City squander chances in goalless draw against Cheltenham

BRISTOL City were held to a 0-0 draw by Cheltenham Town in the first of a preseason doubleheader at the EV Charging Points Stadium on Friday evening, with Gerhard Struber's side unable to make their chances count.

- Dan CARTER

Struber named a mixed starting lineup for City’s fourth outing of the summer. First-team regulars Rob Dickie, Mark Sykes, Haydon Roberts, and Sam Bell were joined by the likes of Ruebin Sheppard, Elijah Morrison, and Adam Murphy, with the rest of the squad rested to take on Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on Saturday.

City started the better of the two sides without really managing to create an awful lot in the way of chances. Bell looked to acrobatically turn a Roberts’ corner towards goal in the opening exchanges, but could only find the former Derby County man with his effort before the attack fizzled out into nothing.

After a cagey opening 25 minutes, City came close to breaking the deadlock when Dickie, pictured, curled wide from 25 yards out. The defender had received the ball from a chipped Joe Lumley pass before racing into the Cheltenham half and trying his luck from range. Although his connection was good, it evaded the post of the scrambling Joe Day.