Gloucester City defeated Scarborough Athletic 1-0 at The TigerTurf Stadium to snap their five-game losing streak.
Theo Robinson, 35, scored his sixth goal in seven games to give the Tigers their first home victory of 2024. Robinson’s strike came seven minutes into the game. Mike Cook, the manager of Gloucester, was overjoyed with his team’s performance.
As usual for us, it had us laughing towards the end, he said.
We need to keep giving it our all because without their encouragement and support, we won’t be able to achieve the desired outcome. I believe we can play better. They all worked hard for everyone at the club.
“They only had one opportunity to hit the post, but we persevered, and it’s a credit to all of us that that worked out.”
After being out against Buxton, Robinson was back to his goal-scoring ways when he joined the team.
“I think we made the right decision not to play him Tuesday night. He’s great, we’re managing him with his achilles.
“It was a really well-executed goal, and it was amazing to put that in the back of the net and maintain composure when we needed it.”
For the Tigers, Brandon Smalley was a vital player up front.
Cook remarked, “I think he’s a forward who can kick on and go higher; he makes a difference in games.”
“He’s a different option, more quick, and the team works well when he’s in the right position.”
Cook disclosed the extent of the board’s efforts to maintain Gloucester’s status in this league.
“Colin Taylor and Richard Lewis, who have contributed a significant sum of money in recent weeks, attended our board meeting this week, which is commendable.”
Teenage Brandon Liggett, who is on work experience from Cheltenham Town, put on another outstanding performance to win man of the match, and Cook is extremely pleased with him.
“I agree that he is the player of the match; he performed admirably, and we appreciate that Cheltenham Town did not charge us for him,” he remarked.
Cook expressed satisfaction with the performance of the 4-4-2 diamond after experimenting with the formation in recent weeks.
“Having the four, which we did today, makes it a strong diamond. It helps to get an early goal because it calms you down,” he remarked.
“Everyone, including the people we let go today, handled things really well and moved on,” I said.
Gloucester’s season is currently in a “make or break” situation as they take on Alfreton, Boston United, and Tamworth, three of the top eight teams.
The teams that come to play us will expect to win, and we’ve had trouble against the lower block teams like Blyth and Darlington, so we can’t afford to be overly anxious, Cook said.
“We need to keep trying, and when it comes to the best teams, I think we have more hope.”
