Yesterday, Darrell Clarke spoke to the press as he looks ahead to his side’s EFL League One clash against Wycombe Wanderers later today, in which he touched on what is expected from his side over the next 12 weeks, and what he expects from his latest January additions.
Cheltenham Town return home for the first time since their emphatic 2-1 win over Portsmouth on January 6, the only home game the Gloucestershire side played in January.
Although the form table reads two losses in their last two against second and fourth in the table respectively, it will be the Robins and Clarke that will feel hard done by in recent weeks.
As the manager expressed that he was “Gutted that I’ve had two apologies from referees in the last two decisions. That’s four points taken out of us without a shadow of a doubt, because if we go 2-0 up at Derby, it’s game over. We certainly deserved something at Bolton”
Although the boss also took the opportunity to turn this into a call of action to the fans “That’s what we need (the fans support). We need everybody to get behind it, which they have been.” saying that on Saturday the he hopes “We get a bit of the rub of the green, shall we say, because you always need that in football.”
Clarke stressed how his new signings’ adaptability to the team will make or break Cheltenham’s safety charge, “That is the key. How quickly we can get the group gelling” continuing later “We’ve got a real good team spirit at the club, it’s a real good togetherness about that, and the new lads will make sure they fit into that”
Despite the new additions Clarke still firmly believes that Cheltenham are “The underdog in every game we play this season. That is factual”
Because despite their additions “If you look down towards the bottom of the table loads of teams have done the same and done all the business in the last bits and pieces of the window” the boss pointed out.
Despite being the underdog Clarke stressed that “There’s no stone unturned for our preparation and that’s the way we like to work”
With four new additions on deadline day in Matty Taylor, Joe Nuttall, Jack Shepard, and Jordan Thomas, all joining late on deadline day, they join Tom Harrop, Liam Kinsella, and Andy Smith as January signings.
JT @jordan_thomas11 makes it 4. Now it's full focus on the action this weekend 💪#ctfc♦️ pic.twitter.com/qgGr0esxdI
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) February 1, 2024
While Greg Sloggett is the latest through the door, as he signed yesterday after a successful trial with the club.
It’s the former Forest Green Rovers man, Taylor, that Clarke believes will provide the biggest initial boost to the club, as the former Port Vale boss counts it as an advantage to have players “I’ve worked with before because we’re trying to take the risk out of the equation”
Taylor is the fifth member of the current day Robins squad that has worked with Clarke before.
