Cheltenham Town, who have struggled to secure a win this season, have named Darrell Clarke as their new head coach, signing him on a two-year contract.

Clarke, the former manager of Port Vale, Bristol Rovers, and Walsall, recently parted ways with Port Vale in April, despite having led them to a promotion to League One in the 2021-22 season.

This appointment comes in the wake of Wade Elliott’s departure from Cheltenham, who left the team last week due to their poor performance at the start of the season.

Cheltenham currently finds themselves at the bottom of League One and has yet to score a single goal in their first nine league matches this season.

Clarke takes charge of the Gloucestershire club during a challenging period, with the team having secured just one point this season and setting a new English Football League record by going more than 13-and-a-half hours without scoring a goal.

In the interim, assistant manager Kevin Russell, who has been overseeing the team, will continue to lead the squad for their upcoming match against Lincoln on Saturday.

Darrell Clarke’s managerial experience includes a successful four-and-a-half-year tenure at Bristol Rovers, during which the club achieved back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One.

He later joined Walsall in May 2019 before moving on to Port Vale in May 2021.

 

Walsall’s Ryan Stirk says League Two return has helped physicality…

Ryan Stirk, the midfielder from Walsall, credits his return to League Two for enhancing his physical prowess.

Having made a couple of appearances for Birmingham City and a loan stint at Mansfield, Stirk has now solidified his presence with Walsall, making nine consecutive starts in League Two.

He attributes his successful beginning to his ability to adapt physically to the demands of the league.

According to Stirk, League Two is known for its physically imposing teams, and this aspect is an integral part of the game.

Despite having limited experience in the Championship, his time at Mansfield in League Two toughened him up.

He recognized the need to improve his physicality a few years ago, and he believes that coming to this league was essential, as failure to do so would result in being outperformed by the competition.