Cheltenham Town finished their summer friendlies with a 2-0 defeat to League One visitors MK Dons at Whaddon Road on Saturday afternoon. Both goals came soon after the break as the Robins’ pre-season run-in drew to a close ahead of competitive fixtures next week.
Second-half goals settle final warm-up
The visitors took control early in the second half through Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who opened the scoring, and were later doubled up by Aaron Collins. The result leaves Cheltenham with work to do before they begin the competitive season next Saturday.
All six of Cheltenham’s summer signings started the match as manager Steve Cotterill continued to assess his squad. There were a number of changes across the 90 minutes as both teams used the game to give minutes to players coming through pre-season.
- Final score: Cheltenham Town 0 – MK Dons 2
- Goalscorers: Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Aaron Collins (both second half)
- Attendance at Whaddon Road: 1,201
Team news and substitutions
Steve Cotterill named a side including his summer recruits, with a number of second-half and late substitutions as the match progressed. The Cheltenham starting XI and changes were as follows.
| Cheltenham Town (starting XI) | Substitutions |
|---|---|
| Stanway; Tomkinson, Sweeney, Cundy, Nurse; Stevenson, McWilliams, McCann; Tomlinson, Miller, Shipley | Diallo (for Stanway 86), Broom (for Sweeney 64), Willcox (for McWilliams 76), Bickerstaff (for Miller 70), Obieri, Tustin, Barber used later in match |
MK Dons also made extensive changes, with a number of substitutes used after the hour mark as their side rotated nine players in the second half.
Looking ahead: cup tie then League Two opener
Cheltenham now turn their attention to competitive matches. They host Charlton Athletic in the first round of the Carabao Cup next Saturday, with a 5.30pm kick-off scheduled, before beginning their League Two campaign a week later at home to Rotherham United.
The friendly provided match practice and helped Cotterill gauge fitness across his squad, but the result will sharpen focus on where adjustments are needed before the cup tie and the new league season.
Referee for the match was James Durkin.
