Football Season Review

Swindon are coming from a rather turbulent season and will feel delighted to have managed to end it outside the relegation zone as, despite the undoubted quality that they have among their ranks, the off-field problems that they had could have dragged sides better than them into the relegation places. The Robins were always going to struggle to repeat the heroics from their previous campaign, that saw them reach the play-off final, but their start to the season was particularly poor and Mark Cooper was fired with less than two months of the season gone. Chairman Lee Power took temporary charge but soon named Martin Ling as Cooper's successor. The Robins have shown signs of clear improvement under Ling, but were handed a shock blow two days before the end of the calender year, as their boss, who was making a return to management following a two-year hiatus caused by depression, opted to resign for "health reasons". Luke Williams took over as a caretaker and recorded some promising result early in his reign, with the board opting to give him a five-year contract. At this stage, it looked like the Robins could post an outside play-off challenge, but their form from February onwards even got them battling against the drop at one stage. Large sections of fans have turned against Williams, while the situation was not helped by injury problems, as well as the infamous laughing gas incident, which saw three first-team players being suspended by the club for a video they recorded and posted to social media. The Robins ultimately did well to steer clear of danger, but the real drama is only beginning for them, as they face an uphill battle to keep hold of star men such as Nicky Ajose and Yaser Kasim, while another important player, Jonathan Obika, has already declined the club's offer of a new contract.

Player of the Season: Nicky Ajose