Cheltenham Town's New Year's Day match at Crewe Alexandra will be Jon Palmer's 1,000th reporting for the Gloucestershire Echo and Gloucestershire Live
12:37, 31 Dec 2025
Cheltenham Town's Alfie May scores against Manchester City
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Cheltenham Town's Alfie May scores against Manchester City
Football writer Jon Palmer will report on his 1,000th competitive Cheltenham Town first team match for the Gloucestershire Echo/Gloucestershire Live at Crewe Alexandra on New Year’s Day. Here he picks 10 of the most memorable games from his first 999...
2-1 v Wycombe Wanderers away, League Two play-off semi-final first leg, 13/5/06
John Finnigan and Steve Guinan’s goals at Adams Park on the same day as the 'Gerrard' FA Cup final put Cheltenham firmly on course for the Millennium Stadium, before Tommy Mooney’s 90th minute strike set up an intriguing second leg. There was a brilliant away following for John Ward’s young, counter-attacking team, which had made such rapid progress in a short space of time. They had finished 14th two years running before coming of age to secure a return to League One against the odds, going on to defeat Grimsby Town 1-0 in the final thanks to another Guinan goal.
2-1 v Swansea City away, League One, 5/8/06
Kayode Odejayi, Steve Guinan and Grant McCann celebrate Cheltenham Town's second goal at Swansea City on the opening day of the 2006/07 campaign
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Kayode Odejayi, Steve Guinan and Grant McCann celebrate Cheltenham Town's second goal at Swansea City on the opening day of the 2006/07 campaign(Image: Dimitris Legakis)
A perfect return to the third-tier football, against a Swansea team highly fancied for automatic promotion and at their impressive new Liberty Stadium. More than 15,000 fans looked on as Kayode Odejayi and Grant McCann put Ward’s Robins 2-0 up before Leon Knight pulled one back for Kenny Jackett’s team. Man mountain Adebayo Akinfenwa went on from the bench and caused absolute chaos late on and he has since gone on to score 12 times against Cheltenham, but on this occasion they managed to shut him out to claim a notable scalp on the opening day of the 2006/07 campaign.
4-2 v Rotherham United away, League One, 28/4/07
Cheltenham’s only previous season in League One had ended in relegation, but this match created another piece of history for a club that had come so far in a decade. It was a truly thrilling game and even in the pre-social media days of notepad and pen journalism it was difficult to keep up with all the action. Rotherham opened up a 2-0 lead, but JJ Melligan-inspired Cheltenham, with centre-back Gavin Caines left of midfield, stormed back to win 4-2 as Steven Gillespie scored twice, along with Melligan and Odejayi goals. Wonderful post-match scenes followed as Ward’s success story continued.
2-1 v Leeds United away, League One, 11/3/08
Cheltenham had battled to a remarkable 1-0 home win over Leeds earlier in the season, withstanding considerable pressure throughout. On this occasion, they fully deserved three of the most improbable points in their history. The underrated David Bird rolled in the opener before a magnificent second from Alex Russell. Steve Brooker missed an open goal to make it 3-0 before Leeds pulled one back through Anthony Elding, but the final score flattered the fallen giants. Damian Spencer was imperious on the left wing and there was renewed belief Ward’s successor Keith Downing could pull off a remarkable escape from relegation.
2-1 v Doncaster Rovers at home, League One, 3/5/08
Paul Connor celebrates his winning goal for Cheltenham Town against Doncaster Rovers on the final day of the 2007/08 campaign
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Paul Connor celebrates his winning goal for Cheltenham Town against Doncaster Rovers on the final day of the 2007/08 campaign
This was one of the tensest afternoons Whaddon Road has witnessed, with Cheltenham facing promotion-chasing Doncaster on the final day, bidding to earn a third successive season in League One. A near sell-out crowd of 6,787 saw Gillespie open the scoring, but Paul Green levelled. Paul Connor won it for Downing’s team in the 85th minute, ensuring AFC Bournemouth dropped to the fourth tier and denying Doncaster automatic promotion, as Nottingham Forest pipped them to second. Unforgettable scenes of celebration and a collective sigh of relief as Downing delivered, having stepped up from assistant to replace Ward the previous October.
