I got out of BSP first time round with York, I let a load of their players go as soon as I got in and just reshaped the entire squad. Lucky for me their left back James Meredith is a beast, averaging 7.00 + in BSP, L2, L1 and Championship so far...
70 k wages is decent, sign free agents and assemble a big squad. The Premiership is where you need a team of quality, lower leagues focusing on having 11 players at 100 % fitness for each game, particularly if you play a style of football that is physically draining for the opposition.
Pablo Counago has scored 16 missed 3 over 2 and a bit seasons so far, you've just been unlucky. I also signed Marko Mitrovic on a free and he ended up being awful for me (6.4 rating) He just didn't work playing alongside anyone! Hope you are getting more out of him.