Cheltenham v Dag & Red preview

admin

Cheltenham could hand Joe Hanks his first start for the club when they face Dagenham.

The 19-year-old midfielder put in a lively performance as a half-time substitute in the 2-0 win defeat at Rochdale last Saturday and looks well placed to make his first senior start against the Daggers.

Fellow youth products Zack Kotwica and Harry Williams will also hope to be involved once more as the Robins look to end a forgettable campaign on a high.

Terry Gornell and Ashley Vincent are other options for boss Mark Yates, whose side have won just once on home soil in the last two months.

Wayne Burnett could welcome back Ade Azeez as Dagenham bring the curtain down on their season at Cheltenham.

The on-loan forward has missed the last two games with a groin injury and will be keen for one last outing for the Daggers before returning to parent-club Charlton.

Striker Chris Dickson has also been absent due to personal reasons and Burnett will be hoping he too is available while Sean Shields could be given a first start in four having come off the bench at half-time during last week’s disappointing home defeat to Northampton.

Dagenham are aiming to end their campaign on a high after a run of four defeats in their last five games.

Cheltenham v Dag & Red preview

admin

Cheltenham boss Mark Yates expects to welcome Steve Elliott and Jeff Goulding back into his squad when they host the Daggers.

Both players missed last weekend’s League Cup defeat to MK Dons but Yates insists both are fine after training this week.

Otherwise Yates has a fully-fit squad to pick from and insisted he will be calling on all his squad throughout what promises to be a long and hard season.

“I can only pick 11 and I’ll pick a team that I think can win the game. We all need to stick together because it will be a squad effort throughout the season,” he told the club’s official website.

“If they aren’t picked on Saturday then they shouldn’t be down because they need to take their chance when it comes to them.”

Meanwhile, Dagenham & Redbridge boss John Still may well stick with the same starting XI who pushed Coventry so close in midweek.

Still’s charges looked to be taking the Sky Blues to extra-time in their Capital One Cup clash on Tuesday night only for the midlands outfit to seal victory through Kevin Kilbane’s 90th-minute penalty.

Still was naturally disappointed at the late setback but delighted with the performance and could name an unchanged team at Whaddon Road against a Robins side who will be looking to make amends for their play-off heartache at Wembley in May.

Midfielders Kevin Maher and Matthew Saunders continue to miss out with respective foot and ankle injuries which hampered their involvement last season, although the pair are not far off.

Teenage defender Andy Burns comes into contention having signed on a free transfer on Wednesday, while highly-regarded striker Dwight Gayle is still awaiting his first competitive appearance for the Daggers.