Cheltenham Town F.C.
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| Cheltenham Town | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cheltenham Town Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Robins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1892 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Whaddon Road Cheltenham |
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| Capacity | 7,408 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Paul Baker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | John Ward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | League One | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | League Two, 5th Promoted via Playoffs |
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Cheltenham Town F.C. are a football team based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. They play in Coca-Cola League One after winning the Coca-Cola League Two play-off final in 2005-06 season. They play their home games at Whaddon Road (capacity: 7,408). Their kit features red and white stripes and is currently sponsored by Bence building materials merchant.
The club was founded in 1892. Cheltenham joined the Southern League in 1935 and won promotion to the Alliance Premier League (now the Conference National) in 1985, but were relegated seven years later. The appointment of Steve Cotterill as manager during the 1996-97 was the start of a revolution at the club. They won promotion to the Conference in his first season as manager despite not actually winning the Dr Martens league and two years later gained promotion to the Football League. After two mid-table finishes in Division Three (now League Two) they won via the playoffs and were promoted to Division Two.
Cotterill then moved to Stoke City and his successor Graham Allner lasted just seven months at the helm before Cheltenham's dismal Division Two form cost him his job. His successor Bobby Gould was unable to stave off relegation and the following season was replaced by John Ward, who guided Cheltenham to glory in the 2005-06 League Two playoffs.
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[edit] Current Season (2006/07)
Cheltenham v Tranmere, 8th August 2006
Cheltenham won the first two games of their first season back in League One despite being one of the favourites to be relegated. A 2-1 victory away to Swansea City was followed with a 1-0 home victory against Tranmere Rovers. This was despite no new signings after last season's promotion, mainly due to a lack of funds. Multiple injuries hit the small squad hard and it has been difficult to escape from the relegation zone ever since. The sales of Grant McCann to Barnsley FC for £100,000 along with Brian Wilson to Bristol City for a similar figure in January 2007 should, along with additional funds made available by the board, allow manager John Ward to sign a number of new players in the January transfer window. Without this investment in new signings it is hard to see how relegation will be avoided.
Perhaps the biggest game of the season came at home against Nottingham Forest. It was the biggest crowd of the season, purely because Forest brought a large travelling support. Forest ran out deserved 2-0 winners. Cheltenham are currently in the relegation zone in League One in 21st place but are about to be relegated back to League Two on their way back to the non -league.
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[edit] History
- 1932-33 - Joined Birmingham Combination
- 1935-36 - Joined Southern League, Western Section. Also played in Central Section
- 1955-56 - Southern League runner-up
- 1963-64 - Promoted to Premier Division
- 1968-69 - Relegated to Division One
- 1976-77 - Southern League Division One North runner-up; promoted to Premier Division
- 1979-80 - League re-organised to Southern & Midland Divisions (No Premier); placed in Midland Division
- 1982-83 - Southern League Midland Division Champions; promoted to Premier Division
- 1984-85 - Southern League Champions
- 1985-86 - Joined Alliance Premier League
- 1986-87 - Alliance Premier League renamed Conference
- 1991-92 - Relegated to Southern League Premier Division
- 1992-93 - Southern League runner-up
- 1993-94 - Southern League runner-up
- 1994-95 - Southern League runner-up
- 1996-97 - Southern League runner-up
- 1997-98 - Rejoined Conference. Conference runner-up. FA Trophy Winners
- 1998-99 - Conference Champions; Promoted to Football League Third Division; FA Trophy semi-finalists
- 2001-02 - Promoted to Football League Second Division after play-offs
- 2002-03 - Relegated to Football League Third Division
- 2004-05 - Football League Third Division became known as League 2
- 2005-06 - Promoted to League One through end-of-season play-offs
Cheltenham Town's most successful manager ever is Steve Cotterill, who joined the club in January 1997. Four months after taking charge he guided the club to runners-up spot in the Dr Martens Premier League, but they won promotion to the Conference because Dr Martens Premier League champions Gresley Rovers were unable to meet the required capacity for Conference membership due to their ground.
In 1997-98, Cheltenham surprised all the observers by finishing runners-up in the Conference and giving champions Halifax Town a run for their money right up until the end of April, and securing a place at Wembley in the FA Trophy final, beating Southport 1-0. In 1998-99 Cheltenham went one better and secured the Conference championship - their passport to the football league.
