Cheltenham Town
Also written as Cheltenham.
The club
Cheltenham Town were founded in 1887 by Albert Close White, a local teacher, and have played at Whaddon Road in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, since 1932. The ground is currently sponsored as the EV Charger Points Stadium and holds 7,066. The club are the Robins and play in white shirts with red sleeves and a robin badge, a design adopted in 1938/39.
Recent seasons
Cheltenham were fourth in League Two in 2019/20 with 64 points, then won the division in 2020/21 with 82 points, the highest position the club has reached in the English league system. Three seasons in League One followed: 15th with 56 points in 2021/22, 16th with 54 in 2022/23, and 21st with 44 in 2023/24, which sent them back down. They were 15th in League Two in 2024/25 with 60 points.
The 2025/26 season was worse. Michael Flynn was dismissed on 20 September 2025 after 68 games in charge and a win ratio of 36.8 per cent, and a week later, on 27 September, the side lost 7-1 at Grimsby Town. Steve Cotterill was appointed on 30 September 2025 on a three-year contract, returning 23 years after the end of his first spell. Cheltenham finished 18th of 24 with 52 points from 46 games: 14 wins, 10 draws, 22 defeats, 53 goals scored and 79 conceded. Home form was ordinary (9 wins, 4 draws, 10 defeats), away form poor (5 wins, 6 draws, 12 defeats, 46 conceded). Isaac Hutchinson was top scorer with 15 league goals and 18 in all competitions. They reached the FA Cup third round, the EFL Cup second round, and went out of the EFL Trophy at the group stage. 2026/27 is their third consecutive season in League Two.
Honours and landmarks
The club's league honours are the League Two title of 2020/21, the Third Division play-off win of 2002 and the League Two play-off win of 2006, and at non-league level the Conference titles of 1998/99 and 2015/16, with a runners-up finish in 1997/98, and the Southern League championship of 1984/85. The FA Trophy was won in 1997/98, beating Southport 1-0 in the final. Earlier honours include the Southern League Cup in 1957/58, the Midland Floodlit Cup in 1985/86, 1986/87 and 1987/88, and the Gloucestershire Senior Cup in 1998/99.
The defining figure in the club's modern history is Steve Cotterill, manager from 1 February 1997 to 27 May 2002, who took Cheltenham from the sixth tier to the third in five years, winning the FA Trophy, the Conference title and the 2002 Third Division play-off final, and was named manager of the year twice. He is the man now back in charge.
Record attendance is 10,389 against Blackpool in an FA Cup third-round tie on 13 January 1934, played at the club's former Athletic Ground; the record at Whaddon Road is 8,326 against Reading in the FA Cup first round on 17 November 1956. Roger Thorndale holds the appearance record with 703 between 1958 and 1976, and Dave Lewis the scoring record with 290. Record fee received is £1.5m for Mo Eisa to Bristol City in July 2018. The record fee paid was for Aidan Keena from Sligo Rovers in January 2023, the amount undisclosed.
Notable scorelines
Record victory: 12-0 against Chippenham Rovers in an FA Cup third qualifying round tie on 2 November 1935. Record defeat: 1-10 against Merthyr Tydfil in the Southern League on 8 March 1952. The heaviest recent beating was the 7-1 at Grimsby Town on 27 September 2025, between Flynn's dismissal and Cotterill's appointment.
Head-to-head notes
Cheltenham do not publish all-time head-to-head records, and the standard reference archives for English clubs blocked automated access, so no all-time record against any 2026/27 opponent is established here. Two recent meetings can be stated. Cheltenham lost 2-0 at home to Chesterfield on 9 August 2025, the opening day of last season, and lost 2-0 at Colchester United on 29 November 2025. Both clubs are in League Two again this season. Four clubs are new to the division for 2026/27 from above (Exeter City, Rotherham United, Port Vale and Northampton Town) and two from below (York City and Rochdale), and Cheltenham open the league season against one of them.
Right now (2026/27)
Steve Cotterill is manager, appointed 30 September 2025 on a three-year deal. The retained list on 5 May 2026 cleared out much of the squad: Isaac Hutchinson, the top scorer, joined Doncaster Rovers, Harry Ashfield and Mo Faal both went to Wrexham, Josh Davison to Tranmere Rovers, Cole Deeming to West Bromwich Albion and Sam Sherring to Rochdale. Departures continued through the summer, with Arkell Jude-Boyd to Shrewsbury Town and George Harmon to Brackley Town in June, Ieuan Bailey leaving on 30 June, Charlie Caple to Cinderford Town in July, Tommy Backwell to Southend United on 22 July, and Jordan Thomas to Doncaster Rovers and Scot Bennett to Weston-super-Mare both on 28 July. Tom King, Josh Martin, Cameron Walters and Luke Young were released.
The rebuild was done with experienced EFL players. Midfielder Charlie McCann joined from Barrow on 18 June 2026 for a nominal fee. Jordan Shipley arrived free from Port Vale, centre-back Pierce Sweeney from Exeter City and left wing-back Joe Tomlinson from Milton Keynes Dons, all on 1 July. Midfielder Shaun McWilliams came from Rotherham United on 17 July and goalkeeper Wyll Stanway from Barrow on 18 July for an undisclosed fee.
Pre-season has been played against local opposition: 3-0 at Evesham United on 18 July before 849, and 6-1 at Slimbridge on 25 July before 438, with Milton Keynes Dons visiting Whaddon Road on 1 August. The competitive season opens in the EFL Cup first round at home to Charlton Athletic on 8 August 2026 at 17:30. The League Two campaign begins at home to Rotherham United on 15 August 2026.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheltenham_Town_F.C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cheltenham_Town_F.C._seasons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%9326_Cheltenham_Town_F.C._season https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_Cheltenham_Town_F.C._season https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%9326_EFL_League_Two https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_EFL_League_Two https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Cotterill
Researched and written for not4quarters. Where a fact could not be established from the sources read, this page says so rather than guessing.