Darrell Clarke: Winless Cheltenham Town appoint former Port Vale boss

Darrell Clarke guided Port Vale to promotion to League One but was sacked by the club the following spring

Cheltenham have appointed former Port Vale, Bristol Rovers and Walsall boss Darrell Clarke as their new head coach on a two-year contract.

Clarke was most recently sacked by Port Vale in April, having guided the club to promotion to League One in 2021-22.

The 45-year-old succeeds Wade Elliott who left the Robins last week following a winless start to the season.

Cheltenham are bottom of League One and have yet to score a goal in their first nine league games this season.

Clarke takes over the Gloucestershire club in the midst of a poor run that has seen them take only one point this season so far and go more than 13-and-a-half hours without scoring a goal, setting a new English Football League record.

Assistant manager Kevin Russell, who has been in caretaker charge, will remain in place for the trip to Lincoln on Saturday.

Clarke spent four-and-a-half years at Bristol Rovers, with the club winning successive promotions from the National League to League One.

He joined the Saddlers in May 2019 before leaving to join Port Vale in May 2021.