Football Season Guide

Michael Duff became only the third manager in Cheltenham Town’s history to take them into the third tier of English football. He follows in the footsteps of Steve Cotterill and John Ward in sealing promotion and it was a remarkable achievement in the circumstances. The town remains renowned for the horse-racing festival despite the achievements on the pitch and it was a triumph of success against the odds. Duff had to pick up his men from the floor after missing out on a trip to Wembley last summer and they enjoyed a superb season that saw them crowned League Two Champions. He has managed to keep his squad together this summer, with only one notable exception in the expected departure of loan goalkeeper Josh Griffiths. Duff has acted quickly to replace him with former loanee Owen Evans, this time on a permanent deal from Wigan Athletic. It has otherwise been a quiet summer with the Robins unable to compete financially in the transfer market with most of their League One rivals. He will be hoping to use the loan market to his advantage but may have to wait until the end of August. The return of Leicester City midfielder Callum Wright has been mooted and would be a coup. Duff may already have resigned himself to losing defender Will Boyle, who has been linked with several clubs. In the meantime, he will rely on the likes of wing-backs Matty Blair and Chris Hussey, centre-back Ben Tozer and midfielder Liam Sercombe. A goalscorer will be needed if the Robins are to compete in League One.