MAN of the Match Andy Booth played his socks off for the team he loves, coolly took his 100th Town goal and never stopped working.

For the rest of the team it was a continuation of the Mansfield match. I can understand why Peter Jackson experimented by playing three up front against the Stags but I was `staggered' that, it having been shown not to work, it was repeated.

In the first half, after securing the lead, our footballing style was hindered by a slippery pitch. Sixteen minutes after the break, Damian Spencer was sent-off following two nasty tackles but this spurred 10-man Cheltenham to attack with renewed vigour and equalise in the 75th minute.

Town's frontline, bolstered by the late entry of Onuora and Brown, staged a final desperate push but could not break through.

Pawel Abbott looked an isolated figure on the right and infrequently received the ball.

Abbott is a flair player, able to put in telling crosses and score opportunistic goals, but he needs to be played centrally to be effective.

He completed a disappointing afternoon with a disastrous backpass that allowed Shane Duff to secure his first ever goal. The rest of Town's young side looked jaded after a hard season - why were Edwards and Fowler not introduced at half-time for Scott and Abbott?

In the play-offs Lincoln City look beatable. The winners of the Northampton-Mansfield dual could be a hurdle too far - notwithstanding the return of Sodje and Schofield - unless we revert to a system with which the players are comfortable.

Irrespective of which division we play in next season, there is a pressing need for several additions to boost our over-stretched squad.

Peter Jackson has worked wonders with the scarce resources at his disposal but these need to be enhanced if we are to become the much heralded `top 30' club.

Over 1,700 supporters gave the team tremendous backing at Cheltenham, while back at the McAlpine 5,000 fans paid up to £10 a head to see a sub-standard screen. It would be nice if the club repaid this loyalty, for example, by substantially reducing the admission prices for the home leg against Lincoln.

Finally, I should like to emphasise that over the course of this season, no criticism can be made of the team's splendid commitment. In particular, the younger players who picked up the gauntlet last August met the challenge admirably and matured throughout the year, much to the delight of Town's loyal following.