MATCH PREVIEW: Cheltenham Town vs. Charlton Athletic - Saturday 8th August 2026 – 5:30pm KO
Cheltenham Town vs. Charlton Athletic
Saturday 8th August 2026 – 5:30pm Kick-Off
Referee: Alan Dale
Introduction
Let’s be honest here… It’s been another Footballing summer of disappointment, of arguments, of glory that has been so close, that at one time you could almost touch it… there have been tears as well… But enough talk about the Transfer Thread… After all there is something much worse on the horizon, our briefest of adventures in the League Cup is about to get under way… blink and you’ll probably miss it.
The Opposition
Name: Cheltenham Town – Manager: Steve Cotterill
Division: League Two
Ground: Whaddon Road
The Footballing gods certainly had a sense of humour when the draw for the First Round of the League Cup; Our opposing fans up and down the land have been questioned about the opponent they face, to kick start the 2024/25 season (one last time), and people have been left confused… How can Cheltenham be facing themselves?
Yet it is indeed Cheltenham Town of League Two that await us this coming weekend, they’ll be looking to improve upon last season and an 18th place finish, their second campaign after relegation from League One… Steve Cotterill is back in the hotseat at Whaddon Road, he took back over the reins in Gloucestershire this time last year, and returns as perhaps their greatest ever Manager… taking the club from the Southern Premier in 1997, all the way to League One in 2002 – Robins fans will certainly be hoping for a repeat of similar success.
In terms of the League Cup, and Cheltenham reached the Second Round last year, the first time in four attempts, losing 3-0 at Cardiff City, their best performance came in 2021/22, an adventure to the Third Round before being stopped 4-1 at Deepdale.
Charlton Team News
Our own Pre-Season has been less than ideal, and as a result getting mid…table would be seen as a good outcome by the time that we get around to next May – Nathan Jones has already confirmed that this game will understandably be treated as a Pre-Season Friendly of sorts, I mean the majority of our League Cup ties in the past suddenly start to make a lot more sense if you think about it that way. But you’d at least expect / hope for a line up that’ll be close to the one that’ll start the following weekend.
There is of course work to be done in the Transfer Market, and with the window still open for another month, it means that we can look forward to further despair and anguish wondering what on earth will happen, and whether there is any point to absolutely anything!!
Sigh… Here we go again
Mannion
Ramsay – Jones – Koumetio – Mesik
Docherty – Mwamba
Knibbs
Campbell – Leaburn – Grant
Substitutes: Seriously… You really expect me to try and guess these too?
Comments
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Welcome back FA mate, and a nice preview11
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Seeing there have been a good few newer Members this summer, I say to you... reading this...Yes... Yes you do have to put up with 46+ games of my random waffle (otherwise known as Match Previews) each week... There will be MISTAKES... There will be shit that makes NO SENSE... But the alternative is you stand on a table in CharltonLife Towers and sing a song26
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Wow you got the year right
Nice to have these back8 -
Hopefully play our strongest team, get a win with a good performance and maybe even a few goals. Give us a bit of confidence to take into the league season8
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I'm sorry... the what now...? - Goals... What this mean? - Me heard of Goal... But not GoalsNabySarr said:Hopefully play our strongest team, get a win with a good performance and maybe even a few goals. Give us a bit of confidence to take into the league season6 -
They're the things that go in when we're trying to defendForeverAddickted said:
I'm sorry... the what now...? - Goals... What this mean? - Me heard of Goal... But not GoalsNabySarr said:Hopefully play our strongest team, get a win with a good performance and maybe even a few goals. Give us a bit of confidence to take into the league season8 -
He was thinking about Cheltenham mate...ForeverAddickted said:
I'm sorry... the what now...? - Goals... What this mean? - Me heard of Goal... But not GoalsNabySarr said:Hopefully play our strongest team, get a win with a good performance and maybe even a few goals. Give us a bit of confidence to take into the league season3 -
Foreveraddickted- would love to see that team although would swap in carey for knibbs if available1
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First preview of the year, like a cold pint on a hot day.Genuinely can’t guess what the line up will be but COYR2
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Got out and avoided my initiation before it became mandatory!ForeverAddickted said:Seeing there have been a good few newer Members this summer, I say to you... reading this...Yes... Yes you do have to put up with 46+ games of my random waffle (otherwise known as Match Previews) each week... There will be MISTAKES... There will be shit that makes NO SENSE... But the alternative is you stand on a table in CharltonLife Towers and sing a song
Good to have these back, well done FA4 -
Sponsored links:
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Assume Carey will start otherwise that’s quite a while between the Colchester friendly and the league starting next week.
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How this summer has flown by! No idea about our line up but that is normal and I will be likely repeating this every week like I did last season. Despite our lack of real quality, especially in midfield, I am looking forward to the season and can't wait to get back to the valley Saturday week. UTA1
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Hope you don’t travel to Pride Park on the 15th…4
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NJ has signalled this is our final warm up match before Derby.
"Minutes in the legs" seems to be the mantra.
League Cup away to lower league opposition.
All the signs are there.
