Clarke: Sale of Goodwin a great deal

CHELTENHAM Town boss Darrell Clarke has described striker Will Goodwin’s move to fellow League One outfit Oxford United for an undisclosed fee as “a great deal for the club”, writes Mark Halliwell.

The 21-year-old leaves Town having scored seven times in 32 appearances since joining the Robins from Championship side Stoke City just over a year ago.

He scored on his debut in a 3-1 EFL Trophy win over Salford, securing Cheltenham’s place in the semi-finals, and scored six League One goals this season, including one in the 2-0 win over Oxford earlier in the campaign.

Clarke said: “Will (pictured on right) leaves the club with our best wishes and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

“He has progressed well during my time here, but the offer we received from Oxford was one we felt was a great deal for the club.

“We continue our focus on improving performances with our squad on the pitch and improving with a positive transfer window.”

Goodwin began his career at Chester aged nine and signed for

Stoke in 2021 before loan spells with Hartlepool and Torquay.

Oxford boss Des Buckingham said: “I’m really pleased that Will has chosen to join us. His work rate and physical attributes will complement our squad, and he’s already beginning to realise his potential. Will is an outstanding talent who is capable of making a big contribution to this club. We’re looking forward to working with him.”

Goodwin added: “This was a big decision for me, and I am determined to repay the faith that the club has shown in me. Having spoken with the gaffer, I was really impressed by what he’s doing here and the club’s vision.

“I know this is the right place for the next stage of my career and can’t wait to get started.”

Meanwhile Cheltenham’s League One fixture with Carlisle today has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. An EFL appointed match official conducted a pitch inspection at the CompletelySuzuki Stadium yesterday.

Frost covers have been on the pitch all week, but temperatures for the past two nights have fallen so low that a considerable amount of frost has got into the playing surface.

A club statement said: “It was felt that temperatures are not forecast to rise high enough to remove the frost before kick-off, so the decision has been taken to postpone the match. The decision also takes into account the journey faced by opponents Carlisle.”