2-1 v Torquay United away, play-off semi-final second leg, 17/5/12
Marlon Pack celebrates his magnificent free-kick goal at Torquay United
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Marlon Pack celebrates his magnificent free-kick goal at Torquay United(Image: Andrew Lloyd/PA Wire)
Cheltenham booked their place at the new Wembley for the first (and so far only) time with a triumph at Plainmoor best remembered for Marlon Pack’s free-kick, just after Taiwo Atieno had levelled for the Gulls on the night, and a magnificent goalkeeping display from Scott Brown. Jermaine McGlashan shone in the first leg and he netted the opener in this one as Mark Yates’ team moved to within 90 minutes of promotion. Yates had inherited a mess in 2009 and built an effective and entertaining team, with Pack, Russell Penn and Luke Summerfield forming a fondly remembered midfield trio.
1-3 v Manchester City at home, FA Cup fourth round, 23/1/21
Michael Duff shakes hands with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
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Michael Duff shakes hands with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola(Image: PA Images)
A truly surreal evening as Pep Guardiola’s all-stars arrived at Whaddon Road, changed in the bar and fell behind to Alfie May’s goal in front of a near-empty stadium. Ben Tozer’s goal-line clearance was almost as incredible as the fact Michael Duff’s Cheltenham led for 22 minutes. Late goals from Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres spared City’s blushes, but they’d been given a genuine scare and Pep was quick to praise May’s performance. Cheltenham’s belief grew and provided the platform for their first EFL title success a few months later. Questioning Pep post-match was also a career highlight.
2-1 v Ipswich Town at home, League One, 17/8/21
Cheltenham Town defender Will Boyle celebrates his winner against Ipswich Town
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Cheltenham Town defender Will Boyle celebrates his winner against Ipswich Town(Image: Alan Franklin Photography)
Life back in League One for Duff’s team had started with a draw and a defeat and Ipswich turned on the style early on, taking the lead through Matt Penney in the ninth minute. But Cheltenham announced themselves to the third tier with second half goals from much-loved loanee Callum Wright and Will Boyle – both stemming from Tozer long throws - completing a memorable comeback in front of a captivated crowd. Cheltenham were able to celebrate their first League One victory since 2009 and they went on to finish 15th that season, which remains the highest in the club’s history.
3-0 v Peterborough United away, League One, 11/3/23
Alfie May celebrates his wonder goal at Peterborough United
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Alfie May celebrates his wonder goal at Peterborough United(Image: Alan Franklin Photography)
Succeeding Duff was never going to be easy, but Wade Elliott did a superb job to stave off the drop in 2022/23. May’s goals were not the only reason for this achievement, but they certainly helped and his 21st minute effort at London Road is one of the most outrageous netted by a Robins player. Tom Bradbury had volleyed in the first before May took centre stage, scoring from the halfway line to leave goalkeeper Will Norris red-faced. May’s second was another beauty to complete the rout - part of a six-game unbeaten run that lifted Cheltenham away from danger.
2-0 v Fleetwood Town at home, League Two, 4/10/25
Steve Cotterill celebrates after the 2-0 home win over Fleetwood Town
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Steve Cotterill celebrates after the 2-0 home win over Fleetwood Town(Image: Nizaam Jones/CTFC )
The Return of the King. Steve Cotterill’s second spell in charge of his club could not have started more fittingly, or emotionally. There was a dramatic change of atmosphere and performance level as Cheltenham went from looking hopeless in a 7-1 embarrassment at Grimsby to claiming a 2-0 win over Fleetwood, showing all was certainly not lost despite months of turmoil. Isaac Hutchinson and Josh Martin scored in the second half, but it was all about Cotterill, whose lap of honour after the final whistle was worth the entrance fee alone. The club was back in the safest of hands.
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