CHELTENHAM TOWN FCYOUTH CHALLENGE2013-14 Review & The 2014-15 Season so far..
As Gary Kinnock collected his nPower Football Leagues Manager of the Month award in May 2014, he had plenty to say on Cheltenham's successful 2013-14 campaign.
"Firstly, it's a great honour to be holding this award, with managers from all three lower leagues competing it's easy to be overlooked down in League Two, so I'm surprised to be picking up the trophy this month.
Naturally it's been a superb month on the pitch, I'm relieved to have sealed promotion and if all goes well, the title should be ours soon too. I'd like to thank all the players who made it possible for this achievement and it's their hard work, week in, week out, that's bagged us this promotion and helped me get this award.Days later, Cheltenham triumphed over Burton Albion 2-1, sealing the League Two title with a game to spare, eventually finishing their campaign with a 5 point cushion to second placed Northampton.
Predicted to finish 6th in the pre-season run down, Cheltenham smashed expectations with the help of yet more of Gary Kinnock's fabled Academy graduates.
Out >>>Javi Gonzalez, Elche CF, £2,500,000
Hugo Madrazo, Sydney FC, £1,000,000
Charlie Adams, Southend Utd, £140,000
Daryl Duffy, Morecambe, £80,000
Callum Rose, Dag & Redbridge, £80,000
Paul Smith, Hibernian, Season Long Loan
Gullermo Sanchez, Scunthorpe, Season Long Loan
Dmitry Zharkov, Wróclaw, Season Long Loan
In <<<Danny Hollands, Charlton Athletic, £1,500,000
Aitor Nunez, Unattached
Jesé Rodriguez, Real Madrid, Season Long Loan
Cheltenham made record profits in August with the sale of star man Javi Gonzalez, the 17 year old electing to try his hand in his home country with Elche CF. The money was spent on Danny Hollands, the 27 year old midfielder was brought in to captain the side and provide an experienced spine for the midfield, and it worked wonders, with the team adapting to much more controlled possession game, a clear step up from the risky press-in-numbers strategy of previous years.
Hollands was just one of the key players who won Cheltenham the title. 17 year old goalkeeper Kerry Revell had an unprecedented season between the sticks, recording 19 clean sheets and narrowly missing out on the golden gloves, earning himself a call up for England's U-18 and U-21 squads. 16 year old centre back Stephen Harney signed a professional contract in November and slotted straight into the Starting XI, a commanding presence at 6'4" while surprisingly quick on his feet, Harney allowed the side to press a higher defensive line and shore up the defensive worries of previous seasons, a fitting replacement for retiring captain Steve Elliot.
Harney was just the tip of an iceberg of talent who graced the first team in 2013-14.
CHELTENHAM TOWN YOUTH ACADEMY
Players promoted to First Team 2013-14
Stephen Harney CB 16 72 82-88
Asad Siham ST 16 68 84-90
Victor Parrela RW 16 64 80-86
Gary Niven RM 17 63 82-88
Lee Hamer CB 17 65 81-87
Matt MacDonald CM 16 62 84-90
Brett Barnett CM 17 64 78-84
Harney, Siham and Parrela all established themselves first-team places with consistent top-level performances and will no doubt go on to great things. Parrela earned a cap for Brazil's excellent U-18 team, while Siham's great run of goalscoring saw him included in Morocco's squad for their World Cup 2016 qualifying campaign. With players of international pedigree at such a young age, it's no surprise Cheltenham have caught the eye of scouts and pundits worldwide.
quote2013-14 Season Review
League Position : 1st
Top Goalscorer : Sergio Araujo & Joe Ralls (12)
Top Assister : Danny Hollands (17)
Player of the Season : Danny Hollands
Young Player of the Season : Victor Parrela
Despite the departures of Cameron Lancaster, Alan Bennett, Russell Penn and Kane Lowe, Cheltenham look stronger than ever for the 2014-15 campaign, with ambitions of a back-to-back promotion challenge and a 2nd place finish on the cards according to the media, can the side of youngsters (with an average age now of just 20) live up?
No more signings were made in August, but as always, there was more youth talent to be had:
CHELTENHAM TOWN YOUTH ACADEMY
Players promoted to First Team 2014-15
Helder Barros CM 16 64 82-88
Jorge Asenjo RW 16 60 78-84
José Miguel RM 17 60 79-85
Ones to Watch
Neil Chambers ST 15 64-68 80-86
Antun Vinski CM 15 60-64 80-86
Jonathan Djilali LW 16 60-64 82-88
nPower League One First Team Squad 2014-15
01 | Kerry Revell GK 18 72
13 | Lee Nicholls GK 22 60
21 | David Powell GK 19 61
02 | Jombati RB 27 67
03 | Anton Gorchakov CB 19 64
05 | Will Collins RB 17 64
06 | Stephen Harney CB 17 72
16 | Lee Hamer CB 17 65
20 | Guillermo Sanchez CB 18 58
24 | Aitor Núnez RB 27 66
28 | Diego Lopez LB 18 54
07 | Oscar Gobern CM 23 70
08 | Danny Hollands CM 29 71
10 | Joe Ralls CM 21 66
14 | Matt MacDonald CM 17 62
17 | José Miguel RM 16 60
19 | Gary Niven RM 17 63
22 | Mark Wootton CM 16 64
25 | Luke Summerfield CM 26 66
31 | Brett Barnett CM 18 63
37 | Faid Akwal CM 17 59
44 | Helder Barros CM 16 61
xx | Dmitry Zharkov LM 18 57
xx | Paul Smith LM 18 59
04 | Jermaine McGlashan RW 26 61
11 | Sergio Araujo ST 21 73
15 | Victor Parrela RW 17 64
18 | Asad Siham ST 17 68
23 | Kaid Mohamed LW 28 62
26 | Jordan Lainton ST 16 59
29 | Gavin Williams ST 17 57
32 | Jorge Asenjo RW 17 60