George Harmon “jumped at the opportunity” to join Cheltenham Town on a one-year-deal in August from Scottish Premiership side Ross County, ending a three year affiliation with The Staggies.
Harmon made 105 appearances across three seasons for Ross County but acknowledged it was time for a change, following relegation to the Scottish Championship .
“I had another year left on my deal up in Scotland, at Ross County. Due to personal factors, I wanted to leave on a free transfer and see what else was out there for me. There was a bit of interest early in the window with Cheltenham Town, where nothing came to fruition. From there I did the PFA camp. Later I got a call from my agent saying Cheltenham Town were interested in me, and it was a no brainer really.”
Harmon joined West Brom as an eight-year-old, and would spend 13 years with the Baggies, however he would fail to register a first-team appearance.
His only experience in men’s football south of the Scottish border came in the 2021/22 campaign with then, National League South Side, Oxford City.
“There’s a massive difference in level from when I was at Oxford City to now at Cheltenham Town. In terms of when I was up in Scotland, there’s a lot of similarities in the level I feel. It’s very physical, a lot of games are end to end, but that’s helped make it a good transition for me and hopefully with more game time, that’ll allow me to adapt even better.”
It’s been a difficult start to the League Two campaign, for The Robins, who currently sit 22nd in League Two, largely thanks to an upturn in form which has seen them record seven points from their last three fixtures.
“I’ve really enjoyed the first couple of months! It’s been a difficult start collectively and individually but with the new manager now, I feel like we can really push on and start building our way up the league.”
It’s been wholesale changes in terms of staffing structure recently at Cheltenham, with head of recruitment, Gary Johnson, first team manager, Michael Flynn and assistant manager, Aaron Downes all departing the club.
However, with the return of fan favourite Steve Cotterill as manager, there is a feel good factor around the club, and as form suggests, it has given the players and a lift.
“The gaffer has been brilliant since he’s come in. He’s got a way he wants to play and I feel like the lads have bought into that. It’s only been a few weeks, but you can tell he’s really eager to get his points across and as players we want to show that on a matchday.”
Cotterill has already made two signings, dipping into the free agent market, with the arrivals of Ben Stevenson alongside Jonathan Tomkinson, a former teammate of Harmon’s at Ross County.
“I didn’t actually know Jonathan was joining until somebody at the club said he might be coming into sign. I dropped him a message to ask if the rumours was true and he said yeah I’m on my way down! I told him he would really enjoy it here and he would fit in brilliantly.”
The Robins are set to host League One opposition, Bradford City, in the first round of the FA Cup next Saturday.
Last season, Cheltenham defeated League One, Rotherham United, 3-1 in the first round and will be looking to advance through to the second round again.
“I was on the bench once when I was at West Brom, unfortunately never got the chance to play. Then when I was at Oxford City, we didn’t qualify for the proper round. It would be nice to play in the FA Cup. When you’re younger you watch the cup and there’s a buzz about it, the magic of the cup and hopefully we can progress to the later rounds and cause a few upsets.“
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