Cheltenham Town have a good balance of veteran players mixed and new faces in their Sky Bet League One squad for 2021/22.
The Robins have added players on loan like Kyle Joseph, while signing veterans the likes of Kyle Vassell to the fold with returning goal scorers Alfie May and Liam Sercombe. Goal scoring has come almost naturally to the team this season, as the Robins are producing 1.15 goals per game entering the weekend’s fixture.
It appears Cheltenham Town manager Michael Duff has the offensive side of the game clicking for his Robins unit.
Plenty of former Rovers players to pick out of the Cheltenham Town side, but here are your ones to watch:
Kyle Joseph
Kyle Joseph joined Swansea City on a four-year deal in June 2021. After making two appearances for the Swans to begin the 2021/22 season, Joseph joined Cheltenham Town on a season-long loan deal in August.
The talented up-and-coming forward from Chipping Barnet kicked off his senior career for Wigan Athletic in February 2019. He remained with the team throughout the 2019/20 season, making 18 appearances and scoring five goals for the club. On the international level, Joseph applies his trade for Scotland. He has scored one goal with the Scotland U19 squad, but has played for the U18, U19 and U21 teams.
After arriving at Cheltenham Town, it took Joseph a while to get going before ultimately scoring a brace in his last contest as part of a 3-1 win over Morecambe on Tuesday. Adding an assist to his résumé, Joseph has 33.3% shots on target and is taking 2.19 shots per game.
Alfie May
Well-known to Rovers fans, the popular forward exited the Keepmoat Stadium and signed for Cheltenham Town during the 2020 January transfer window.
Following last season’s heroics with the Robins, May now has two League Two promotions on his CV – the other with Rovers. Born in Gravesend, May began his youth career at Millwall but started his senior career with Corinthians. His non-league career stretched from 2012-17, including stints at Chatham Town, Erith & Belvedere and Hythe Town.
Since signing for Cheltenham Town, May has scored more than 20 goals in 70 appearances.
This season, he leads all Robins performers with four goals scored and two assists. He holds a team-best 42.4% shots on target rate and holds a mark of 1.24 shots on target per game. His goals per shots on target sits at 0.29 entering the weekend.
Kyle Vassell
Striker Kyle Vassell has seen limited playing time this season, but he is a seasoned veteran footballer that has played for 16 clubs in his senior career.
Vassell signed a one-year contract with Cheltenham Town in August 2021. Although signing his first professional contract with Brentford in 2010, he never played for the club, and ultimately served loan spells at Woking and St. Albans City before eventually moving on to Dover Athletic. Vassell would later play for the likes of Sutton United, Peterborough United, Oxford United (loan), Blackpool and Rotherham United before signing most recently with Cheltenham Town.
In his time at Blackpool from 2016-18, the Milton Keynes born striker scored 20-plus goals for the club in more than 65 appearances. Since his arrival to Whaddon Road, the Northern Ireland international scored the winner for the Robins against Accrington Stanley earlier this season. In all, he’s scored three goals this season with a 43.5% shots on target clip, going on to register 5.23 shots per game and producing 2.27 shots on target per game.
Liam Sercombe
Midfielder Liam Sercombe joined the Robins in August 2020 following his release from Bristol Rovers.
This season, he has captained the squad on a few occasions in games. He marked his arrival at Cheltenham Town with authority by scoring a game-winning goal in his team debut as part of a 1-0 victory over Peterborough United in the Carabao Cup.
Sercombe began his youth and senior career with Exeter City, signing his first professional contract with the club in June 2007. He spent eight seasons with the club before moving on to Oxford United (2015-17) and eventually Bristol Rovers (2017-20). This season, he has played in 13 games with 11 starts for the Robins. The Exeter born and raised product scored his first goal of the season in the last contest as part of a 3-1 win over Morecambe. He has also recorded an assist on the campaign, while delivering 28 crosses, collecting seven interceptions and winning eight tackles in defence.
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