Football Season Guide

What Cheltenham Town fans feared most has come to pass this summer with manager Michael Duff leaving to take over at Barnsley. Duff took over a side struggling at the wrong end of League Two in 2018 and comfortably kept them up. The following season they were beaten in the play-offs but bounced back a year later to lift the League Two title. He then kept them in League One despite having one of the smallest budgets in the division. With such an impressive resume it is no surprise that Barnsley came calling this summer and the Tykes gain is very much the Robins loss. The board of directors were faced with an unenviable decision and have opted for continuity by appointing coach Wade Elliott as his successor. He inherits a small squad that has lost several key loanees, whom have all returned to their parent clubs. He will be looking to use the loan market to his advantage again this season and has already re-signed striker Dan N’Lundulu, whose previous loan was almost immediately ended by injury. The loss of key centre-back Will Boyle was expected but the departure of the reliable-if-unspectacular Conor Thomas was more of a surprise. Perhaps Elliott’s biggest challenge will be keeping hold of last season’s leading goalscorer Alfie May, who is attracting plenty of interest from bigger clubs. There will be more incoming and outgoings before the transfer window closes in September and Elliott’s first job in management is certainly going to be a real test.