The first of four key home fixtures see Cheltenham Town host Macclesfield at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
It’s a 21st against 23rd battle and the first of three consecutive home games as former England defender Sol Campbell brings his Silkmen side to Gloucestershire.
Boss Michael Duff has called on fans to get behind his team this weekend for what represents a huge opportunity to pull away from the League Two relegation zone.
Tickets are available to purchase in advance for Saturday and from the turnstiles on matchday.
Team news
Sean Long, Will Boyle and Nigel Atangana continue to miss out through injury. Despite playing in the Gloucestershire Senior Cup in midweek, it may be too soon for Manny Duku to be involved.
Charlie Raglan is expected to make his home debut since joining on loan from Oxford United until the end of the season.
Check out Michael Duff’s pre-match press call below:
Opposition
It had taken Saturday’s opposition until their 19th match in all competitions for them to register their first win this season having struggled on their return to the Football League following their eye-catching National League championship title win last term.
John Askey had led them back into League Two but departed in the summer for Shrewsbury, only to be replaced by former Robins manager Mark Yates, who struggled to make an early season impact.
But Sol Campbell’s appointment at the end of November has reenergised the Silkmen, and they’ve begun to claw themselves back into contention for safety when it appeared they could be cut adrift in the early part of the season. Campbell, a three time FA Cup winner, two time Premier League winner and the possessor of 73 caps for England has been a notable appointment at the foot of League Two, but he’s made an immediate impact in Cheshire.
He has recently appointed former Manchester United and Champions League winner Andy Cole to his coaching staff. Cole will be aiming to bring some attacking guidance to the Macc attackers who include former Hartpury College student Scott Wilson and ex-Torquay front man Tyrone Marsh.
Their midfield presence is aided by the tricky Elliott Durrell, the energy and experience of Danny Whitaker and inclusion of former Barnsley youngster Callum Evans. At the back Nathan Cameron, Fiacre Kelleher and former Forest Green full back Jared Hodgkiss look to keep the goals out in front of Man United loanee goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara.
Three former Robins players feature in their squad. Keith Lowe made over a hundred appearances at the club while Koby Arthur was a loanee from Birmingham City and defender Jamie Grimes spent last season at Cheltenham.
Previous meetings
Across the bottom tier of the Football League and one season in the National League, the Robins boast the dominant recover over Macclesfield. In total the Robins have registered 11 wins in previous meetings, while there have also been five draws and five defeats.
During the National League title winning campaign the Robins did the double over the Silkmen, something also achieved in the 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2011-12 seasons.
When the two clubs met earlier in the campaign it was in the first month of the season at Moss Rose where a crowd of 1,496 saw Manny Duku’s late equaliser rescue a point after Danny Whitaker had given Macclesfield a first half lead.
Revisit the highlights from that draw below:
Tickets
Buy in advance online for Saturday by clicking here. Tickets are also available to purchase on the turnstiles in all areas of the stadium.
The ticket office is open from midday, as well as the club shop, for fans wanting to buy tickets for upcoming home and away fixtures and merchandise.
Coverage
Stay up to date with the action by following @CTFCofficial on Twitter. You can see the team news, view match updates and live photos on the club’s Twitter account, while you can also catch updates on the official Facebook page too. Visit the club website after the game for full reaction to the full time result.
Listen to commentary via iFollow online and on BBC Radio Gloucestershire.