Northampton Town are the visitors to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium on Saturday as Cheltenham look to make it seven games unbeaten at home (kick-off: 3pm).
The Robins have taken 16 from a possible 18 points from their most recent home outings but face a stern test against a Northampton side flying up the league table this weekend.
It’ll be just over a week since the 1-0 loss at Newport County denied Michael Duff’s men a point on the road in south Wales, and the squad will be focused on getting more points on the board by continuing their fantastic home record.
Tickets for the match are available to buy online in advance and from the turnstiles on matchday.
Team news
Billy Waters misses out as the on loan forward can’t play against his parent club, while Alex Addai and Nigel Atangana are the only other players unavailable due to injuries.
For Ben Tozer, Saturday’s game will see him line up against a club he represented over 150 times in three separate spells, which included two loans while registered with Newcastle United.
Watch Michael Duff’s pre-match press conference:
Opposition
Unbeaten since the start of February, Northampton have won five and drawn three of their last eight games and head to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium at the top of the current form table. Their last game involved a trip to Grimsby last week that ended in a 0-0 draw.
Before that they had registered four consecutive wins and currently have 52 points after 38 games – meaning they’re just six points off the play-off places with eight games to go.
A late surge for the play-offs would represent a tremendous achievement for a team that started the campaign slowly under former manager Dean Austin. He was replaced by Bristolian ex-England defender Keith Curle in October and he’s helped a team relegated from League One last season force themselves into the play-off reckoning.
They’ve done so with a former Cheltenham youngster in Andy Williams who is their leading goal scorer this season with nine goals, and with a squad that features the likes of former Watford midfielder John Joe-O’Toole and ex-Aberdeen centre back Ashley Taylor.
Going forward tall wide man Daniel Powell and the experienced Dean Bowditch are bolstered by the likes of Sam Hoskins and former top-flight front man Marvin Sordell.
At the back former Wales under-21 international goalkeeper David Cornell has established himself as a number one, while in front of him the likes of David Buchanan brings knowhow of League football from lengthy spells at Bury and Preston North End.
The Cobblers away record is ninth best in the division and their last trip to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium, in October 2014, saw them beaten by the Robins who earned three points with a 3-2 win. Terry Gornell snatched a double, while John Marquis also hit the back of the net.
Last meeting
The Robins second win this season came against Northampton at Sixfields back in early September. Caretaker manager Russell Milton helped secure a result that saw the club leapfrog the Cobblers in the league table.
Will Boyle put Cheltenham ahead in the first half after he finished off Jordon Forster’s knockdown, however he was a part of the incident that led to Northampton drawing level from the penalty spot as his short back pass led to a spot kick that was successfully converted by Kevin van Veen.
Another penalty as the game reached 77 minutes proved crucial though. Conor Thomas was cool from the spot to fire in, and Kelsey Mooney added a third in the final ten minutes when the young Aston Villa loanee knocked in from close range.
Watch the highlights back from that game earlier in the season:
Tickets
Buy online in advance by clicking here for the game. You can also buy on the day at the turnstiles, while the ticket office will be open for fans wanting to buy tickets and away travel for upcoming home and away fixtures.
The club shop will also be open before the match and after the game for a short while selling merchandise and gifts.
Elsewhere in League Two
Yeovil Town continue their quest to pull away from danger but face a tricky trip to MK Dons this weekend who are themselves looking to force their way into the top three. There’s an 8th against 5th clash in Essex as Colchester host Tranmere Rovers, while bottom club Notts County welcome play-off positioned Exeter and second from bottom Macclesfield host a Stevenage team looking to get into the play-off positions. Here is the full League Two fixture list this weekend:
Carlisle United v Cambridge United
Colchester United v Tranmere Rovers
Crawley Town v Lincoln City
Grimsby Town v Bury
Macclesfield Town v Stevenage
Mansfield Town v Crewe Alexandra
MK Dons v Yeovil Town
Notts County v Exeter City
Port Vale v Forest Green
Swindon Town v Morecambe
Coverage
Stay up to date throughout the game and with team news before kick-off by following @CTFCofficial on Twitter. You can also catch goal and team updates on the club’s Facebook page, while after the match you’ll be able to read a match report and get the full reaction from Michael Duff on the club website.
Listen to full match commentary through iFollow or by tuning into BBC Radio Gloucestershire’s coverage of the game.