West Country Cheltenham Town

Football and Cheltenham Town have appointed Paul Buckle as the club's new manager. He has put pen to paper on a one year rolling contract at Whaddon Road and succeeds Mark Yates who was sacked yesterday.

Buckle returns to the English game after spending the last 18 months working in America. He jetted in this afternoon and our Sports Correspondent Matthias Kurth was there to meet him.

Cheltenham Town have appointed Paul Buckle as their new manager.

The former Torquay United, Bristol Rovers and Luton Town manager has agreed a 12 month rolling contract, and will take charge of his first match against Oxford United at home on Saturday.

Buckle, 43, replaces Mark Yates who was sacked yesterday after five years in charge at Whaddon Road.

The Chairman of Cheltenham Town Football Club has said in an interview that parting company with the team's Manager, Mark Yates, was the 'hardest decision' he's had to make.

Paul Baker released a video interview this morning confirming the decision.

Cheltenham Town have parted company with manager Mark Yates, with immediate effect.

A popular figure and promotion-winning captain during his playing days, Yates returned to take charge at Whaddon Road in 2009 after leaving Kidderminster Harriers.

He has since overseen more than 250 matches and twice guided the club into the League Two play-offs, and the third round of the FA Cup on two occasions.

The 44-year-old was the third longest serving manager in the top four divisions of English football, behind only Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger and Paul Tisdale of Exeter City.

His final match at the helm was the 4-1 home defeat by Wycombe Wanderers last Saturday, which left Cheltenham 18th in the table.

Bristol Rovers' League 2 match against Bury has been postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

Cheltenham's game versus Wycombe has also been called off because of the weather.

This season was always going to be difficult for Cheltenham Town after two successive play-off campaigns, which both ended without promotion.

But despite a bad start to the campaign and an ever-changing squad, the Robins are confident of flying up the table and mounting a another play-off charge for League One.

Our Sports Correspondent Matthias Kurth reports:

Young footballers from Cheltenham Town are being warned of the dangers of taking performance enhancing drugs.

Teams from the Football Association's anti doping unit are visiting youth teams to warn them that their potential careers as professional footballers could be ruined if they test positive for a banned substance.