This feels like a pivotal time for Cheltenham Town. Since winning promotion to the Football League for the first time in 1999, they have dipped out for just one season, establishing themselves as a professional club. But this is a crossroads moment.
While rival clubs rely on benefactors, pumping money in with mixed success, Cheltenham have got by with smart decision-making and savvy management. But the board have long realised that substantial investment is needed in order to compete long term.
A potential takeover by Mike Garlick, hoped to be imminent with the new season nearly upon us, offers that possibility. The former Burnley chairman enjoyed success in Lancashire, taking the club to the Premier League on a modest budget. It is a time for dreaming.
For Michael Flynn, Cheltenham’s manager, the waiting game is not an option. He is tasked with preparing the players for the long season ahead. The summer has been a challenging one, the experiences so far underlining the need for more funding.
Tom Bradbury, a regular in defence, was offered a new deal but opted to move to Harrogate instead. Two important staff members have left, with head of medical Gavin Crowe and strength-and-conditioning coach Kyler Burns both moving to Bristol Rovers.
“It is what it is,” Flynn tells Sky Sports. “I do not know how it is sustainable for a lot of clubs. The beauty of Cheltenham is that it is sustainable. It might be run on a shoestring but it is run without risking the future of the football club. That is the important thing.”
Flynn is only 44 but talks with the authority of a veteran at this level, which he is, having taken charge of over 400 games, all of them as a League Two manager. It has been a fraught summer for him for personal reasons after enduring a health scare in Dubai.
“I basically spasmed, my body stopped working.” What appears to have been a stomach infection, put paid to his family holiday. “I was on a drip and antibiotics and everything. I lost a stone and a half. When I got back, I was in hospital for eight days.”
Rebuilding after relegation
Back to full health and the business of navigating pre-season, he is reflecting on a year in the job. The circumstances of his arrival were tricky. The club had been relegated from League One. Popular manager Darrell Clarke had subsequently left for Barnsley.
“You never know how long the hangover is going to be after relegation. A lot wanted to leave and tried to get out of the door. At one point, it was almost like, would the last person to leave the room turn the light off. But they came together and stuck at it.”
The expectations from the outside can be unrealistically high when dropping down, but the experiences of others serve as a warning. Carlisle suffered a double dip, losing their Football League status, just as Forest Green Rovers did the previous season.
“Given the turnaround of players, the 60-point mark was where we wanted to get to. In the end, we finished 10 points outside of the playoffs having given away 18 points easily.” He picks out a 5-3 defeat to Notts County as an example. “We gave them three goals.”
But for all the frustrations, time lends some perspective. “We outperformed the budget, which is always a good thing. And let us not forget there were some really good days as well.” At Whaddon Road, the season began and ended with late winning goals.
Where Flynn has succeeded already is in fostering a family atmosphere at the club. Two of his young sons even took to playing on the pitch after the games. “I have had to stop them doing that,” he says, a little sheepishly. “They are getting a bit bigger now.”
But children still play at the training ground as they wait for their fathers to finish training. Those on the inside say that the atmosphere is the best it has been for as long as they can remember. Not insignificant at a club that prides itself on its place in the community.
Michael Flynn has helped to foster a family atmosphere at Cheltenham Town
Need to improve infrastructure
Now, they just want the chance to build on all this. The most conspicuous project in the pipeline is the redevelopment of the club’s main stand, a traditional but dated structure. Investment in the training ground is also a priority given its obvious potential.
“The training ground is where the players spend 80 per cent of the time, so we have got to make it as comfortable and as good as possible for them. This is something that I hope will happen for the longevity of the football club, even way beyond my time here.”
It is an impressive space against the backdrop of the famous racecourse, while the Flying Scotsman occasionally chugs by on the nearby railway track. It is already one of the prettier training grounds but for now the club is only able to keep one pitch pristine.
