Russ Penn has praised Steve Cotterill for the remarkable turnaround he has overseen at Cheltenham Town, guiding them from 24th to 18th and out of the relegation zone.
On their progress, former fan favourite Penn shared his thoughts on the transformation.
“He’s a Cheltenham Town legend with a great history and a great managerial career,” Penn said.
“He’s gone back and really helped them out when they were in a right mess. They are well clear of relegation now, so he’s done a fantastic job.
“He’s brought the town together again. Cheltenham Town is Steve Cotterill, and I think they suit extremely well.”
Penn enjoyed three years at Cheltenham Town, making 124 appearances in midfield under Mark Yates’ management.
Yates appointed Penn as captain ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.
“Cheltenham was probably the best period in my professional career,” Penn said.
“I had three great years, I was captain, we reached the League Two play-offs twice, and the FA Cup third round twice, so I had a lot of brilliant memories there and a really good time.
“I was probably at the peak of my career, between the ages of 24 and 27, young, fit, and fresh, I just enjoyed everything about the club.”
Penn was also fortunate enough to represent Cheltenham at Wembley, an experience he remembers fondly despite the final result.
“Playing at Wembley was incredible, the result (2-0 defeat) was disappointing, but we had a fantastic year.
“Crewe Alexandra were just on an unbelievable run, they went 17 games unbeaten when they beat us and they thoroughly deserved the day, they were just better than us.
“Nick Powell scored the first; he signed for Manchester United in that summer for £10m which shows the level of opposition that we were up against.”
Penn also credited former manager Yates and teammate Marlon Pack for the impact they had on his football career.
“Mark Yates was my manager when I was at Kidderminster Harriers when I first started my career.
“I then moved to Burton Albion after Kidderminster; he moved to Cheltenham and then resigned me for Cheltenham two years later.
“Marlon Pack was my midfield partner at the time; he’s now the captain for Portsmouth in the Championship.
“What a player, he was and still is probably the best player I’ve played with, and you can understand why he’s been playing in the Championship for the last six to eight years.”
Since hanging up his boots, Penn has forged a career in management, spending time with Kidderminster Harriers before taking up a more recent role with Halesowen Town.
𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑!
— Halesowen Town FC (@halesowentownfc) February 27, 2026
Yeltz boss Russ Penn officially celebrates two years in charge of the club today 🥳
97 Games | 47 Wins | 169 Goals Scored
Not a bad record gaffer 👊#UpTheYeltz pic.twitter.com/1pPAWcBJQu
“I find non-league football challenging to say the least.
“Dealing with players, staff, volunteers and the chairman who are all part-time and football isn’t the be all or end all, is quite hard and hard to manage.”
Halesowen sit sixth in the Southern League Premier Central Division, one position from the play-offs.
Penn has overseen a positive season hopes it culminates in promotion.
“We’ve lacked consistency, we’ve had some unbelievable games, performances, and results but we’ve also had some poor ones.
“Let’s just hope we can get over that line and have a good go at two games in the play-offs.“It’s been a fantastic two years, let’s hope we can finish it off with a blast.”
