BLUES boss Gareth Ainsworth said his decision to change his forward line last night was to help his side defend higher up the pitch.

Dean Morgan and Jo Kuffour were both dropped to the bench against Cheltenham after starting at York at the weekend.

Ainsworth elected to hand recalls to Matt McClure and Steven Craig for their ability to hold the ball up in attack and relieve the expected pressure on the Wanderers defence from the Robins.

It's nine matches since the Wanderers chief named an unchanged two-man attack but he said Craig and McClure both warranted inclusion at Cheltenham.

Ainsworth said he was impressed at the impact Craig had as a substitute against York, with Morgan and Kuffour unable to make much of an impression.

He said: "We had to lead the line. We had two centre halves who struggle with a little bit of pace so we had to keep it higher and maybe make third man runs. It did work but unfortunately we didn't get as many as I thought and we've had to settle for a penalty. Dean Morgan steps up and slots it home in that nonchalant way, giving me a heart attack on the bench.

"The front two on Saturday struggled a little bit. I thought Stevie Craig did really well on Saturday when he came on against York and deserved his place. He earned his place in the team.

"Matt McClure is on form at the moment with his goals - he did really well tonight.

"They beat the centre halves up for 60 minutes, then we can introduce the likes of Dean Morgan, Jo Kuffour and Anthony Jeffrey. They can inject some energy and pace into the team."