League Two play-off final: Cheltenham v Crewe full time report

Nick Powell celebrates his goal

Cheltenham Town 0-2 Crewe Alexandra

Crewe Alexandra have sealed their return to the third tier of English football, beating Cheltenham Town 2-0 on another scorching hot day at Wembley.

The final match in the English domestic season was played in blazing sunshine in northwest London, and there was heat on the pitch too, as 18-year-old Nick Powell scored a wonder goal to open proceedings, and Byron Moore wrapping up the match in the 82nd minute.

Powell gave Crewe the lead in the 15th minute with a brilliantly taken effort from the edge of the 18 yard box, turning clear of two defenders before unleashing a cracker of a shot into the corner for his 16th goal of the season.

Cheltenham might have equalised moments later, Jeff Goulding hitting the crossbar with a long range shot before Crewe hastily cleared the rebound. Then in the 25th minute Goulding thought he’d levelled the scores, rifling a shot past the keeper at close range – but the player was rightly adjudged to be offside.

As the half went on, Cheltenham’s direct approach came closer and closer to paying off, the side throwing everything at Crewe’s goalmouth in the dying minutes of the half. Ashley Westwood was forced to clear the ball from off the line in the midst of a sustained onslaught – yet somehow, Crewe made it to the end of the first half still a goal to the good.

Cheltenham continued to press after the break, when less than 10 minutes into the second half Kaid Mohamed looked to be through on goal. But the Welshman failed to take advantage, goalkeeper Steve Phillips making a superb save.

The second 45 minutes saw something of a dip in the quality of play as the sun took its toll on the players. Still, Byron Moore had enough in the tank in the 82nd minute to slip a second goal past the luckless Scott Brown.

Though Cheltenham continued doggedly on to the end of the full 90, plus six minutes of stoppage time, manager Mark Yates surely knew the jig was up – while his counterpart Steve Davis was counting the minutes until official confirmation of glory.

Whether Davis will be able to hang on to man of the match Powell is perhaps less certain. The 18-year-old’s goal here drew comparisons with Thierry Henry in his pomp, although Powell’s own assessment - “I just whacked it” – was rather less grand.

Even if he is downplaying his moment in the sun, it seems likely there will be several managers willing to pay big dollar to see Powell ‘just whack it’. Not that the player was thinking about his future here: “I just want to celebrate with the boys” he told Sky Sports afterwards. And why not? For Crewe, this was a day to savour the moment.

Steve Colton

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