Cheltenham Town

Cheltenham Town are a professional Football team, based in Cheltenham, Gloucester, currently playing in the EFL League Two. Nicknamed ‘the Robins’, Cheltenham have played their highest level of Football in the EFL League One having won the League Two title once in recent years as well as the Play-Off Final twice. In addition to this, Cheltenham have lifted the FA Trophy on one solitary occasion in the late 90s. Cheltenham play in front of a loyal local fan base with record attendances of 8,326 at Whaddon Road, a stadium they have inhabited since 1932 with a modern capacity of 7,066 and having held names such as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium and The Victory Sports Ground.

Cheltenham Town Updates

Cheltenham Town currently find themselves sat 13th in League Two on 31 points at the halfway point of the season. A points tally that if replicated will deliver them save of relegation but some way short of a promotion push. The general feeling this season is one of mediocrity for the Robins with standout results such as a 2-1 home win versus Crewe Alexandra and a 3-1 away FA Cup success versus recent Championship side Rotherham Town, marred by a lack of points in vital games leaving them mid-table. Long-term injuries to full-backs Arkell Jude-Boyd and Ryan Haynes haven't helped their cause, with the latter out for up to six months with a serious knee injury in September this season. Cheltenham will need a stronger finish to the season if they aim to take anything away from the 24-25 campaign.

Cheltenham Town Transfer News and Rumours

So far this January Cheltenham Town have added a pair of Premier League loanees in the form of Brentford Town duo Ashley Hay and Valentino Adeokun, with Hay operating at the top end of the field as a Striker and Adeokun further back in defence. This is an addition to Waterford defender Darragh Power who joins the Robins from the League of Ireland. The Irishman started 35 times out of 36 in the league for Waterford in the 2024 season, as the 24-year-old right-sided defender helped steer his side clear of relegation. With a busy start to the window, it would be no surprise if Cheltenham look to bolster their squad further with more additions this January.

Cheltenham Town Signings

In addition to these January additions mentioned, Cheltenham have added a plethora of new additions to their squad across the course of the season, with Luke Young, Joe Day and Scot Bennett proving most influential after arriving on a free transfer in the summer. In addition wide duo Joel Colwill and Ethon Archer arrived this summer with Colwill coming from Championship Cardiff City on loan.

Player	Age	Nationality	Left	Fee
Owen Evans	27	Welsh	Walsall League Two	Free Transfer
Luke Young	31	English	Wrexham League One	Free Transfer
Ryan Haynes	28	English	Northampton League One	Free Transfer
Scott Bennet	33	English	Newport County League Two	Free Transfer
Joe Day	33	English	Newport County League Two	Free Transfer
Ryan Bowman	32	English	Shrewsbury Town League One	Free Transfer
Harry Pell	32	English	AFC Wimbledon League Two	Free Transfer
Darragh Power	24	Irish	Waterford FC Premier Division	Free Transfer
Harrison Sonha	22	English	Sunderland U21 Premier League 2	Free Transfer
Ethon Archer	21	English	Torquay National League South	Free Transfer
Arkell Jude-Boyd	21	St. Lucian	QPR U21	Free Transfer
George Miller	25	English	Doncaster League Two	Free Transfer
Liam Dulson	22	English	Bedford Town Non-League Premier	Free Transfer
Lewis Shipley	20	English	Norwich U21 Premier League 2	Loan Deal
Sam Stubbs	25	English	Bradford League Two	Loan Deal
Lewis Payne	20	English	Southampton U21 Premier League 2	Loan Deal
Levi Laing	21	English	West Ham U21 Premier League 2	Loan Deal
Val Adeokun	21	Irish	Brentford B	Loan Deal
Ashley Hay	21	English	Brentford B	Loan Deal
Manni Norkett	19	English	Nottingham Forest U21 Premier League 2	Loan Deal
Joel Colwill	19	Welsh	Cardiff City U21	Loan Deal
Ibrahim Bakare	22	English	N/A	Free Transfer

From Transfermarkt

Cheltenham Town Key Matches of the Season

Cheltenham Town fans can hope for a strong finish to the season, closing the current 9 point gap to the play-off places, giving them a shot at promotion once again to League One, this will be a difficult ask however in a strong division.

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Cheltenham Town's biggest achievement came as recently as 2021 where they lifted the EFL League Two Trophy with a points tally of 82 earning them promotion to the third flight of English Football. This remains their only EFL League Title with previous promotions to this level coming in 2002 and 2006 via the Play-Offs. Other key achievements include an FA Trophy win in 1998 and National League Champions in 2016 just a year after relegation from League Two.

