Cheltenham Town

Despite their relative newness to the Football League, Cheltenham and Oxford United have a fairly long history of opposition in a game that has become known as the Cotswold Derby, to some. The sides were regular opponents in the Southern League, where Headington United beat Cheltenham 2-1 in their first meeting in September 1949. Including that game the sides have met 41 times, with United having by far the better of things with 22 wins. Most recently, the sides met five times in 2005-06, with Cheltenham winning in both the LDV Vans Trophy third round and the FA Cup second round replay and Oxford winning 2-1 at Whaddon Road in the Fourth Division, the sides drawing 1-1 at the Kas in the return fixture.

Cheltenham were formed in 1887, probably, and spent their first three decades playing in local football at a variety of different grounds. In 1932 the side turned professional, joining the Birmingham Combination, and moved to Whaddon Road. The Robins joined the Southern League in 1935, getting relegated to the Southern League First Division in 1962, having won the Southern League Cup four seasons earlier. They returned to the Premier Division after two seasons, but were relegated again in 1969, this time to Division One North, and they didn't return to the Premier Division until 1977.

In 1985 Cheltenham won the Southern League title and were promoted to the Conference where they remained for seven seasons before being relegated back to the Southern League in 1992. They finished second in 1997, but were promoted to the Conference because the ground of the champions, Gresley Rovers, was below the required standard. The following season Cheltenham finished second in the Conference and won the FA Trophy at Wembley. The next season Cheltenham went one better when they won the Conference title to win promotion to the Football League.

In their third season in the Fourth Division Cheltenham won the play-offs, beating Rushden & Diamonds at the Millennium Stadium to win promotion to the Third Division. However, they were relegated back to the basement after just one season, but three seasons later they again won the play-offs, beating Grimsby Town 1-0. This time they managed to survive their first two seasons at the higher level before relegation arrived in 2009. Last season Town finished third from bottom, avoiding relegation to the Conference bu finishing four points above Grimbsy.

Whaddon Road is now rather horribly known as the Abbey Business Stadium and it has a capacity of 7,066. Away supporters used to be in the new 1,100 all-seated Carlsberg Stand, but now sit down the side in part of the In2Print Stand (where do they get these names?) for which they have to pay