Cinderford Town manager Steve Cleal managed the 650th game of his ‘exciting journey’ in senior football on Saturday, as his side beat Brimscombe and Thrupp 2-0 in the Hellenic League Cup.
“You look and see what game it’s going to be, and it was a Hellenic League Cup game, which is bizarre, but it’s a great achievement and one I’m very proud of.”
Cleal took charge of the Foresters in November of 2025, but it’s not his first rodeo at the Causeway Ground. He managed them previously from 2020 to 2022, but COVID-related postponements and cancellations meant that he only ended up actually taking charge for 24 games.
Talking about the unique nature of his first spell, Cleal said, “I made the decision to leave Bishops Cleeve because Cinderford were in the league above and doing really well.
“I was kind of expecting to be taking over the group of players that were there, but as it turned out, I think there were only three of them left, so it was a bit of a rebuild.
“COVID probably helped a little bit in the fact that it was a tough rebuild. I did need to go for a number of players and get people in the door.
“It was a strange period for everyone, but it was even more strange for me to move to a new club and have to almost start afresh. I just expected there to be a few more players!
“It was a great club, good challenge and one I enjoyed for the short spell I was there.”
Before his first spell at Cinderford, Cleal was in charge of Cleeve for six years, which is where 271 of his 650 games came.
Two came against former-League One club Hereford United, and the home tie remains Cleeve’s highest ever attendance after 1365 were at Kayte Lane to watch.
Reminiscing on the clash, Cleal said, “Both home and away were really good games. Hereford’s a footballing giant, really. They’ve been a Football League club, so it was nice.
“It was really good to see that many people at Kayte Lane. The results didn’t go how we wanted them to, but we weren’t expected to be challenging in Hereford.
“However, we certainly gave a good account of ourselves on both occasions. The one at Kayte Lane certainly stands out because to see police horses in and around the ground and see a herd of Hereford fans walking down from the village was certainly a bizarre scene, one I’d never thought I’d ever see at the Lane.
“Yeah, that was a really proud moment.”
Despite the amount of games he’s taken front seat in the dugout for, Cleal is only 48, and has no plans on stopping.
“I enjoy it too much to give up. My spells I’ve had away from football have been very quiet. I’m not looking to hang up the manager or coach boots just yet, because there’s still a few things I want to tick off.”
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