A look ahead to this season's opponents.
With the play-offs finished, the League 2 line-up for the new season is decided. We will be taking a look at each of our rivals over the next few weeks, with Cheltenham next on the list.
Who are ya?
Cheltenham finished 17th in League Two last season with 51 points.
In Charge
Gary Johnson is the current manager at Whaddon Road. The Londoner has been in charge since 2015 and after being relegated in his first season in charge Johnson won the National League title to send the Robins back into the Football League.
The 62-year-old has had previous managerial spells with Northampton Town, Peterborough United, Bristol City and two stints at Yeovil Town. His first time at Yeovil from June 2001 to September 2005 was his most successful as a manager with a 52.5% win record and he later returned to lead the club into the Championship.
Manager's Thoughts
Cheltenham finished the League Two season with a 2-1 defeat by Crewe Alexandra 2-1 and afterwards Johnson explained that his summer rebuild was well underway. “We can’t be 17th and not rebuild our squad," he said. "We have got to see who we’ve got left and we have been doing a lot of work already, so we aren’t going to leave ourselves short at the last minute.”
Johnson has been true to his word and made seven additions to his squad since then.
Ins and Outs
Full-back Jordan Cranston, forwards Dan Holman and Danny Wright as well as Jamie Grimes, Josh Thomas, Adam Page and Sanmi Odelusi were all released at the end of the season. Striker Harry Pell has left the club to sign for Colchester United.
Midfielder Carl Winchester and forward Jerell Sellars have both been offered new contracts.
The club have already made seven signings since the window opened including forward Tom Smith, defender Chris Hussey and midfielder Ben Tozer.
Crawley Connections
Barking born striker Wes Thomas signed for Crawley from the Robins seven years ago with manager at the time Steve Evans describing him as a ‘natural goalscorer’. But during his time with the Reds Thomas scored just one goal in six appearances and had left the club within three months.
Mark Yates managed Crawley for nearly a season in League Two before leaving in April 2016. The former Birmingham City midfielder was in charge of the Robins for almost five years, guiding them to the League Two play-off final on two occasions. Yates is currently in charge of National League club Solihull Moors.
Past Meetings
Our previous form against Cheltenham is poor, with just one win from the seven times we have played them. The Reds last beat the Robins in February 2012 winning 4-2 thanks to a brace from Tyrone Barnett and Sanchez Watt.