UTA !!1 -
We should start with our strongest 11 & treat it like a League match. Only way the players will gry up to speed.
But knowing CAFC we will treat it like a PSF with too subs being made on 45 and 60 mins. Too many times we've turned to our youngsters for the first round & too many times we've got knocked out at the first time of asking. Our record is woeful....let's not repeat history. Why not go into the Derby game with a win under our belts.
My team would be -
Kaminski
Ramsay, Jones, Koumetio, Mesik
Apter, Knibbs Chalobah, Grant
Godden, Leaburn5 -
A nice, gently humorous preview and a welcome antidote to the current mood on CL. A competitive game (of sorts) will be a welcome distraction from this week's ownership drama, as well as to the abundance of ill-informed transfer rumours and speculation.2
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If we are to start with our strongest 11, i would not expect to see Kaminski or Apter on the pitch2
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Let us hope, as before, that as soon as you put up your team we go and sign a new player 🤞🤣1
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Err Mr @ForeverAddickted … “ at Pride Park the following weekend.” …. We, or hopefully most of us, will be in SE7!CAFC_boi said:Hope you don’t travel to Pride Park on the 15th…1 -
Unless Chalobah signs beforehand, he won’t be able to play for us again.golfaddick said:We should start with our strongest 11 & treat it like a League match. Only way the players will gry up to speed.
But knowing CAFC we will treat it like a PSF with too subs being made on 45 and 60 mins. Too many times we've turned to our youngsters for the first round & too many times we've got knocked out at the first time of asking. Our record is woeful....let's not repeat history. Why not go into the Derby game with a win under our belts.
My team would be -
Kaminski
Ramsay, Jones, Koumetio, Mesik
Apter, Knibbs Chalobah, Grant
Godden, Leaburn3 -
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Early season opportunity to print some free money- Cheltenham 18/5 on willhill, 14/5 for the draw.
Combine those with some other 'upsets' in the earlier games for maximum effect. Only bet what you can afford to lose or would pay for a Charlton win in the circumstances.2 -
If he hasn't signed this week then we're fucked. You're not going to get better for free.Sage said:
Unless Chalobah signs beforehand, he won’t be able to play for us again.golfaddick said:We should start with our strongest 11 & treat it like a League match. Only way the players will gry up to speed.
But knowing CAFC we will treat it like a PSF with too subs being made on 45 and 60 mins. Too many times we've turned to our youngsters for the first round & too many times we've got knocked out at the first time of asking. Our record is woeful....let's not repeat history. Why not go into the Derby game with a win under our belts.
My team would be -
Kaminski
Ramsay, Jones, Koumetio, Mesik
Apter, Knibbs Chalobah, Grant
Godden, Leaburn2 -
Entirely agree, and I hope we aren’t keeping him around in case we miss out on a main target. Not sure why he can’t sign as well as our targets, but we do know squad numbers is a current issue that really needs solving. The worst thing we could do is have too many and other clubs know we are desperate to let them go and we don’t get value, it’s a tricky situation which again, I know should have been sorted before now.golfaddick said:
If he hasn't signed this week then we're fucked. You're not going to get better for free.Sage said:
Unless Chalobah signs beforehand, he won’t be able to play for us again.golfaddick said:We should start with our strongest 11 & treat it like a League match. Only way the players will gry up to speed.
But knowing CAFC we will treat it like a PSF with too subs being made on 45 and 60 mins. Too many times we've turned to our youngsters for the first round & too many times we've got knocked out at the first time of asking. Our record is woeful....let's not repeat history. Why not go into the Derby game with a win under our belts.
My team would be -
Kaminski
Ramsay, Jones, Koumetio, Mesik
Apter, Knibbs Chalobah, Grant
Godden, Leaburn6 -
More concerned about derby at home tbh2
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Christ here we go again5
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Great to have these back FA.
Still can't get my head around starting the season with a cup game. Has this ever happened before?
Extra pre season friendly in my book...2 -
2020/21... We played Swindon in the League Cup on the 5th September (we actually won), think that was also the day we got the news that Sandgaard had hookwinked ESI with the whole court case, and was free to buy the club... We then played away at Crewe on the opening day of the season on the 12th September.cantersaddick said:Great to have these back FA.
Still can't get my head around starting the season with a cup game. Has this ever happened before?
Extra pre season friendly in my book...4 -
Welcome back FA.
Like you i hope we start with Mwamba over Coventry.
H a new midfielder by the time we face Derby.
2.1 Charlton1 -
If ForeverAddicted is correct, three home grown players up front and an attacking midfielder.
Well done the academy 👏
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I really like it. Means teams will put out stronger elevens and you get way more fans attendingForeverAddickted said:
2020/21... We played Swindon in the League Cup on the 5th September (we actually won), think that was also the day we got the news that Sandgaard had hookwinked ESI with the whole court case, and was free to buy the club... We then played away at Crewe on the opening day of the season on the 12th September.cantersaddick said:Great to have these back FA.
Still can't get my head around starting the season with a cup game. Has this ever happened before?
Extra pre season friendly in my book...4
