Long serving goalkeeper coach and former player Steve Book will be departing Cheltenham Town this summer, bringing to an end an 18-year association with the club.
One of the leading figures in a history making past quarter of a century at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium, Book has made his mark both on the pitch and in the dugout for the Robins.
Since the summer of 2010 he has worked as first team goalkeeper coach, helping to develop the talents of England international Jack Butland, Scott Brown, Dillon Phillips, Scott Flinders and England youth star Josh Griffiths among a number of other goalkeepers.
In that time he has also been part of a coaching staff that helped the club achieve two promotions, winning the National League title in 2016 and most recently the League Two championship at the end of the 2020/21 season, as well as three further League Two play-off finishes.
As a player he made a colossal contribution in the progress on the pitch that turned Cheltenham Town from a Conference club into a well-established Football League outfit.
Signing in 1997 from Forest Green Rovers, he went onto appear over 300 times in an unforgettable rise through the divisions that saw the club win promotion to the League for the first time as Conference winners and progress to the highest level the club has achieved in its history in the third tier.
Along the way he was a part of the team that won the 1998 FA Trophy at Wembley and was also called up to the England semi-professional national side with his performances and loyalty making him a huge favourite with the club’s fan base – a relationship that has continued to strongly exist into his time on the coaching staff.
Everyone at Cheltenham Town will remember the incredible contribution 'Booky' has made in his many years of service at the club and he will always be warmly welcomed back as a guest at the club.