After two mid-table finishes in Division Three, Cheltenham finally won promotion to Division Two (via the Division Three playoffs) at the end of the 2001-02 season. Shortly after winning promotion, Steve Cotterill left Cheltenham to pursue his career by joining Stoke City as manager. He remained there for just four months before quitting to become Sunderland's assistant manager, a role which he held for just five months. Cotterill returned to football management in June 2004 with Burnley. He is still currently manager there.
Meanwhile, Cheltenham replaced Cotterill with first-team coach Graham Allner who had won the Conference championship with Kidderminster Harriers in 1994. But he was sacked in January 2003, after just six months in the job, with Cheltenham hovering near the foot of Division Two. Cheltenham turned to Bobby Gould, one of the most experienced managers in English football whose exploits include an FA Cup victory with Wimbledon in 1988. Cheltenham continued to struggle and defeat in their final game of the season condemned the club to relegation back to Division Three after just one season.
Gould resigned as Cheltenham Town manager in November 2003 and was replaced by the experienced John Ward, who has been an assistant manager with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Watford, and a manager with Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and York City.
During the 2005-06 season, a new stand for visiting fans was added (The Carlsberg Stand) and a small electronic scoreboard was installed. The club punched above its weight and finished the season in 5th, earning a place in the play-offs. In the semi-final Cheltenham beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 away and drew 0-0 in the second leg at Whaddon Road. In the play-off final, Cheltenham beat Grimsby Town 1-0, securing a place in League One for 2006-07. The match at Cardiff of May 28 was attended by 29,196 people, making it the club's largest ever stadium audience. However despite promotion, attendances have not increased as the club hoped and along with being knocked out of the various cup competitions in early stages the club are finding it difficult to muster up the funds to invest in additional players. However, with the prudent guidance of chairman Paul Baker and the rest of the board of directors the club is in a stable financial position, preferring not to risk this stability by taking gambles on expensive signings.
[edit] Honours
- FA Trophy Winners (1997-98)
- Football Conference Champions (1998-99); Runners Up (1997-98)
- Division Three Play-off Winners (2001-02, 2005-06)
- Southern League Champions (1984-85); Runners Up (1955-56, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1996-97)
- Southern League Midland Division Champions (1982-83)
- Southern League Division 1 North Runners-Up (1976-77)
[edit] Current Squad - 2006-07
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[edit] Trivia
- Sacked manager for swearing in 1961.
- League status achieved by goal in seventh minute of injury time.
- First recorded match was against Dean Close School.
- Steve Winwood (Musician) is a famous fan.
- Andy Gray of Sky Sports is a former Robins player.
- The record fee for selling a player was broken this year with £100,000 being paid for Grant McCann by Barnsley FC although £25,000 went to his previous team West Ham United as part of a sell-on clause in his contract.
- Cheltenham are one of only two clubs to have appeared more than once at the Millennium Stadium and have a 100% record, when English finals were moved to Cardiff as Wembley was rebuilt.
[edit] Club Records
- Record transfer paid - Grant Mccann from West Ham United
- Record transfer received - £100,000 Grant McCann to Barnsley
- Record attendance - 10,389 vs Blackpool FA Cup 3rd round 13th January 1934 (game played at Cheltenham Athletic Ground)
- Record attendance at Whaddon Road - 8,326 vs Reading FA Cup 1st round 17th November 1956
- Record win - 12-0 vs Chippenham Rovers FA Cup 3rd qualifying round 2nd November 1935
- Record defeat - 1-10 vs Merthyr Tydfil Southern League 8th March 1952
- Record appearance - Roger Thorndale 702 (1958-1976)
- Record goalscorer - Dave Lewis 290 (in 3 spells between 1967-1983)
- Record goals in a season - Dave Lewis 53 in all competitions (1974-1975)
- Youngest player - Paul Collicutt
- Oldest player - Clive Walker
[edit] Sources
Cheltenham Town at the Football Club History Database
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Cheltenham Town F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Club stats
- Cheltenham Town news from BBC online
- The Robins Nest - Cheltenham Town Fansite
- Cheltenhamshire - information & directions
- Number One Cheltenham Town fans forum
| Football League One, 2006-2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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