“The atmosphere will be tense before kick-off”: Robins Rundown Before Cheltenham Host Gas Clash
Cheltenham Town will host Bristol Rovers this weekend as both sides aim to pull away from the drop zone. The pair currently sit 23rd and 19th respectively, with a two-goal win enough for the Robins to leapfrog Rovers and move out of the bottom two.
Under Steve Cotterill Cheltenham took 10 out of a possible 12 points to begin and progressed to the Second Round of the FA Cup, though have mostly recently suffered back-to-back defeats to Notts County and Tranmere Rovers. Since returning for his second spell, Cotterill has already faced the Gas too, succumbing to them by a single goal in a poor quality EFL Trophy encounter.
Since then however, Rovers have extended their winless league run to six straight defeats. From off-field tensions in the away camp, to Cheltenham needing to field a completely refreshed midfield, and numerous playing facing up against their former club from over the years, this weekend’s fixture is set to host a whole lot of drama…
Before the game, Abi Harding returned for a MEGA Robins rundown!…
“Cheltenham’s revival under Steve Cotterill has been mightily impressive. How would you sum up the changes under him?”
We are delighted to announce that Robins manager Steve Cotterill has won the @SkyBetLeagueTwo Manager of the Month award for October 🏆#ctfc♦️
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) November 14, 2025
The changes on and off the pitch have been nothing short of refreshing. Normally if a manager/player or anyone is returning to the club it’s more same old same old, but this feels different. He’s brought in several new figures behind the scenes and new players for a start, suggesting he’s been backed by new owner Mike Garlick.
Although we have just suffered back-to-back defeats, the mood around the club I’d say is still positive, with the consensus now more focused towards improving the squad, rather than for the most part, worrying about a tactically inept manager who threw players under the bus and made questionable decisions to say the least.
I mentioned last time about the potential of ruining his legacy, but I think all talk of that has been swept under the rug permanently. If he hadn’t already had the majority of the fanbase on his side, he certainly did straight away after the full-time whistle against Fleetwood Town.
“The Robins are now winless in a couple though, and Rovers are obviously struggling on and off the pitch – how do you see the game going, and what would you pick out as the key areas Gasheads should keep an eye on?”
With it also being probably both sides’ most local game, it will certainly be a feisty, scrappy game, with an awful lot on the line. The atmosphere will be tense before kick-off, especially with a packed stadium, which is going to include a sold-out away end.
This feels like one of those games where if either side don’t win there could be consequences. I know Clarke is a figure who you experienced great success under, which will play into his favour, but it just feels like one or two more bad results, and he might potentially face the sack. With the bottom half of the table so tight, three points would be massive for either side, and could be the confidence booster both sides need.
One area we can hurt sides is down the wings. Jordan Thomas is well and truly back from injury and grabbed his first goal of the season on Saturday, and with Josh Martin also grabbing his fourth of the season, that could be an area we look to exploit.
I’ll get into more detail at the bottom, but I’m expecting Ethon Archer or even Jake Bickerstaff or [Hakeeb] Adelakun to start in that 10 role. Archer hasn’t been great this season in all honesty but still possesses the quality to hurt sides.
“Something SC will have to deal with is being without Isaac Hutchinson this weekend against his parent club, of course. How much of an impact will that have, and how good has he been since joining?”
As I said last time, he’s what we needed in that number 10 role. After losing Joel Colwill for the most part of last season and the beginning of this season we were lacking creative spark, as reflected in the fact that we are one of the lowest goalscorers in the division this season.
Whilst we have the likes of George Miller missing, and some of our other strikers yet to hit the ground running, someone’s had to step up to the plate, and that player has been Hutchinson. He’s currently amassed six goal contributions, five of which have been goals, in 11 games, which is more than decent.
Without him, we’d be struggling even more than we currently are.
“Extending on that: with Ben Stevenson possibly out injured and Luke Young suspended, do you think midfield could be where it’s ’won and lost’, so to speak?”
It’ll be interesting to see certainly. It could be a huge game for both Liam Kinsella and former City youngster Tommy Backwell, who both did well under Michael Flynn last season, but haven’t been able to break into the team since Cotterill came in.
Obviously, as said above Hutchinson is a big miss, but if I’m being honest, I think Luke Young could do with the rest! Although he is still a quality player on his day, many fans, including myself, have noticed a drop off in performances this season that could be contributed to his age, even though he’s 32.
