Cheltenham fans, do you ever wonder where that young lad who joined the club on loan in the 2014/15 campaign and made four appearances before disappearing – never to be seen again, ended up playing his football?
In this article, you’ll find ten players who have spent time at Whaddon Road and where they’ve jetted to in pastures new… in some cases it’s thousands of miles away.
Daniel O’Shaugnessy
Say the name Daniel O’Shaugnessy to a Cheltenham fan and he’ll be remembered for two things. His long throw and that screamer away at Mansfield in 2016.
The Finnish centre-half joined the Robins ahead of their return to the Football League in July 2016 from Brentford on a permanent deal.
In 18-months at Town, O’Shaughnessy made 49 appearances and netted four goals in red and white before heading back to his home nation to sign terms with HJK in January 2018.
The 22-capped Finland international is currently enjoying his seventh season with the Helsinki based side, although he made a switch to Germany with Karlsruher SC between January 2022 and July 2024.
Tin Plavotic
Also featuring from the back for The Robins in 2016/17 campaign was Austrian Tin Plavotic.
Joining the club on loan for the second half of the season from Bristol City, Plavotic made 11 appearances and even grabbed a goal – opening the scoring in a 2-0 victory over Yeovil Town.
Following his return to Ashton Gate, Plavotic was sent out on loan to Barnet in January 2018 where he struggled to make an impression.
Bristol City subsequently released the Austrian at the end of the 2017/18 campaign – resulting in his return to his home country.
Plavotic has remained in Austria ever since, spending time with Floridsdorfer AC and SV Ried before joining current club Austria Wien in June 2023.
Easah Suliman
To complete the trio of defenders who featured for Cheltenham in the 2016/17 campaign is Easah Suliiman.
The Pakistan International joined on loan from Aston Villa, making 12 appearances for the club during the first half of the campaign. At the time, Suliman was also part of the England U19 squad.
Throughout his tenure at Villa, the now 28-year-old had loan spells with Grimsby Town and Dutch outfit FC Emmen.
Having made one sole appearance for his boyhood club in the EFL Cup – Suliman moved to Portugal in January 2020 signing for Vitoria De Guimares. Loan moves to Nacional and UD Vilafranquense accompanied his time in the Med.
Furthermore, Suliman currently plays his football out in Azerbaijan with Sumgayit… approximately 2500 miles from Pittville Park.
Mohamed Eisa
Despite only spending one year at Cheltenham, Mo Eisa is widely regarded as a Robins legend. The Sudanese forward caught the attention of the Johnson brothers in the summer of 2017 after a prolific goalscoring record in non-league with Greenwich Borough.
Eisa netted on his debut away at Morecambe and followed this with a brace against League One’s Oxford United, in the EFL Cup four days later.
In total, Eisa would return 23 goals in the league, including a hattrick against Port Vale, which would see him finish as runner-up in the League Two golden boot race, falling two-goals short to Billy Kee’s 25.
Off the back of an incredible season, Eisa would join Bristol City for a club-record sale. Moves to Peterborough United, Milton Keynes Dons and Exeter City later transpired before the 31-year-old said goodbye to England.
In September 2024, Eisa jetted to the Persian Gulf league to join Iranian side Nassaji Mazandaran FC.
Last summer, the Sudan International put pen to paper with Thai club – Uthai Thani FC.
Ilias Chatzitheodoridis
Potentially one of the longest names in football – the Radio Glos team must’ve had a nightmare with this one.
Chatzitheodoridis joined the Robins on loan from Brentford in January 2018 and made 18 appearances from left-back.
One of the stories of the summer in 2018 was a lad who just spent time with League Two Cheltenham had packed up his things and headed to Greece to link up with Panathinaikos.
After four years with The Shamrock, the former Arsenal academy prospect joined Panetolikos in the summer of 2022.
Remaining in Greece, can you blame him? Chatzitheodoridis currently plays for OFI Crete. He’s certainly done alright for himself.
Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson
I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know this player existed until about an hour ago, but it’s most definitely still a career path worth telling.
Eyjólfsson joined Cheltenham on loan from West Ham in October 2009. It was a short-lived spell – going on to make four appearances before returning to the Hammers.
Joining the Robins as a 19-year-old, it’s probably not surprising that the Icelandic International has gone on to play in six different countries.
Boasting a CV which includes, Bochum, Rosenborg, Maccabi Haifi and Levski Sofia, Eyjólfsson currently plays for Valur out in Iceland.
Connor Goldson
Perhaps a high-profile player you were unaware of played for Cheltenham, but yes, Connor Goldson spent time with the Robins in the 2013/14 campaign.
Joining on loan from Shrewsbury Town of all places, Goldson made four appearances for Town.
After an impressive campaign in League Two with his parent club the following season, Brighton & Hove Albion snapped him up in August 2015.
Deciding three years on the south coast was sufficient, Goldson moved to Scotland and most notably Rangers where he would feature over 300 times for the Gers.
Now 33-years-old, Goldson is enjoying his football in the sun with Cypriot side Aris Limassol.
Andrija Novakovich
You’ll be forgiven for forgetting Andrija Novakovich was once a Cheltenham Town player.
The American joined with a lot of promise from Reading on loan in the National League campaign but only managed to make five appearances.
Whilst only making three appearances for The Royals, Novakovich whose been capped by USA three times, had successful loan spells out in the Netherlands with Telstar and Fortuna Sittard.
However, since swapping the UK for Italy in 2019, he has remained their ever since. Considering how good Italian cuisine is, it makes a lot of sense.
Having previously been on the books of Frosinone, Lecco, Venezia and Bari – Novakovich is now contacted to Serie B outfit, Reggiana.
Kyle Vassell
Kyle Vassell arrived at Cheltenham with a lot of buzz following the club’s promotion to League One. A recognisable name in the division, the former Northern Ireland International made 22 appearances scoring four times during a five-month spell in Gloucestershire.
The 33-year-old opted to swap the Cotswolds for San Diego, before spending time in Scotland with Kilmarnock.
After two years above the border, Vassell is back in the states where he finds himself playing for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the USL Championship.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji
Most Robins fans would probably rather not be reminded of that dreadful 2023/24 League One campaign.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji joined Cheltenham on loan from Arsenal making 14 appearances. A lacklustre spell but in truth, the whole season was forgettable.
Following his return to Arsenal, Butler-Oyedeji would feature in both the Premier League and Champions League from the bench for the Gunners.
Although a breakthrough potentially looked on the cards, the 23-year-old decided to seek opportunities elsewhere, making the switch to Switzerland with Lausanne in July.
A move which has provided European football, with the former Cheltenham loanee featuring 14 times in the Conference League this season.
