The League One relegation battle was well fought in 24/25, although the demise of Bristol Rovers in particular meant an exciting finish that went to the final day was taken away from football fans on the whole.
Gary Bowyer’s impressive work at Burton made them the main winners at they saw off the Gas and the returning Scott Lindsay’s Crawley to 20th spot in the third tier.
Sadly, Cambridge and Shrewsbury never overly looked like overcoming the drop, meaning the quartet of sides will all face each other for another season – this time in League Two.
Not all the sides are necessarily backed for promotion, but who could they add to their squads to put them a little higher in the table?
21st: Crawley – Scott Sinclair (Free)
Crawley have begun their summer by losing more players than they’ve recruited. That list of outgoings includes star forward Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (undisclosed fee to MK Dons), key defender Toby Mullarkey (undisclosed fee to Fleetwood), and fan favourite American Jeremy Kelly who’s left to move closer to home.
The Reds have also received a fee for winger Armando Junior Quitirna (moved to Wycombe), and have replaced them with, most notably, Worthing striker Danny Cashman, controversial winger Harry McKirdy, and recently Peterborough forward Kabongo Tshimanga – all on free transfers.
Scott Lindsey has also brought defender Jay Williams with him back to Crawley – a player he took with him to MK from Crawley just in January! The Reds aren’t massively fancied for promotion, but a player they may look at is Scott Sinclair.
It’s fair to say the winger struggled for form and consistency with the Gas last season, but fitness was never a concern with the 36-year-old still managing 41 league appearances. A portion of pace has clearly affected his game, although Sinclair was always diligent with his defensive workrate.
Only three goals came with that, but staying in the local area would be ideal for Sinclair, and manager Ian Holloway does have his Rovers links.
22nd: Bristol Rovers – Gavin Kilkenny (FEE)
Bristol Rovers are well tipped to have the capabilities of immediate promotion next season, the return of Darrell Clarke and a bit of feel good important catalysts. The Gas suffered from a lack of confidence last campaign, but take a roster of attacking talent down with them.
Rovers’ business began late, only last week, but they have brought in three defensive additions and goalkeeper Luke Southwood is said to be on route to BS7, while links to striker Jonson Clarke-Harris’ return have lingered for weeks.
An area that Clarke is sure to still be interested in strengthening is midfield. In theory, the combination of Kamil Conteh, Kofi Shaw, and Isaac Hutchinson is perfectly complimentary, quite attacking, and very exciting – something probably lacking from Rovers’ play in last season’s misery.
Swindon’s Gavin Kilkenny is someone that’s been linked with the Gas previously but no concrete progress was ever made for the midfielder. The 25-year-old Irishman is a clear all-rounder, albeit managed just one goal in 48 appearances in his maiden campaign in Swindon.
The current Rovers midfield, especially after the most recent addition of Josh McEachran, features a combination of 6’s & 10’s – but no real 8’s. The Gas can perhaps afford to be a little more front footed with their newfound favoured status, but a balanced squad is also necessary.
Kilkenny represents an athletic, comprehensive midfielder that would bolster Rovers’ ranks brilliantly, putting a move along the M4 viably on the cards.
23rd: Cambridge – Vimal Yoganathan (Loan)
Despite the drop, Cambridge have managed to hold onto two of their key out of contract assets from last campaign: 33-year-old forward Elias Kachunga, who joint top scored last season with Bristol City loanee Josh Stokes (7), had see a contract trigger activated, while 37-year-old defender Michael Morrison also extended his deal.
Going forward and the U’s may now be looking for some extra firepower and creativity if they are to make a play-off push; 21-year-old Stokes managed 12 goal contributions in 34 games last campaign and was incredibly influential in his time at Abbey Stadium, but has returned to the Robins.
That could come in the form of Barnsley youngster Vimal Yoganathan. The 19-year-old of Sri Lankan heritage stands at a strong 6’3″ despite a somewhat lanky build, and has impressed during the latter half of 24/25 on loan at Oldham, bringing them back into the EFL.
With the Latics, Yoganathan managed two goals and two assists in 17 games – a decent return for an all-rounder of a midfielder, who is left footed. As per Sofascore, he was a consistent performer during that spell too.
Yoganathan also played 10 senior games for Barnsley in the first half of last campaign, albeit with only half of those in the league, so it’ll have to be seen whether to Tykes will send him to League Two for a full season where he should have consistent starts.
It’s a scenario that seems a good fit after impressing in the National League, but without significant League One experience.
24th: Shrewsbury – Khayon Edwards (Free)
The Shrews didn’t wait around to begin their summer dealings, and recruited Doncaster defender Tom Anderson in mid-May, after the 31-year-old played 29 games in their Donny’s campaign. Since then, Shrewsbury have signed versatile experienced midfielder Sam Clucas – some rather astute business for the level – and another duo of defenders.
Bradford releasee Sam Stubbs chose a move to Shropshire over a selection of other options following a good campaign with Cheltenham, while Will Boyle left Wrexham this summer too – and was part of one of the best signing videos of the summer.
Tom Sang joining from Port Vale was the fifth piece of business for Michael Appleton. Now, their attention may turn to further up the pitch – Appleton is “very confident” his squad will “outperform” their budget in League Two, and they could look at striker Khayon Edwards.
Released by Arsenal this summer without a senior appearance, he was however a prolific regular at youth level, and should now be looking for a senior move into the EFL. As reported in February, Edwards has made over 80 youth appearances in the U18 and U21 groups, managing 80 goals and 15 assists in that time.
A loan move to Leyton Orient in the second half of 2024 only yielded seven appearances though. Edwards will be eager to make his mark now in professional football, turning 21 in September.
Consistent starts in the fourth tier marks a tidy move for the young attacker who could really set League Two alight.
