Cheltenham v Shrewsbury preview: Cotterill and Duff respect runs deep after a journey to remember

A relationship of almost three decades will be temporarily parked for 90 minutes tomorrow as Steve Cotterill manages an opposing team in a league match at Whaddon Road for the first time.

It is a competitive return bound to stir precious memories with the Shrewsbury boss, for whom a five-year spell in charge of his hometown club either side of the turn of the millennium came laden with success and trophies.

A firm and constant fixture in that Cheltenham era of 1997 to 2002 was tough-tackling defender Michael Duff, the Northern Irishman who was barely in his mid-teens when Cotterill took him under his wing. The duo won title after title and charged from the Southern League to the Football League in an unforgettable era.

And now – with Cotterill, 57, 21 years and 10 clubs into his management career – Duff, 43, is following a trail blazed by his former boss in cutting his teeth with Cheltenham, where he has already sealed a promotion to the third tier after just over three years in charge.

Cotterill recalls a fabled game of head tennis in the car park at Cheltenham’s training ground with youth-teamer Duff, who he called back from a loan in non-league before forging a role, initially at right-back, in Cotterill’s ultra-successful Robins side.

“It’s a long time to know someone, I think he’s done great, we would discuss things differently now, which is quite good,” Cotterill said. “He was always a determined young man, which I liked about him, always respectful, always tried to do things right. I’m not surprised he’s stayed in football.

“He was one of five YTS boys, I’d train him in the morning and then as part-time on Tuesday and Thursday night.

“I called him back from Cirencester, people said ‘he won’t get in your team’, I told him I wanted him to prove them wrong.

“We’d play head tennis and I’d try to bait him to get him angry and aggressive, I tried to bring him out of his shell, that was all he was missing, but he was only 15 or 16.

“It’s a case of people having a chance and he took it, I’ve always promoted him in whatever he’s looked to do since.”

The manager would go on to sign Duff for Burnley and the defender would play Premier League football with the Clarets. He was already capped by Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez, who Cotterill had previously replaced at Sligo Rovers, while a Cheltenham player.

The pair have stayed in touch throughout and remained close, speaking regularly including this week in the build-up to tomorrow’s clash. Cotterill helped Duff with tactical advice after a difficult start to his management career.

“He had a real tough start at Cheltenham, he was playing 4-4-2, he’d say himself there wasn’t much football, they got a result in the Football League Trophy and that was the turning point for him,” Cotterill added.

“We spoke and speak about things now, but he deserves the credit for what he’s done.

“When he did his coaching badges quite often I’d get a call late at night, he’d tell me the topic and we’d sit with pad and pen and speak about a topic on A, B, C and D or whatever.

“We always speak, we spoke about football the other night, things going on in the game, formations. We’ve had plenty of conversations about lots of things.”

League Two champions Cheltenham begin tomorrow’s clash in 16th in the third tier, five places and five points clear of Shrewsbury. A 16th-placed finish would better Cheltenham’s previous best Football League finish by one spot. The Robins are particularly strong at home, with four wins from eight, with Shrews yet to win on their league travels.

Town, however, are unbeaten in 10 meetings with Cheltenham, dating back to 2005.

Cotterill has Josh Vela back available but remains without Josh Daniels (ankle). He said Town have one unnamed fitness issue and both Matthew Pennington and Marko Marosi have returned following positive Covid tests, though one is ahead of the other in recovery.