• FA Trophy Winners 1997-98
• National League Champions 1998-99
• League Two Play-Off Final Winners 2002
• League Two Play-Off Final Winners 2006
• National League Champions 2015-16
• League Two Winners 2020-21

Cheltenham Town Current Squad

Cheltenham Town's squad is currently made up of 34 senior players in total, with 27 of those featuring at some point during the season.

Cheltenham Town Attackers

The key attackers this season for the Robins include Liam Dulson, Ryan Bowman, George Miller and Matty Taylor, with only the latter being at the club before this season. Miller has chipped in with 6 goals this season from the centre-forward position. Wide players Jordan Thomas and Ethon Archer have provided four and nine goal involvements each this campaign.

Cheltenham Town Midfielders

Cardiff loanee Joel Colwill has been the standout performer for the Robins from the midfield this season with 9 goals to his name. Meanwhile Luke Young and Tom Pett have been ever-present in the middle of the park for Cheltenham. Scott Bennett and Liam Kinsella have also featured heavily.

Cheltenham Town Defenders

Centre-back duo Ibrahim Bakare and Sam Stubbs have been the go-to this season of late with only Stubbs finding himself on the scoresheet so far this campaign. A full-back pairing of Tom Bradbury and Jude-Boyd is the number one choice this season when fit, otherwise, Lewis Payne and Scott Bennett have filled in.

Cheltenham Town Goalkeepers

Joe Day has been the number one this season since arriving from Newport Country this summer, with Welshman Owen Evans filling in otherwise. Day has kept 4 clean sheets, meanwhile, Evans has held just one.

Cheltenham Town Managing and Coaching Staff

Since 31st May 2024, Michael Flynn has been the manager in charge at Cheltenham Town having taken over from Darrell Clarke. Michael Flynn comes to Gloucestershire off the back of a managerial career predominantly at Newport County where he managed over 250 games with a win percentage of 40.8%. A win percentage he has currently bettered at Cheltenham Town at 41.9%. Flynn initially took over at Newport as caretaker manager, where he led the club to Football League survival, earning him a permanent job at the club. With FA Cup upsets over both Leeds United in 2018 and Premier League Leicester City in 2019 Flynn resigned in 2021 with no silverware to show at Newport County.

Following this Flynn had two relatively unsuccessful periods at Walsall and Swindon Town with the Welshman unable to finish a full season with either outfit, lasting until just November at Swindon Town after taking over for the final game of the season. 

The backroom staff at Cheltenham Town this season include Ashley Vincent and Aaron Downes as Assistant Manager and Gary Johnson as Sporting Director. Vincent spent two separate spells at Cheltenham Town as a player, playing over 131 times for the club. Aaron Downes finished his career as a player at Cheltenham Town in 2018, where he joined Torquay and then more recently Cheltenham Town as an Assistant Manager. 

Cheltenham Town Former Mangers and Key Coaches

Darrell Clarke signed a two-year deal to manage the Robins in September 2023 with the club bottom of the league. In his first month, Clarke was nominated for the EFL League One Manager of the Month award for October, unfortunately, however, this success didn't last and the club was relegated on the final day of the 2023-24 season.

Kevin Russell preceded Clarke in charge at Whaddon Road temporarily in September 2023 after taking over from Wade Elliot.

Wade Elliot was promoted to head coach in June 2022 and led his side to a seventeenth-place finish in League One. The following season he was sacked after picking up just one point in the first eight matches without scoring a single goal. This remains Elliot's first and only permanent stint in charge of a senior club.

Michael Duff managed over 200 games at Cheltenham Town including winning League Two in 2021 and returning the Robins to League One where they have since dropped out. Duff is now in charge of Huddersfield having had stints at Barnsley and Swansea City.

Cheltenham Town Legends

Cheltenham Town have their fair share of club legends who have come from, stayed or passed through the club over the years.

Dave Lewis

'The Flying Pig', who remains the club's all-time top goalscorer with nearly 300 goals for the club. His antics in goal in an FA Trophy tie however earned him his nickname.

Michael Duff

He was fielded 300 times for Cheltenham in the late 90s and early 2000s seeing the club through their FA Trophy, National League and League Two Play-Off successes.

Michael Summerbee

Michael came through the academy at Cheltenham and went on to play over 350 times for Manchester City and receiving 8 England Caps making him one of the more successful graduates from the club. 

Peter Goring 

He once again came through at Cheltenham Town before earning a move to Arsenal where he played over 220 times as a prolific goalscorer. 

Jamie Victory

He was a left-back who was fielded over 258 times for Cheltenham Town between 1996 and 2007 with 3 promotions and a FA Trophy in this time. 

Grant McCann 

Grant joined the Robins for a record £50.000 fee after 2 successful loan spells and then went on to play 155 times as a Cheltenham Town midfielder. 

