentle breeze, 13 degrees.

Attendance: 1,731.

Penalty shootout

Spurs – Adewole – scored
Cheltenham – Bickerstaff – scored
Spurs – Dorrington – scored
Cheltenham – Nurse – saved
Spurs – Sowunmi – scored
Cheltenham – Otchere – scored
Spurs – Byrne – saved
Cheltenham – Evans – scored
Spurs – Richarlison – scored
Cheltenham – Miller – scored
Spurs – Lehane – scored
Cheltenham – Shipley – scored
Spurs – Hardy – missed
Cheltenham – Weimann – saved
Spurs – King – scored
Cheltenham – Stevenson – scored
Spurs – Byfield – saved
Cheltenham – Willcox – scored