Inside Cheltenham Town’s pointless cup game

Would you go to a meaningless game of cup football on a baltic midweek evening, if it was right on your doorstep?

Cheltenham Town supporters found themselves in this interesting scenario this week, after losing their opening two games in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. Even their most loyal fans were required to purchase additional tickets to watch their team play West Ham United Under 21s on Tuesday, November 14. I attended the affair to find out exactly what a nothing game of football was truly like.

There was one common theme on my 15-minute walk to this match. Silence. And it didn’t change on the approach to the stadium either, it was deafeningly quiet. No pitter-patter of steps or spreading of voices outside the stadium. No loud music, no pints being drunk, it was strangely mute.

My most vivid memory pre-kick-off was the bark of a large golden retriever walking past me with its owner down an alleyway that led to Whaddon Road, where the Completely Suzuki Stadium lies. It was a ghost town, less than half an hour before kick-off.

But why would there be any commotion? Especially in Cheltenham’s case. It’s unrealistic for the EFL to expect supporters, especially season ticket holders, to fork out extra money to watch a game which doesn’t matter.  

There are more pressing matters for the club and its fans. Town are firmly in the League One relegation zone, onto their second manager of the season, and have scored a league-low six goals. I would not be surprised if you wouldn’t have even known there was a game on in the area that night.

It’s bizarre to have a tie that’s essentially a dead rubber three months into a season, but since switching from a regional (north and south) knockout tournament to a group stage, each team is required to play at least 2 extra midweek games on top of their already busy schedule.

Each group contains three League One or League Two teams and a development side from a Premier League or Championship outfit, with a category one academy. For the academy teams, it is excellent, you can get your development players competing against older opposition and can give out-of-favour first-team players some game time to keep them match-fit. But it seems as if it is a waste of time for the EFL teams. As you would expect the feeling was mutual with Cheltenham manager Darrell Clarke.

His rotated Robins’ team was run all over by the West Ham youngsters, in what from a Cheltenham perspective, felt like an extended training session. An absolute schooling for the first teamers by the youngsters that was all but over at half time, with the Robins giving pitch time to several of their own products in a dreary second half. 

Boos rang around the three nearly empty stands that were in operation at both half-time and full-time in a game that finished four-nil to the visitors. Just over a quarter of the Robins’ usual match-going supporters turned up to this game, one that was so unremarkable that it could not hold the attention of some local children who seemed thrilled to be there pre-match.

I think it’s safe to say that even if this happened to my own team, I don’t think I’d experience a football game that illogical again.