Swindon head to Cheltenham still looking to end their unwanted record of never having won at Whaddon Road.
The Robins head to Whaddon Road having not picked up a single win against their League Two counterparts since they first met in 2002.
Richie Wellens’ side lost their first game of their 2019/20 League Two campaign on Tuesday night following a bizarre decision to not rule out Northampton’s winner. Andy Williams crashed in off the crossbar despite clearly starting in an offside position.
Before that, Town’s points return from their first three games saw them top the division after an Eoin Doyle debut goa earnt them a draw at Exeter City.
Swindon will be backed, once again, by over a thousand away supporters, selling out their away allocation on Tuesday this week.
The Oppo
Last time these two sides met, Cheltenham’s Michael Duff has steered the (other) Robins clear of relegation to 16th in the division and vastly improved their style and efficiency.
His side’s home form is very positive – their win at Whaddon Road on Tuesday, over Carlisle was their 13th game unbeaten on home soil. Their last loss at the Johnny-Rocks Stadium came back in January against now-promoted Tranmere.
Cheltenham have scored six goals so far this season, the exact same number as Swindon - they have been scored by six different goalscorers.
Head-to-head
03 Mar 2009 Swindon Town v Cheltenham Town D 2-2 League One
13 Aug 2011 Cheltenham Town v Swindon Town L 1-0 League Two
10 Mar 2012 Swindon Town v Cheltenham Town W 1-0 League Two
08 Nov 2014 Cheltenham Town v Swindon Town L 5-0 FA Cup
07 Oct 2017 Cheltenham Town v Swindon Town L 2-1 League Two
10 Mar 2018 Swindon Town v Cheltenham Town L 0-3 League Two
22 Dec 2018 Swindon Town v Cheltenham Town D 0-0 League Two
27 Apr 2019 Cheltenham Town v Swindon Town L 3-2 League Two
The Gaffer
Cheltenham’s Town most successful youth product returned to where it all began last September when he was appointed as the club’s new manager.
A central defender or right back who made over 600 career appearances, Michael Duff has progressed from life as a youngster in non-league football at Cheltenham, to a career spent playing in the Premier League for Burnley, where he earned legendary status at Turf Moor.
Duff made over 300 appearances in a lengthy stay at Cheltenham at the beginning of his career which saw him help the club gain promotion to the Football League – scoring the winning goal that sealed the Robins promotion to League football.
His stand out form in Gloucestershire caught the eye of clubs from a higher level, and in the summer of 2004 he joined Burnley and again went on to enjoy a well-regarded and lengthy spell.
It was also towards the end of his time at Cheltenham and through his time at Burnley that he gained international honours. In total he made 24 appearances for Northern Ireland – the country of his birth, having been born in Belfast.
When his playing days came to an end, after helping Burnley regain promotion to the Premier League, he was appointed to the coaching staff in the Academy set-up, eventually going on to become under-23s manager.
It was a position he held until the Cheltenham role became available in the early part of last season, and he was announced as Gary Johnson’s replacement, returning to Cheltenham to take on his first managerial role in the game. After taking the hot seat, he guided the Robins to 16th place in the table, safe of the predicted relegation battle he inherited.