“It needs a new sprinkler system. I think that would limit injuries because it is either really tough or quite boggy. There is an area for a 3G or 4G pitch, which would be very good in the winter when it is frozen or waterlogged. These are practical differences.
“It would be good for the academy. We want those players to become the best footballers they can be. Let us give them an opportunity by giving them better facilities. That is one point of looking for investment, to upgrade the stadium and training ground.”
Improving the facilities at Whaddon Road is one reason for seeking investment
Flynn, of course, has more immediate concerns. There are six League Two games and one cup tie to play before the transfer window and managers can come under pressure quickly. “It used to be Christmas, then it was October. Now it is the end of August.”
He would like to add in the centre of defence and up front. “I will not give you the full list or we will be here all day,” he jokes. “Some we will not be able to afford, whether there is a new owner or not. Others, we might not be their first choice but the situation can change.”
Once in the door, the culture that he has developed, with the help of sporting director Gary Johnson, is the key. “We create an environment here where you are all in,” he says. “You have got to be dedicated, committed and respectful. It is not much to ask really.”
Flynn feels there are things already in place at the club. A loyal supporter base that he describes as “very loud” is helping to make a difference with all those late winners. And there is a board made up of good people who all want the best for this football club.
But all of the squad planning is happening against the backdrop of possibility that is the takeover, one that has the potential to alter the landscape for Cheltenham. Targets that are out of reach now could become attainable. It is business as usual but with a twist.
“For now, top half would be the aim. But it is difficult to say because if the takeover happens, will it happen before the window closes? If not, you have to wait until January to see any benefits in the squad anyway. But I am quietly confident it will all go to plan.”
Mike Garlick pictured during his time as Burnley chairman in 2018
‘It is a club that can build’
Flynn has met with Garlick. “It was positive. I was encouraged. You have just got to look at what he did at Burnley to see that he has been successful. He is very astute.” But he would not be human if he had not thought about what it means for his own prospects.
“That was another refreshing thing. There is going to be no panicking. I think that is very important. The board are staying on.” In other words, Flynn will be given the opportunity to take this on. “I do see it as a bit of a project. I just think it is a club that can build.”
For him, it could be a big opportunity to finally become a League One manager, having twice been beaten in playoff finals after extra-time at Wembley during his days in charge of Newport County. It would be overdue, then? “Tell me about it. It is definitely overdue.”
He adds: “I am not one of the older ones but I am no spring chicken now either. I have just finished my postgrad with the LMA in leadership and management. I keep learning, keep developing, constantly speaking to CEOs, people high up in different industries.
“Everyone is an expert on football, aren’t they? But they don’t see everything behind the scenes. I enjoy dealing with agents, meeting and talking to people in the boardrooms. Nothing beats being out on the grass but you have to work to stay ahead of the game.”
Michael Flynn is hoping investment can open up opportunities at Cheltenham Town
That is what Flynn and Cheltenham are both doing. The manager is out to prove that he is a League One manager. The dream for the club is to show that they belong there, having twice seen the third season do for them in the third tier. Will that ceiling remain?
“Just because you have money does not mean you will be successful, but it gives you better opportunities,” argues Flynn. “The budget is not going to be crazy. I think everybody has got to be optimistic but realistic, that is the message I can give to the fans.”
Optimistic but realistic. It is a good mantra for fans of any football club. For Cheltenham Town, a club at their crossroads moment, the hope is that this is a new beginning but one that builds on what came before. Never overreaching, just expanding what is possible.
Watch the EFL on Sky Sports
There are over 1,000 of the EFL’s 1,891 games across the EFL, Carabao Cup and Vertu Trophy that will be broadcast on Sky Sports throughout the season and not only that, but every one of the 72 EFL Clubs are to be featured live on Sky more than 20 times next season.
And it is also important to remember that:
Matches will be broadcast live across existing Sky Sports channels or on Sky Sports+
Every EFL match which is shown on Sky Sports will also be available on the Sky Sports app 📱.
Not got Sky? Watch the EFL without a contract on NOW.
