Cheltenham boss Michael Flynn says he is hopeful of keeping Joel Colwill for the rest of the season after the Cardiff loanee’s brace secured a 2-1 comeback win over Crewe.
Jack Lankester put Crewe after 56 minutes but Colwill, the younger brother of the Bluebirds’ Wales international Rubin, struck in the 70th and 83rd minutes to take his tally for the season to eight and end the visitors’ 12-match unbeaten run.
There have been reports of loan interest from League One, but Flynn believes the 20-year-old midfielder is in the best place to continue his development.
“I knew Joel had it in him because he’s a smashing lad, but if he was the finished article he’d have 15 or 16 goals,” Flynn said.
“He still has a lot to improve on and I am going to help him to do that. I’ve heard nothing from Cardiff and that’s a good thing.
“In my head it’s getting him ready for the summer to then try and make an impact in Cardiff’s first-team squad.
“He came to life for the last 15 minutes of the first half today and I thought he was quiet in the second half, but his second was a superb finish and it’s a big win for us against a very good Crewe team.”
Joe Day made a superb save to stop Crewe opening the scoring after half an hour, with Shilow Tracey poised to touch in Matus Holicek’s cross before it was diverted towards goal by Robins defender Ibrahim Bakare.
Arkell Jude-Boyd headed Tom Bradbury’s cross over the bar for the hosts just before half-time, but the game came to life in the second half.
Holicek set up Lankester, who found the bottom left corner with a well-placed shot beyond Day’s reach to put Crewe in front.
Cheltenham levelled after a corner was not dealt with and after Bakare’s shot was parried by Filip Marschall, Colwill fired in from close range.
And the winner was a fine finish into the top left corner from the edge of the box by Colwill to extend Cheltenham’s unbeaten run to six.
Crewe boss Lee Bell felt his team failed to capitalise on their first-half superiority as they allowed their lead to slip away in the second period.
“We have given them two goals really, from poor defending,” Bell said.
“One was from a corner, with an average ball in that we didn’t deal with, and then the second is from a throw-in when we were pretty passive.
“After a missed clearance their best player (Colwill) is standing on his own in the middle of the pitch and he tucks it away.
“I am bitterly disappointed because we put the brakes on Cheltenham a bit and I thought we should have been winning at half-time.
“If we were and we have that ruthlessness, I think we go on to score a couple more.”
