As Steve Cotterill begins his second spell in charge of Cheltenham Town, former lead physiotherapist Andrew Mitchell shares exclusive insight into the manager’s methods, mindset and what his return means for the club.
When Steve Cotterill returned to Whaddon Road this month, the reception said it all. The applause, the nods, the sense of something familiar returning — it was more than nostalgia. For Cheltenham Town, this was a reunion with their identity.
It’s time… Cotterill is back! 🔴⚪#ctfc♦️ pic.twitter.com/4RItTwaK6r
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) September 30, 2025
Few people understand what Cotterill means to the club better than Andrew Mitchell, Cheltenham’s lead physiotherapist during their remarkable rise from non-league football to the Football League. Mitchell saw up close the intensity, professionalism and sheer belief that Cotterill instilled in everyone around him. Two decades on, those lessons still echo.
“From what Steve did the first time around, and his lifeblood with the club, he’s the absolute number-one best manager they could have appointed. He knows the place inside out, he knows the people, and he knows how to get the best out of everyone.”
Setting Championship Standards in League Two when Mitchell joined in 1999, Cheltenham had just made history by reaching the Football League. Cotterill wasn’t satisfied with just being there. His mission was to make the club feel professional — from the training ground to the treatment table.
“He was trying to create Championship-level standards in a League Two side,” Mitchell remembers. “Every day he pushed me to deliver the best I could. He demanded a lot, but always for the right reasons. It was about raising everyone’s level.”
At a time when resources were tight, Cotterill’s demands felt ambitious. “He pushed the money men hard,” Mitchell laughs. “He wanted proper pre-season camps, better facilities, better kit. Things most clubs at that level just didn’t do. But it changed everything — suddenly we felt like a club going somewhere.”
Cotterill’s Cheltenham wasn’t just a football team — it was an extension of the community. The squad was filled with players who’d grafted in trades before turning professional. Mitchell says that work ethic became the heartbeat of the dressing room.
“It was a group of grafters,” he says. “They’d all came from proper working backgrounds, and Steve tapped into that. The culture was about discipline and pride in what you did. No one cut corners — it wasn’t allowed.”
The staff room was small, but the spirit was immense. “There was me, my assistant John Atkinson, a part-time doctor, the kit man and the coaches — that was it,” Mitchell says. “But we worked for each other. Everyone cared. Steve made sure of that.”
And as Cheltenham climbed, the town came with them. “There was a buzz everywhere,” Mitchell says. “The community felt part of it. Steve made people believe this little club could take on anyone.”
Cotterill’s attention to detail extended far beyond tactics. Having suffered serious injuries as a player, he had an unusually sharp eye for player fitness and rehabilitation. “He knew what good physio work looked like,” Mitchell explains. “He’d ask what the lads were doing, why they were doing it, how far off they were from returning. It wasn’t him meddling — it was him caring. He wanted to know how he could help.”
That hands-on approach kept injured players connected. “They knew the manager cared about their progress,” Mitchell says. “It wasn’t pressure, it was belief — a reminder that they mattered. That’s powerful in football. “Mitchell credits Cotterill for shaping his own career. “He gave me my first chance in professional football, and I’ll always be grateful for that,” he says. “He taught me how to handle people, how to motivate them, how to stay professional in every situation. I still use his lessons every day.”
When Cotterill moved to Burnley in 2004, Mitchell didn’t hesitate to follow. It was another leap into the unknown — a Championship club with barely a squad to speak of. “When we arrived there were only eight players on the books,” Mitchell says. “We ended up with fifteen senior players that season and still finished mid-table. It was unbelievable. You’ll never see that again in modern football.”
The achievement, he says, spoke volumes. “Steve gets the absolute maximum from everyone — staff, players, the lot,” Mitchell says. “He’s professional, hardworking, demanding, but he’s also fair and honest. You always knew where you stood with him. That’s rare in football.”
Now back where it all began, Cotterill faces a different club and a different challenge. But Mitchell is convinced the same qualities that made him a success before will prove vital again.
“Steve Cotterill and Cheltenham Town just fit,” he says. “He’s part of the club’s DNA. He’ll bring back that professionalism, that intensity, that belief — the same things that made Cheltenham special in the first place. ”Mitchell believes Cotterill’s influence will stretch far beyond the pitch. “He’ll demand high standards from everyone — not just the players,” he says. “He’ll lift the whole club. That’s what great managers do.”
And for Mitchell, it’s not sentimentality talking. It’s conviction, earned through experience. “He made people believe,” he says quietly. “And when Steve’s in charge, you always feel like something’s possible.”
