Cheltenham Town, founded in 1887 by a teacher who was inspired to set up a football club in the town after encountering the game while at college in London, are one of the newer members of the Football League.

It was only in 1999 that Cheltenham Town FC achieved that dream after a memorable season in which they won the Conference and reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy.

Manager Steve Cotterill was the inspiration and he continued to mastermind progress as Cheltenham Town earned promotion to Division Two in 2002 after beating Rushden & Diamonds at the Millennium Stadium in the play-off final.

Boosted by a plentiful supply of goals from Tony Naylor and Julian Alsop, Cheltenham Town also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, their best run in the tournament.

Cotterill then left for Stoke City and Cheltenham Town FC the club were relegated the following year, but in 2006 they regained their place in the third tier of English football when Steve Guinan netted the lone goal in the 2006 play-off final against Grimsby Town.

The Robins had spent their early years playing local football. Turning professional in 1932, Cheltenham Town joined the Birmingham Combination, moving in 1935 to the Southern League Western Section.

Cheltenham Town went on to spend most of their non-League football career in the Southern League, before promotion in 1985 to the Alliance Premier League, the tier below the Football League, which was renamed the Conference in 1986.