Michael Duff has achieved things with Cheltenham Town that no other person has. Since joining as a teenager in 1996, Duff saw his club rise from the National League South to League One with an FA Trophy along the way. As a manager, Duff led the club to it’s first ever automatic promotion in the Football League and first ever EFL title. If Cheltenham have won something, Duff has won it too. As we’ve done with Duff’s predecessor, we’re taking a look at the best ten permanent signings made as a manager and the men brought in to make history.
10. Ellis Chapman
First on our list we have a midfielder signed from Lincoln City in 2020. Chapman departed the imps on the back of 11 League One games and joined Duff’s promotion pushers with 25 games in his first season in Gloucestershire. Chapman would go on to play 28 times in 2021/22, scoring once, and serving as a confident cover for Ramsay-Wright-Bonds.
9. Grant Horton
Not a signing, but we put George Lloyd on Gary Johnson’s list so Horton gets his well earned place on Duff’s. An academy graduate who played a key role in the title win, Horton filled in when he had to including in a huge win at Cambridge United which saw a makeshift Cheltenham squad travel to their title win and bring back all three points. Horton has been on loan at League of Ireland side Bohemian since January but is sure to be a player to keep an eye on.
8. Charlie Raglan
Originally a loanee from Oxford United, Charlie Raglan joined Cheltenham in pursuit of first team football and found a new home in the robins defence. A stalwart alongside Ben Tozer and Will Boyle, Raglan played his part in the 92’s best defence before winning the League Two title. Third tier games have been harder to come by but Raglan still has a place in the Cheltenham squad.
7. Elliot Bonds
Elliot Bonds was another player originally brought in on loan, this time from Grant McCann’s Hull City but saw injury cut it short and later the same for his Hull career. Duff brought him in permanently ahead of our third tier campaign with mixed success in the first half of the season. Bonds was sent on loan to Kidderminster Harriers and returned a different player, cementing his place in the robins midfield and finding an eye for goal with a screamer against Sunderland.
6.Ben Williams
The first Williams on our list had big boots to fill as the departing Chris Hussey left Cheltenham with a rather large left back shaped gap to fill. It goes without saying how important Hussey was to Duff’s side, but Williams has been superb since joining and looks to be able to hold down the starting place for seasons to come.
5. Matty Blair
The sale of Ryan Broom was a sorry sight for robins fans but the freed up funds allowed us to bring in right wing back Matty Blair who had impressed on trial. It looked as though we wouldn’t be able to afford him until the fates aligned and Blair signed. Sean Long and Blair had originally battled it out for the starting space but it eventually became apparent that they belonged side by side with Blair playing 39 times and contributing to eight goals for Cheltenham in League One.
4. Andy Williams
Duff knew who he wanted to bring in after our play-off heartbreak and made sure to get his man as Andy Williams joined from Northampton ahead of our title winning campaign. It was just goals that Williams would bring to the table. His body on the line attitude saw him give everything on the pitch and his experience and leadership often made him the loudest player even on the sidelines. Willo scored 12 in 68 league games, including one against Forest Green, as he aided us to title success and later safety.
3. Liam Sercombe
Liam Sercombe contributed nine goals from the robins midfield as Duff led his club to our first ever EFL title with Sercombe playing a pivotal role. The former Bristol Rovers man made 42 appearances in all competitions in his first season and scored the equaliser in the Harrogate game that secured the title. Sercombe played a further 41 times in League One, turning down a Bristol Rovers return, and again proving pivotal as we retained our third tier status.
2. Luke Varney
Duff’s first signing addressed a pressing issue as Cheltenham needed a proven goal scorer, not an easy commodity to come by especially in September. Varney had previously played for Blackpool in the Premier League and was without a club after departing Burton Albion, dropping down to League Two but proving his top tier class as he found the net 21 times in 56 league games.
1. Alfie May
Who else could be at number one? Alfie May has been described as a man who can make goals out of nothing and has been a superb asset to the club with 26 goals in the 2021/22 season helping to see us coast to League One survival as well as a big win over Sunderland. Since he first joined, May was finding the net, becoming one of the most prolific goal scorers in club history until the you-know-what halted the season. May hit nine as we lifted the League Two title and has only been getting better and better.
Comments