Heroes & Villains – Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town days
Hero – Steve Cotterill
Steve Cotterill must be considered Cheltenham Town’s hero as it was he who took them to the promised land of the Football League in 1999.
He also masterminded Cheltenham’s run to Wembley in the FA Trophy the season before. A 2-1 win over Southport under the Twin Towers gave The Robins the biggest prize in non-league.
Under Cotterill, Cheltenham proved that they were no pushovers in their first season in the Football League. They missed out on the play-offs on the final day of the league season after a 2-1 defeat to Southend United.
Cotterill left for Stoke City in the summer of 2002, joining First Division Stoke City. His final season at Whaddon Road was a memorable and historic one for the club. Under Cotterill’s guidance, Cheltenham reached the Fifth Round of the FA Cup and victory in the Third Division Play-Offs. The cup run was the furthest that the club had ever gone in their history.
Villains – Gloucester City and Forest Green Rovers
Geographical rivals Gloucester City and Forest Green Rovers qualify for the title of Cheltenham’s ‘Villains’.
Although The Robins haven’t played Gloucester City since 1997, their fans still regard them as their main rivals.
Forest Green have also been their rivals in recent years, with the matches between the two given the name ‘El Glosico’!
The two fought it out in the 2015/16 season for the Conference league title. In the end Cheltenham won the title, beating Forest Green by 12 points.
Hereford United are also considered one of Cheltenham’s rivals but the two haven’t played each other for 8 years. This is mainly due to Hereford United going bankrupt in 2014. Cheltenham and new club Hereford FC have yet to meet following the new club’s inception in the summer of 2014.
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