Cheltenham Town’s assistant manager Aaron Downes announced that 33-year-old midfielder Harry Pell will not be taking the field for the club in the remaining matches of the season. Pell sustained an ACL rupture during the team’s final friendly match against Northampton Town last summer, just moments before he was set to be substituted. Despite a successful rehabilitation, the decision has been made to avoid risking his participation in the last four games of the campaign.
Downes explained, “If we had got into the play-offs there might have been a shout, but because of the position we are in, we don’t need to take that risk with him.” Although Pell has been actively involved in training and running as part of his recovery, it has been determined that his return to play will have to wait until the start of the 2025/26 season.
Pell rejoined Cheltenham last summer on a two-year deal, having previously played for the team from 2015 to 2018 and contributing to their National League title win in 2016. Despite his absence from competitive matches, boss Michael Flynn has kept him engaged with the squad and dressing room, expressing excitement for Pell’s future impact, “He’s in a good place, doing well and he’s going to be massive for us next year.”
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The midfielder’s absence adds to the challenges for Cheltenham Town, with upcoming fixtures seeing Manchester United loan winger Ethan Williams returning from illness after missing two games. Additionally, midfielder Tim Dieng will continue to sit out due to a one-match ban, while also ineligible to play against his parent club, and Pell joins Luke Young and Darragh Power on the injured list.
Cheltenham Town will face Gillingham at home on Good Friday afternoon at 3pm.