Football Season Review

Bristol Rovers once again entered the season hoping to punch above their weight and push for a play-off place, but it soon became apparent that the Gas's reality is much harsher than that. With a misfiring attack and an out-of-form midfield, they struggled to implement Darrell Clarke's preferred attacking brand of football and spent the majority of the first half of the season inside the relegation zone. The board showed Clarke plenty of patience, but his position eventually became untenable and he left the club in December, being the fourth-longest serving Football League manager at the time. He was replaced by interim Graham Coughlan, who managed to steady the ship and was eventually given the job on a full-time basis. He made the Gas play a much more pragmatic brand of football, which allowed their results to improve, especially on their travels. It took him nearly three months in charge to move his side away from the drop zone for good but, once moving clear of the danger zone, the Gas never looked back. Coughlan will now have the summer to make the squad his own and time will tell whether the improved form under him was the consequence of the new manager bounce, or a sign of things to come.

Player of the Season: Tom Lockyer