CHERRIES’ under-21s went down to a 5-1 defeat against a battle-hardened Cheltenham Town team this afternoon.

The home side did the damage during 26 first-half minutes, in which they struck four goals.

Cherries were far more competitive after the break and were rewarded for their efforts when Mikael Ndjoli fired home from the penalty spot – before Cheltenham forward Dan Holman completed his hat-trick by rifling high into the net from the edge of the box.

George Lloyd had the ball in the net for Cheltenham with the game only 10 minutes old – but the striker had strayed offside before slotting home.

Cherries did fall behind on 13 minutes, however.

Robins' James Dayton pounced on some hesitation in the visitors' box following a cross from the right, the winger blasting first time, low and inside Patrick O’Flaherty's left-hand post.

O’Flaherty was beaten again two minutes later. Holman strode onto a weighted forward ball to round the ‘keeper and finish into an open goal.

Cherries skipper Matt Worthington powered through two hefty challenges and blasted wide as the away team sought to reduce the deficit.

O’Flaherty then dived to his left to tip away Kyle Storer’s hard-hit strike before, at the other end, Joe Quigley’s effort from Ndjoli’s left-wing cut back flew past the near-post.

Asa Hall sent a howitzer of a long-range dig off target as the experienced hosts started to ramp up the pressure.

And Cheltenham stretched their advantage to three on 24 minutes, when Jack Munns’ searching ball picked out Jordan Cranston on the left.

The full-back delivered a low cross that deflected off Dinesh Gilella and into the bottom right corner of goal.

O’Flaherty partially saved from Lloyd one on one, with the covering Ollie Harfield completing the clear up job on his own goal line.

And Lloyd was soon foiled by the advancing O’Flaherty, once more, after the striker's latest direct run through the middle.

There was nothing the Cherries’ number one could do, however, to prevent Holman's 39th minute drive from flashing into the roof of the net, following good approach play from Dayton.

Cheltenham started the second-half in the same vain as they had the first, seeing a goal ruled out when Cranston stroked home from an offside position.

Holman was then within a whisker of claiming the match ball when he went clean through and saw his shot beat O'Flaherty, only to clip the outside of the post.

Cherries were starting to compete with renewed vigour, however, and Corey Jordan, haring in at the back post, was inches away from connecting with Harfield’s left-wing free-kick.

Ndjoli’s close range strike was repelled by Robins’ ‘keeper Callum Kitscha, before the Cherries striker pulled another effort wide of the target.

When Ndjoli, chasing a ball over the top, was felled by the sliding Kitscha the striker picked himself up and converted from the spot – his second successful penalty in two games.

Shortly after, Keelan O’Connell sent a shot skipping past Kitscha’s left-hand post, the winger having taken an immaculate touch on Worthington’s searching pass out to the right and cut inside to shoot.

But Holman soon restored Cheltenham’s four-goal advantage. O’Flaherty made the initial save from an onrushing Lloyd, but the ball ran away from the ‘keeper’s grasp, allowing the former Colchester forward to crash home his third goal of the afternoon.

Kitscha used his chest to save from Cherries substitute Nnamdi Ofoborh's penalty-box drive, but the Cheltenham number one reverted to more conventional methods when he used his fingertips to turn a Worthington strike past the post.

And Worthington came even closer in the game’s final seconds, the midfielder’s free-kick - awarded after he had been baulked by Aaron Downes - clipping the top of the bar on its way over.

Cherries: O’Flaherty; York, Jordan, Gilella (Ofoborh, h-t), Harfield; O’Connell, Taylor, Worthington, Dobre; Quigley (Kilkenny, 58), Ndjoli. Unused subs: Diaz, Stedman (g/k).

Booked: Ndjoli.