Tony Naylor was signed by Steve Cotterill after being released by Port Vale in the summer of 2001. He needed a few weeks to find full match fitness after missing out on a thorough pre-season training period. Naylor found his fitness and became an integral part of Cheltenham’s play-off success last year. He also starred in the record breaking FA Cup run, scoring against two against Kettering, one against Hinckley and a memorable brace in the third round win over Oldham.
Naylor started his professional career at Dario Gradi’s Crewe Alexandra. After 122 League appearances and 45 goals for the railwaymen, Naylor made the move to Vale Park in 1994. He went on to make over 250 League appearances for Port Vale, scoring 71 goals. He was prominent in Vale’s LDV Vans success at the Millennium Stadium two years ago.
He then became what many believe was the final piece of Steve Cotterill’s promotion hunting Cheltenham side, who had just missed out in the previous two seasons. Naylor at 5’4’’was one half of the ‘little and large’ partnership along with 6’5’’ Julian Alsop. Alsop seemed to thrive on Naylor’s intelligent play and delicate touches and the two strikers fired Cheltenham into the second division.
Unfortunately, this season has seen Naylor struggle with niggling injuries and a virus, which have kept him sidelined for much of the campaign. Naylor is now 36 and Bobby Gould is probably looking to the future. But Naylor has shown what Cheltenham have been missing out on in recent matches, coming of the bench and making an immediate impression. He netted the crucial equaliser against Wycombe and hit the bar from long range with virtually his first touch against Peterborough last week. He has made 72 starts for Cheltenham and found the net on 24 occasions.
Naylor will be remembered as on of the best front players ever to represent Cheltenham Town and he will be a valuable addition to whichever club he joins in the summer.
Neil Howarth joined Cheltenham for £7,500 from Macclesfield during the Conference winning season 1998/99. Howarth started out at Burnley, but joined the Silkmen after just one League appearance for the Turf Moor outfit. He was Macclesfield’s influential skipper as they won the FA Trophy at Wembley and also gained promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history. Sammy McIlroy’s side then gained automatic promotion straight into Division Two and Howarth found himself playing against the like of Man City. After 19 second division appearances for Macc, Howarth joined Cheltenham and has played his part in his new club’s own rise to Division Two. Howarth played in all but two matches of Cheltenham’s first season in Division Three at right-back and has always chipped in with vital goals. His most spectacular, a left footed volley against Gillingham in the FA Cup First Round in 1999. With young David Bird establishing himself at right- back and Antony Griffin waiting in the wings, Howarth has been forced out of first- team contention. He leaves Cheltenham having made 133 starts, with 18 as a substitute and scoring 9 goals.
Lee Williams joined Cheltenham from Mansfield last season, originally on loan. He made an immediate impact, supplying Julian Alsop with the sort of crosses that the big man thrives on. Williams was outstanding as Cheltenham enjoyed their best ever season and eventually won promotion to the second division. He scored a fantastic equalising goal against Hartlepool in the play-off semi-final second leg, cutting inside on his supposedly weaker left foot and unleashing un unstoppable shot in off the cross bar to send the Whaddon Road crowd wild. He baffled defenders with his customary step over and the former Aston Villa trainee was one of the stars of the season.
First team opportunities have been scarce for Williams this season however, and he has been out on loan at Halesowen Town in the Dr Martens League since January. He didn’t seem to feature in Graham Allner’s plans and lost some of his sharpness and pace that made him such a threat the previous season.
Williams made 51 starts for the Robins and scored 4 goals. He will leave Whaddon Road at the end of June when his contract runs out, and if he can find the form that he showed on the right wing a year ago, he will be a useful addition to any club in the lower leagues.
Cheltenham chairman Paul Baker has described this summer’s clear out as the end of an era. It remains to be seen how many more out of contract players will be released as Gould shapes his new look squad.