‘I worry for our game’ — Cotterill fumes as 10-man Cheltenham fall to Salford
Sunday 11 October 2026 · By Kieran Dobbing
Steve Cotterill felt his Cheltenham Town side were the better team for most of Saturday’s game against League Two leaders Salford City. The result says otherwise. A red card left the Robins with ten men, and Jorge Grant scored twice late on to give Salford a 2–0 win.
The game turned in the 78th minute. Ben Stevenson was sent off for denying Brendan Wiredu a clear goalscoring opportunity near the edge of the box, according to the Press Association report. Until then Cheltenham had given as good as they got, and goalkeeper Wyll Stanway had denied Macaulay Langstaff before half-time.
Salford made the extra man count. Grant pounced when Freddy Willcox, on the ground, tried to clear from his own box, and the ball flew into the net. He added a second in stoppage time.
Cotterill was furious with the officials. “Same as always. Dominated by the referee and his decisions,” he told Gloucestershire Live. “I worry for our game.” He disputed the dismissal: “Sending off is not a sending off, Ben Stevenson kicks the ball. He is fouled first of all.” Cotterill said it was “another man sent off” for his side. He also complained that Willcox had been booked early “for such a young man” and that Salford had escaped similar cautions.
He was in no doubt about his own players. “We were better than them,” he said. “We didn’t deserve to be beaten today. We may or may not have deserved to win the game, but if anyone deserved to win the game before the sending off, it was us.” He praised Jake Evans and Willcox, and said the back four, with James Wilson at right-back, had played well. “I don’t think they looked like scoring a goal until we had a man sent off,” Cotterill added.
The defeat was Cheltenham’s second in a row, after a 2–0 loss at Accrington on 3 October, and they slipped to eighth on 15 points. They were without Charlie McCann, who was suspended. The midfielder has scored seven goals this season, according to Gloucestershire Live, and Cotterill has praised his impact since he arrived in the summer.
There is no sign of panic. Cotterill said his players were “not scared of anyone” and pointed out they had matched “a multi-million pound team that’s been put together”. With ten games played, Cheltenham are level on points with Walsall and Chesterfield, just outside the play-off places on goal difference.
Cheltenham travel to Oldham on Saturday 17 October, then host Fleetwood on Tuesday 20 October and Newport on 24 October (12:30), and visit Tranmere on 31 October.
Cotterill wants his side to stay disciplined. If they do, he believes they will keep competing with the top teams.
Whaddon Road — also known by its sponsorship name, the EV Charger Points Stadium — is the compact, residential home of Cheltenham Town. Capacity is 7,066, a mix of seats and terraces, and the stands sit close to the pitch. For a visiting supporter it feels properly lower-league: tight, slightly lopsided, and often louder than the numbers suggest when the home end is full.
Away fans are housed in the Hazlewoods Stand, the covered all-seater at the Whaddon Road (south) end, directly behind that goal. The allocation is about 1,100. Entry is through Gate 1, between the bowls club and a house on Whaddon Road itself. There is no proper concourse behind the seats, so alcohol is not sold inside this stand. A fan zone usually operates in the bowls club car park a few metres from the turnstiles — the nearest bar, and where coaches drop off. For bigger followings, extra seats can open in the end blocks of the Colin Farmer Stand along the east touchline.
Opposite you is the Prestbury Road End, the covered home terrace of around 2,000. That is the noisy standing end, with a short uncovered wrap toward the Main Stand in the north-west corner. Along the east side runs the Colin Farmer Stand (Wymans Road), a 2,000-seat single-tier stand opened in 2001. Block 1, nearest the home terrace, is where the 1887 Red Army tend to sit. The west side is the older Main Stand (Autovillage), built in 1963. It does not run the full length of the pitch and stops short of both corners. Dressing rooms, offices, hospitality and the Robins Nest bar sit in that building, with the Paddock and Tunnel terraces in front.
Views from the away seats are generally good: you are close to the goal and can see the Cotswold rise beyond the far end. Persistent standing is against EFL rules in the seated stand. Wheelchair spaces with companion seats are in the Hazlewoods Stand, accessed from Whaddon Road. Food inside is the usual pies, burgers and hot drinks; card and cash are typically taken. Check your club’s ticket note for the fixture, as segregation and extra blocks change with demand.
The address is Whaddon Road, Cheltenham, GL52 5NA. Matchday parking at the ground is scarce and not meant for visiting coaches beyond drop-off. Parklands Community Centre (GL52 5PR) is the usual paid overflow; street spaces vanish after early afternoon. Cheltenham Spa station is about two miles away, so most fans take a taxi or a local bus rather than walk. The town centre is 10–15 minutes on foot and has far more pubs than the streets immediately around the ground.
Drink at the away fan zone first. The Robins Nest, behind the Main Stand, sometimes lets in a few visiting supporters but fills quickly. Parklands Social Club and pubs on Prestbury Road are the next nearest options. After the match the residential streets empty fast, so allow time for a train. Programmes are sold around the perimeter and often inside after kick-off.
Arrive early. The away turnstiles are easy to miss if you expect a big stadium frontage — look for the bowls club on Whaddon Road. Inside, the stand is one covered tier with the goal in front of you, the home terrace at the far end, the Main Stand to your left and the Colin Farmer Stand to your right. It is not a vast bowl. You will hear the home terrace clearly, and the ground still feels like a club that grew out of non-league rather than a identikit new-build.