Ben Stevenson is an unfortunate one, was on the receiving end of a dodgy tackle at Prenton Park, but as it’s just stitches, it will probably be only a few weeks out for the midfielder. He’s been nothing short of class since he’s entered the building, considering he was a free agent for a while, and could be another big miss, however, Kinsella is another sort of player who does all the dirty work.
“A two-goal win will guarantee Cheltenham move out of the relegation zone as they would at least overtake the Gas, currently in 19th. Do you think relegation remains a concern, or is it just a matter of time until the Robins move out of the drop zone?”
Under a manager like Cotterill, you feel a lot more confident. However, saying that, we need a good squad behind him. Bringing in the likes of Hakeeb Adelakun, Ben Stevenson and Josh Martin on free transfers are a good start, but a massive January window is ahead of us.
There are a few players who we need to get off the wage books, however, with an owner who’s put his money where his mouth is, like Garlick has done, finances are less of a concern than they were in recent years.
For me, it’s only a matter of time if we get January right and can continue that great form we experienced under Cotterill in October.
“In terms of where this season can go for Cheltenham, Cotterill recently agreed his side ‘would win more than they’d lose’ after defeat to Notts County. Where do you stand on that and the ability for the Robins to push towards a mid-table, or better, finish?”
Steve Cotterill adamant that if Cheltenham Town play as well as they did in the second half against Notts County on Monday and for most of this afternoon’s game at Tranmere Rovers, they will win more games than they lose #ctfc
— Jon Palmer (@JonPalmerSport) November 15, 2025
Again, having a good January is going to dictate where we finish. You’ve seen cracks starting to appear after the new manager bounce, but this squad could do with another shake-up.
We say it every window, we have some players who have been brought in that just aren’t good enough to be in the squad. This is combined with the fact that a few players, both loanees and permanent players, contracts run out in January.
I have more faith in Cotterill than Flynn, it’s fair to say, but we need to be better on the pitch if we are to push on. Silly mistakes, like two own goals and one horrific defensive error, against Tranmere, which cost us the game and valuable points, cannot happen otherwise we’ll be in the battle at the wrong end of the table.
“There’s a good few faces who’ve played for both sides including the likes of James Wilson, Luke Thomas, and Taylor Moore. Plus of course Darrell Clarke in the dugout – under a bit of pressure at the moment, not his first return but what reception will he get from the Robins fans?”
We can confirm that first team manager Darrell Clarke has left his position at the club to pursue a new opportunity with Barnsley.#ctfc♦️
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) May 23, 2024
I’m expecting a good reception from many Cheltenham fans!
A proper manager, a nice guy, to say he nearly kept us in the third tier when our start to the season was that abysmal is some achievement. He gave us all hope when we were for the most part, hopeless, and his reason for leaving, at least in my opinion, was justified.
I’m sure Luke Southwood will also get a great reception also, one of the best keepers I’ve ever seen at Whaddon Road, and was again, a class player both on and off the pitch at the club.
There are certain players I don’t think will get a good reception, I’m sure James Wilson is already prepared for the sold-out away end full of Gasheads who didn’t even like him when he was at the club!
Predicted XI & Scoreline:
With the aforementioned Hutchinson, Young and potentially Stevenson after injury missing in the midfield, I’m expecting a whole new midfield three, with Archer, who has played on the wings potentially coming into the number 10 role.
Backwell and Kinsella will probably start in the deeper roles behind whoever plays in that role, whilst I expect the defence and front three to be like what we’ve played in recent weeks.
If it’s not Archer, striker Bickerstaff may sit in behind Adelakun up front, whilst Martin and Ipswich loanee Tom Taylor could also play that role.
One other option is Ryan Broom swapping right-back for the attacking midfield role, with Arkell Jude-Boyd out injured, he’s been filling in there. That could leave the door open in defence for the likes of George Harmon, Darragh Power and Freddy Willcox to fill in in the back four.
Scoreline: Cheltenham Town 2-2 Bristol Rovers
Based on the fact both sides have an abysmal defensive record, alongside the fact it’s going to be a nervous, high-pressure game, it wouldn’t surprise me if this game was rather high scoring.
Neither side have the best record in front of goal but do have players who have the quality to hurt the opposition. Cheltenham have also been better at scoring in recent weeks, scoring seven in their last five in all competitions.
If it doesn’t end up a draw, they’ll certainly be just one goal in it, I’m expecting a tight affair between two sides low on confidence.
Tom Day
Tom Day is a University of Gloucestershire Sports Journalism student and Bristol Rovers fan since 2012. In his 12 years (to present) as a season ticket holder, Tom has seen three relegations and three promotions – so knows the ups and downs of being a Gashead. Writing longer form pieces…
