Michail Antonio, now West Ham United’s leading Premier League goalscorer and a Jamaica international, once had a formative loan spell at Cheltenham Town early in his career.
Having been signed from non-league side Tooting & Mitcham by Reading, Antonio was loaned to the then League One club Cheltenham Town, managed at the time by Martin Allen. Cheltenham were struggling near the bottom of the league table when the 18-year-old forward was handed his professional Football League debut away to Leeds United at Elland Road.
Antonio quickly adapted to the increased scale, telling FourFourTwo, “I went from playing in front of 200 to 500 people at Tooting to 20,000 people at Elland Road in the space of six months. Unbelievable.”
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He made a dynamic start to the match, dominating play in the opening 28 minutes. “I was on absolute fire, beating people for fun, doing long throws, taking corners – I was doing it all,” he recalled. Unfortunately, his debut was cut short by injury, as he tore three ligaments in his ankle after 28 minutes and had to be substituted.
Fellow teenager Marley Watkins replaced him, but Leeds went on to win 2-0 with two second-half goals from Jonny Howson. Antonio’s injury sidelined him for five weeks, though he recovered in time to make eight further appearances for Cheltenham, including six starts.
Despite his emerging talent, Antonio experienced limited team success during his loan. Cheltenham ultimately suffered relegation after a penultimate matchday 1-1 draw with Carlisle United. Reflecting on his time there, Antonio stated, “Being here at Cheltenham has shown me the real life of football.”
Following this spell, he went on loan to Southampton the next season before breaking into Reading’s first team. Subsequent loans to Colchester United and Sheffield Wednesday followed, with a permanent transfer to Wednesday in 2012. His career progressed steadily, eventually joining Nottingham Forest for £1.5 million and earning their Player of the Year award for the 2014/15 season.
Antonio’s ascent culminated in a £7 million move to West Ham United in 2016, where he has made over 300 appearances across all competitions. He has scored 83 goals, played a key role in West Ham’s 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League victory, and represented Jamaica internationally after his debut against Panama in 2021.
Despite a serious road traffic accident in December 2024, Antonio returned to competitive football, featuring for Jamaica in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Most recently, at the age of 36, he signed with Qatar’s Al-Sailiya in March 2026.
Cheltenham Town has welcomed several other players on loan from Reading over the years, including Michael Thorp, Nathan Tyson, Oliver Bozanic, Lawson D’Ath, Jake Taylor, Michael Hector, Rob Dickie, Sam Smith, and Luke Southwood. Current Robins defender Pierce Sweeney is also a product of the Reading academy.