Cheltenham Town will welcome Exeter City on Saturday in a top of the table clash that will see the Cheltenham loyal back in the stands for the first time since March.
It has been a long wait for football fans all over the country to get back to watching their beloved clubs. For Cheltenham Assistant manager Russell Milton, getting the atmosphere back at the Jonny Rocks stadium cannot come soon enough.
“The game isn’t the same without the fans there,” he said.
“It’ll be great to see them, I’m sure they can’t wait to be back. It must’ve been really frustrating for them on a Saturday afternoon or Tuesday evening watching on a screen.
“Hopefully this will be the wake-up call for football in general to appreciate the fans more. The game would be nothing without them.”
Cheltenham summer signing Liam Sercombe echoed Milton’s statements, expressing his excitement for the Robins’ fans to finally see him in action.
“They’ve not seen me play live yet so I hope they like what they see from me,” said Sercombe. “To get that noise back in the ground is going to be enjoyable, I can’t wait.
“The atmosphere is the main thing, you always hear the cliche that the fans are ‘the 12th man’ but they really are,
“If you’re losing the game and need pushing on, they can do that for you. You’ve got the bench and the staff but to have those fans with you is a massive thing.”
Sercombe began his career with Exeter, spending 13 years there and achieving promotion to League One with them in 2009 after they finished runners up to Brentford. He is full of praise for former teammate Matt Taylor, who has now enjoyed a successful couple of years managing Exeter.
“It’s no surprise to see them doing well under Matty,” he said.
“I remember my debut was against Altrincham and I set him up for a goal. He was a real leader in the team and you could always see that he was going to be a manager.”
Matt Taylor’s praise is well deserved; he has lead Exeter to third in the league with the opportunity to go top if they beat Cheltenham on Saturday. With more goals than anyone in League Two, Michael Duff and Russell Milton must find a way to blunt their impressive attack.
Cheltenham have not beaten Exeter in 11 games in a record stretching back to 2013. However, before this, the Robins beat them nine times in a row.
“(Exeter) are a very good club, well run and they’re always in around it at the top of the table,” said Milton.
“They’ve got players that can hurt you in a number of positions, they’ve scored 10 in their last two games. It’ll be a tough game for us”
“We’ve got a style of play embedded into the lads over the last couple of years. We’ve kept the group together, there’s great spirit and it’s just a case of keeping it going.”
The Robins also come into the game in impressive form, winning six of their last seven and sitting just a point behind league leaders Newport County. They recently welcomed back impressive midfielder Finn Azaz from injury, who scored against League One outfit Crewe Alexandra last week.
“If we were in League One now as a group of players, we’d be alright,” claimed Liam Sercombe. “We’re on track, doing the right things and we need to keep doing that.”
Cheltenham could go top if they win on Saturday, certainly giving the fans a reason to get behind their team in their return to the Jonny-Rocks.
