It’s fair to say that Cheltenham Town’s first season back in League Two following relegation from League One could have ended a lot better, with The Robins finishing 15th in the fourth tier, ten points off the playoffs.
This summer will be huge for the club in terms of recruitment if the club are to return to the third tier, however they have already been handed a huge blow as far as they are concerned for next season.
As Jon Palmer reports, it is looking increasingly likely that central defender Sam Stubbs will not be joining the club for the 2025/26 season on a permanent basis, despite being named as the supporters’ player of the year for the previous campaign.
Big Shoes To Fill
Stubbs played 41 times in the league for Cheltenham since he joined on loan from Bradford City, and really impressed with his aerial presence at the back, he also scored twice and assisted twice when joining the attack, and you could argue that with Bradford’s recent promotion to League One, he could’ve fancied himself as someone who can fight for a place in the side. However with the retained list being released recently, The Bantams have decided not to renew his contract, which will make it very interesting to see which club he decides to play his football at next season.
But as for Cheltenham Town they will lose a massive influence and leader in central defence next season, with the former Exeter City man averaging a very impressive 10 duels won per 90 minutes, as well as over 70 percent of aerial battles won. A threat in both boxes is so key at League Two level, especially with his height, when you consider the style of play that comes with a lot of teams in the division who rely on set pieces to create goal-scoring chances.
Writers View
Overall, Cheltenham Towns’ defence actually was pretty poor when you look at the rest of the division, conceding 70 goals in the league across the season, 39 of which came on their travels.
However there is no doubt that without Stubbs’ contribution at the back they would have ended up in a much worse position than mid-table, and could even have been looking over their shoulders towards the relegation zone.
So It will be interesting to see where he ends up and how The Robins react to losing him, as he will be very hard to replace in the summer window.