Chris Hussey

He scored the one important goal that earned an automatic place and promotion for Cheltenham Town in 2021, and therefore will go down as a legend as a club. 

Matt Smith

Matt ends off the list as a Cheltenham Town legend despite never playing a senior game for the club, as an academy graduate Smith has had a legendary career in the EFL.

Cheltenham Town Team Metrics and Performance 

• Games Played: 24
• Points Accrued: 31
• Goals Scored: 34
• Goals Conceded: 36
• Games Won: 8
• Games Drawn: 7
• Games Lost: 9
• Clean Sheets: 5
• Current Position: 13th
• Last Season Position: 21st (EFL League One)
• League Prediction: 10th

Watch Cheltenham Town Latest Highlights

Cheltenham Town Pitch and Amenities

Cheltenham Town play at Whaddon Road, now known as the EV Charger Points Stadium for the next three seasons, and has done since 1932. Opened in 1927 the stadium has a current capacity of 7,066 fans with both seating and terracing. Built by the Cheltenham Original Brewery it has a record attendance of 8,326 against Reading in the FA Cup 1st Round in 1956. The Stadium has been under many names such as the Completely Suzuki Stadium, The World of Smile Stadium and the Victory Sports Ground. The Stands at Whaddon Road are the Hazlewoods Stand, Optimising IT Stand, Autovillage Stand and the Colin Farmer Stand named after a former director of the club.

Cheltenham Town Fan Base and Support

Cheltenham Town fans are known as the Robins, with the Robins Trust owning a 10% stake in the Football Club, making them the fourth largest shareholders in the club. Last season the Cheltenham fans held an average home attendance of 4,609 last season, which represents an attendance of 65% each game. Whilst not holding the most sizable fan base in the EFL the Cheltenham Town fans are as loyal and proud as any club in the Football League.

Cheltenham Town Rivalries and Notable Matches

Cheltenham Town's main rivals are National League side Forest Green Rovers, a local Gloucestershire rivalry between the two clubs. Cheltenham Town have won 3 of the last 5 meetings between the two clubs, with Forest Gree Rovers picking up a draw and a 1-0 win. The two clubs both played in League One during Cheltenham Town's last stint in the third division but Forest Green have since dropped down twice consecutively and find themselves outside of the football league.

Other notable rivals are Gloucester City, but due to current league status the two clubs have not met in a competitive game since 1997.

Cheltenham Town Facts 

Cheltenham Town History

After being founded in 1887, Cheltenham spent much of their early years playing and working their way up through local leagues. Before finally being promoted to the Conference (now National League) in 1997. With Steve Cotterill in charge, the club won both the FA Trophy in 1998 and promotion to the Football League for the first time in 1999. Three years later in 2002, they reached the FA Cup Fifth Round and promotion to League One for the first time following a play-off final, a league they were immediately relegated from. They returned to League One in 2006 under manager John Ward again via play-offs, where they remained for three seasons before relegation back down to League Two. The club remained in League Two then for 16 years before a temporary relegation back down to the National League where they became the first side in 26 years to secure an immediate return to the Football league on 101 points. Five years later they gained promotion back to League One via a League Two Title win where they once again remained for three years before relegation just last season after finishing 21st.

Cheltenham Town Social Media Links

In the modern day, it is as important as ever to follow your own teams on Social Media, as the main hub for content relating to the club. More than ever clubs are dedicated to regularly posting on social media as the latest and greatest way to communicate with their fans.

@CTFCOfficial on Twitter https://x.com/ctfcofficial?lang=en

Cheltenham Town Outlook and Forecast

With the Robins just 9 points off of the play-off spots, a strong end to the season could result in turning round an average season into a solid building block following relegation to this level. They have cemented their intention with a strong start to the January window and I expect the club to push and hope to finish closer to the playoffs following their weak start to the season. 

Frequently Asked Questions on Cheltenham Town Football Club

How much would it cost to buy Cheltenham Town Football Club?

Cheltenham Town are worth an estimated €2.18 million according to Transfermarkt.

What is Cheltenham Town football nickname?

The Robins.

Who sponsors Cheltenham Town Fc?

Cheltenham Town’s First Team Shirt Sponsor is Mira Showers.

What category is Cheltenham Town FC Academy?

Category 3.

Why is Cheltenham Town called the Robins?

Cheltenham Town are called the Robins because of their Red and White playing kit.

Who owns Cheltenham Town FC?

Cheltenham Town are owned by a group of Shareholders including Simon Keswick and The Robins Trust.

Is Cheltenham Town a big club?

Cheltenham Town are a relatively small club in the EFL.

Where to watch Cheltenham Town FC?

Cheltenham are next on Television on April 1st on Sky Sports+ in the UK.