Cheltenham Town F.C.

Founded in 1887, the club spent much of its early history competing in local football circles, before moving to the Birmingham Combination in 1932 and then the Southern League in 1935.Under the stewardship of Steve Cotterill, Cheltenham won the 1998 FA Trophy final and then secured promotion into the Football League for the first time after winning the Conference title in 1998–99.Immediately relegated after one season in the Second Division, they secured another promotion as manager John Ward guided them to victory in the 2006 League Two play-off final.The following year the club entered the FA Cup, featuring a ten-game journey to the third round before losing to Blackpool in front of a record attendance at the Athletic Ground in Cheltenham.[17] Town finished eleventh as the Southern League switched to a single division, with the side featuring appearances from future England international Tim Ward before his move to Derby County.[20] After losing two stalwart performers for the club - Cliff Lang to illness and Ernie Williams to injury - Brain couldn't improve on eleventh place in the league.[23] Two of the side's consistent performers, winger Cliff Thorley and goalkeeper Jack Wheeler earned moves to Bristol City[24] and Birmingham[25] respectively.[27] Another FA Cup run ended against league opposition in the first round as Cardiff City won a replay following a 1–1 draw at Whaddon Road.[35] 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.[41] Following Cheltenham's 3–0 defeat to Port Vale, manager John Ward announced he had agreed a four-year contract with League One side Carlisle United.[42][43] Cheltenham's survival was secured on the final day of the season as they beat Doncaster Rovers 2–1 at Whaddon Road, denying their opposition automatic promotion.On 20 October, Martin Allen was "put on gardening leave" amid allegations he racially abused a nightclub bouncer, and assistant manager John Schofield took temporary charge.[53] Yates, ahead of his first full season with Cheltenham, revamped the squad, releasing eight players,[54] including defender Shane Duff, who had just completed his tenth year with the club.The highlight of the season was a trip to Premier League side West Ham United, with the club eventually losing 2–1 at Upton Park.[68] After only one season outside of the Football League, Cheltenham secured an immediate return on 16 April 2016 with a 2–0 home win against FC Halifax Town.January signing Dan Holman was joint winner of the National League's Golden Boot award, with 30 goals, having netted 16 times in just 18 games for the Robins.Danny Wright, a summer signing, finished the season with 22 league goals and 11 assists, winning the Supporters Player of the Year award.The Whaddon Road pitch also came in for criticism, from both supporters and visiting managers, as it struggled to cope with its high levels of use (Gloucester City were in the final season of a ground-share at Cheltenham during 2016–17).[76] At the end of the season, long-serving club chairman Paul Baker stood down from the role after 20 years, handing over the chairmanship to Andy Wilcox.The Robins reached the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2006 before narrowly losing out to eventual 2020–21 Premier League champions Manchester City.[37] As one of the smallest clubs operating at that level, they were greatly helped by the form of striker Alfie May who scored a total of 43 league goals over the two seasons.[92] Table of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below:[93] Gloucestershire outfit Forest Green Rovers are currently seen as the club's main rivals.[95] Due to Cheltenham's rise up the leagues, the last competitive meeting between the two sides was in 1997, meaning the rivalry is now of less significance but is still keenly discussed by both sets of fans.