FOLLOWING THE SALTMEN

Kayte Lane Stadium, Bishops Cleeve, GL52 3PD

Saturday 4th July, 2026 at 3.00pm.

That’s right! Proper football is back. It may only be two months since over a thousand people swarmed to Kingys to witness the fateful play-off final but it seems a lot longer to me. That might have a lot to do with long time manager Andy Crowther and his entire coaching team resigning barely 3 weeks before the start of the preseason schedule began.

That news was compounded by the discovery that six first team players had decided that now was a good time to move on too.

The board moved quickly to install Quentin Townsend as its new first team manager. Quent has been busy recruiting new faces, bringing in a mix of youth and experience to bolster the ranks.

This Saturday we get the opportunity to see how some of the new signings start to link up with the remaining long-standing core squad.

While we may have just lost out on promotion to step four, our first friendly takes us to a well established step four club. Bishops Cleeve FC play in the Southern League Division 1 South since being promoted from the Hellenic League in 2006. The club returned to the Hellenic League in 2018 but it was not long until they returned to the higher level in 2022 after winning the Hellenic League title.

Similarly to Droitwich, last season saw the Mitres finish third in the league only to lose out narrowly to Malvern in the pay-offs. It is clear that the new look Spa squad will face a very stern test.

We understand that our hosts are opening a bar and food will also be available. Admission will be £5.

I can’t wait!

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Postcode for Sat Nav: GL52 3PD

For Google Maps location, see below. 
Parking is available at the stadium.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT DIRECTIONS

By Train: The nearest train station to Kayte Lane is Cheltenham Spa. Supporters are advised to catch the bus from the Station Forecourt to Bishop’s Cleeve (see details below). Supporters are reminded of Sunday services on weekend matchdays and should plan ahead accordingly.

By Bus: Travel to Bishop’s Cleeve is supplied by Cheltenham’s D & E buses which can be caught directly from Cheltenham Spa Station Forecourt. Supporters are encouraged to use the new E service, with the nearest stops being “Before The Highgrove” on Voxwell Lane. From here, the ground is a 15 minute walk from the crossroads with Cheltenham Road, along Two Hedges Road and onto Kayte Lane.