A disappointed Michael Flynn began his verdict of Cheltenham Town’s 2-0 defeat away to Fleetwood Town with a sigh: “I just thought we didn’t create. Even if we had 10 strikers in the box, we probably would have over or under hit the cross today, or hit the first man,”
The Robins finished the game with an xG of 0.26 and only three shots just barely inside the box, even as the team looked to exploit the right gaps according to the Welshman.
Flynn could only point to a single Jordan Thomas chance that troubled their opposition inside the final third among opportunities that did not materialise because the Robins’ execution.
“We got in some good areas. But even at the end we were wasteful; Tom Bradbury just trying to cross from a silly angle, Ethon Archer gets in and puts it wide, Jordan Thomas probably clips the bar. When we had the opportunity to hit the target, or put a ball in a decent area and we didn’t do it.”
The Robins are yet to score on the road in league action this year and their last win away from home in Sky Bet League Two came in late October, when they visited Carlisle United. Understandably, Flynn is frustrated by that, as expressed post-match when continued to detail on his side’s lack of efficiency.
“It’s just frustrating. I’m not going to go out and be hard on them because they’ve given me everything. They’ve had a long, long week. They’ve put in lots of effort and I know we didn’t win today, but they’ve put in big effort, won a lot of challenges, a lot of headers, but we just lack quality”.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, Town may have found a solution to their woes through the loan signing of Gillingham midfielder: Timothee Dieng.
The Frenchman, who can play anywhere in midfield, has already contributed in this season, both being a threat from set pieces and arriving inside the box. Dieng scored three goals for the Gills in the first half of the season and he isn’t afraid shoot from distance, something that Cheltenham Town needed against Fleetwood Town.
Coming back from an injury, Dieng may be able to feature more regularly and will have more chances to find himself in positions he is comfortable in.
New piece on @timdieng8 deadline day loan move from #Gills ➡️ #ctfc♦️
— Cameron Ward (@camwardjourno) February 6, 2025
• Looking to improve and experiment more on retouching 🧔♂️🎨
• Using the correct dimensions 📐
But overall pleased with how it’s come out! 🇫🇷🔥#smsports pic.twitter.com/SBpTlawo7W
Moreover, he regularly gets shots away, therefore can provide the necessary volume from inside the box – last season he averaged 1.89 attempts per 90.
In short, he likes to shoot, and has been efficient, as portrayed by his three goals from an xG of 2.55 this season, an encouraging sign for Flynn who hopes to get his new signing starting as soon as possible.
“Possibly [he can play 90 minutes soon]. But again, let’s just see. We’ll just keep building him up. We’ll have a good week into legs this week. We get ready for Barrow on Saturday, who just had a good result today,” Flynn commented on the former Exeter City player.
