Michael Duff: From non-league Cheltenham Town player to promotion-winning manager

Michael Duff and his team bounced back from losing in the play-off semi-finals last year

"You don't realise how many people know you until you start doing well and people want to say well done," says Michael Duff in the moments after leading Cheltenham Town into League One for the first time in 12 years.

For the Belfast-born and Yorkshire-raised 43-year-old his connection with the club is a lot more than just a coaching job.

"I've married a Cheltenham girl, the whole family are from Cheltenham, all my family have moved to Cheltenham now, so it is home," he says.

And those who share that hometown cannot fail to be impressed by former Northern Ireland and Burnley player Duff - who began his time at Whaddon Road as a teenager when the club were in the Southern Premier League.

He helped them to three promotions, culminating in a season in what is now League One in 2002-03 before leaving for the other club in his life - Burnley - 12 months later.

Having played more than 350 games for the Clarets and twice winning promotion to the Premier League, he had been in charge of their under-23s side until Cheltenham chairman Andy Wilcox asked him to succeed Gary Johnson as manager.

"As a player he was involved at this place, so it was a no-brainer really to bring him in," Wilcox told BBC Radio Gloucestershire after being promoted.

"We needed to change it, we needed to find a younger manager and I watched a lot of clips of the under-23s that Michael was running at Burnley and he's brought that style of football here. It's hard work but it's paid off."

Robins bounce back from 2020 disappointment

Cheltenham Town last played in League One in 2009

Cheltenham had their dreams of automatic promotion snatched from them last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

League Two was decided on average points per game and the Robins missed out on third place and the final promotion spot by 0.04 of a point from Plymouth Argyle. They were four points off the Pilgrims with a game in hand when the season was curtailed, Cheltenham still having 10 games to play.

They went into the play-offs that began in June and won 2-0 at Northampton Town in the first leg of the semi-finals, only to be beaten 3-0 at home a few days later to have their dreams of promotion dashed.

"I think we played better football last year, but we had more time to train, so you can work on patterns and intricate little things, but this year it's been game, recover, game, recover, game recover," said Duff.

"So first half of last year we'd have got out a lot better than what we did, but ultimately we've been promoted and they've made history.

"In 15 years' time every member of this squad can come back and see pictures of themselves, and that's what they want."

'We'll work hard at trying to stay in League One'

Duff celebrated with fans who had come to Whaddon Road in a socially-distanced manner

Cheltenham's recent history has been a bit of a rollercoaster.

After that one season that Duff played in for the club in the third tier, they had three seasons in what became League Two before going back up again and having three years in the lower reaches of League One.

Six seasons in the fourth tier followed with the club veering from relegation candidates to play-off finalists before they were relegated to the National League in 2015.

They topped the table the following season and have been in the fourth tier ever since, with Wilcox taking over as chairman in May 2018.

"It's exciting times ahead," Wilcox said. "We're going to be off with the lowest budget again, I'm sure we are.

"But what I've got here at Cheltenham is resilience. We've got some guys that work so hard and I believe that we can stay up, I really do.

"We'll work hard at trying to stay in League One, that's the most important thing now."