Evesham United vs Cheltenham

McCann opened the scoring in the 15th minute, turning home the rebound after Evesham goalkeeper Brendan Beard had parried Ricky Miller's initial shot. Cheltenham dominated the first half but Beard kept the score at 1-0 with a series of fine saves, including beating away a firm drive from Tomkinson in the 33rd minute and denying Miller low to his right in the 31st.

Manager Steve Cotterill made a half-time change, introducing Pierce Sweeney. The second half followed a similar pattern — Cheltenham controlled possession while Beard continued to frustrate them, producing another block to deny Tomkinson in the 57th minute. Miller also had a shot cleared off the line in the 45th minute after lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.

The breakthrough finally came in the 85th minute when McCann collected Jordan Shipley's knockdown and found the bottom right corner for his second of the game. Obieri added a third in the 90th minute, finishing from a Ryan Broom assist to round off the scoring, per the Gloucestershire Live match report.

McCann's second goal in the 85th minute effectively killed the contest. Until then, Evesham had been kept in the game by Beard's goalkeeping, but the midfielder's composed finish from Shipley's knockdown gave Cheltenham breathing room, and Obieri added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time.

Charlie McCann (Cheltenham Town) — The summer signing scored twice on his first pre-season outing, opening the scoring on a rebound and adding a second from Shipley's knockdown late on. A quietly influential display from the midfielder.

Brendan Beard (Evesham United) — Produced a string of saves to keep the scoreline respectable, including denying Tomkinson, Miller, and Broom. The Gloucestershire Live report noted that "only some fine goalkeeping from Brendan Beard kept the score down."

Sopuruchukwu Obieri (Cheltenham Town) — The young forward marked his appearance with a stoppage-time goal from Broom's assist, adding a third to cap a professional away performance.

Player of the match: Charlie McCann (Cheltenham Town)

"It's just about fitness really," Cotterill told the club's media after the match. "I'm really, really pleased with them today. I thought we were better today than I was expecting us to be."

He added: "I thought the effort was there... I would be happier with more their endeavor today than the quality, even though the quality was there in moments."

Cotterill also confirmed that the squad had endured "a really, really tough pre-season so far" with an "incredibly tough week" leading into the fixture, making the performance more encouraging.

Cheltenham's 3-0 win reflected their dominance, though the 1-0 half-time scoreline undersold their first-half control. Beard's goalkeeping kept Evesham in the game until the 85th minute. The attendance of 849 at the Jubilee Stadium provided a lively pre-season atmosphere. Cheltenham's seven second-half substitutes disrupted rhythm but allowed Cotterill to assess his squad depth. The H2H record now stands at five wins from five for Cheltenham since 2021, with an aggregate score of 18-3.

This was Cheltenham's first pre-season friendly as they prepare for the 2026/27 League Two campaign. New signings McCann, Jordan Shipley and Joe Tomlinson all started, while Shaun McWilliams sat out after his Friday arrival. James Wilson missed out with a calf injury. New goalkeeper Wyll Stanway, signed from Barrow, was present but did not play. Evesham, who compete in the Hellenic League Premier Division (tier 9), gained valuable minutes against EFL opposition.

A professional, controlled pre-season win for Cheltenham. McCann's double was the standout performance, Beard's heroics kept Evesham in it longer than the scoreline suggests, and Cotterill got what he wanted — minutes, fitness, and no injuries.