Ahead of the Spireites’ return to the Football League and League Two, we take a look at all 23 other teams that make up the division.
We are continuing with Cheltenham Town:
FACT FILE
Team Name: Cheltenham Town Football Club
Nickname: The Robins
Year Founded: 1887
Stadium: Completely-Suzuki Stadium
Capacity: 7,066
2023/24 SEASON
Cheltenham Town suffered an awful start to the 2023/24 League One season; they failed to score in their opening 11 league games – equalling a Football League record. Wade Elliott lost his job in the middle of that run as he was replaced by Darrell Clarke. The Robins scored their first league goal in a 1-1 home draw against Derby County before getting their first win of the campaign two weeks later against Cambridge United. They were out of all competitions at the first hurdle as they lost every game outside of league competition. Under Clarke, Cheltenham started to find some form, but postponed matches started taking a toll on the schedule. They took their relegation fight into the last day of the season. A Burton defeat opened the door but a 2-1 defeat away to Stevenage confirmed their relegation to League Two.
MANAGER
Michael Flynn started his managerial career with Newport County, a club he won the Conference Premier play-offs as a player, in 2017. During his four years at the Welsh club, he took the club to two League Two play-off finals – losing to Tranmere Rovers and Morecambe respectively. The former midfielder had rocky spells at Walsall at Swindon Town. In May 2024, Flynn was named manager of recently relegated side Cheltenham Town following Darrell Clarke’s departure to Barnsley.
KEY PLAYER
Matty Taylor has shown his goalscoring prowess at numerous clubs throughout his career – especially Bristol Rovers and Oxford United. Since joining Cheltenham Town in February of this year, the striker scored seven times in 13 games.
Last season in numbers:
Appearances – 31
Goals – 9
Assists – 0
Yellow Cards – Six
Red Cards – 0
Minutes Played – 1,574
PLAYED FOR BOTH
In 2004, Australian defender Aaron Downes signed for Chesterfield from Frickley Athletic. He quickly became a fans’ favourite and was named captain just a couple of years later. The centre-back was part of the side that won the 2010/11 League Two title under John Sheridan. Downes also played a part in the Spireites’ 2011/12 Johnstone Paint Trophy victory but was released at the end of the season after eight years with the club.
After a few years at Torquay United, he joined National League side Cheltenham Town. Downes captained the side to the National League title during the 2015/16 season. The defender left the club at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, announcing his retirement from football.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
P 16 W 10 D 4 L 2
Chesterfield have a fantastic record against Cheltenham Town; since their first meeting in 2000, the Spireites have won ten of the 16 meetings. Despite that, the Robins have come away from the previous two fixtures with a win and a draw.
PREVIOUS GAME
Cheltenham played host the most recent meeting between the two side in March 2018. The home side had the better chances in the first half with Aaron Ramsdale pulling off numerous saves to keep the scores level. With 16 minutes to go, the Spireites took the lead when a long ball was brought down and poked past Scott Flinders by Kristian Dennis. Cheltenham replied within five minutes as Brian Graham knocked the ball home at the back post to give his side a share of the spoils.
