Well, after some time out (sorry about that), I could return to the save and play some more.
We are currently in February 2026, with our season being a "rollercoaster ride" so far.
In this post I'll detail more about the squad, including our summer/winter transfers.
SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS
1 -
Lucas Bergström: With us since joining on a free from Chelsea in 2022, he was pivotal last season to help us achieve promotion. In this season, however, I felt that more decent competition was needed since our backup Williams wasn't able to maintain his level when playing.
13 -
Harry Williams: our backup since 2022, when he joined from Man Utd, he was never good enough for the Championship, and lost even more after the arrival of Iván.
Left on loan for Shrewsbury in January.
25 -
Iván: Found the lad this September after he was released from Real Madrid (apparently nobody signed him until then because he was asking too much). Initially a backup to Bergström, he became our starter since arriving as Bergström's form was poor, and established himself as a first-choice as we embarked on a pretty good unbeaten run.
30 -
Andy Coyle: Joining on a free from Northern Irish side Dungannon in the past season, he was a decent third-choice to Bergström and Williams past season.
He is now spending the season on loan at Portsmouth to get more experience, but is also a backup there.
37 -
Kingsley Olisema: A youth graduate from this latest intake, he doesn't show that much of a prospect.
40 -
Mark Thomas: Brought him in from Welsh side Connah's Quay last season for 10K, initially for the under-18s.
After a month-experience loan at Halifax, he returned to his home country for Barry, where he apparently is doing great.
RIGHT BACKS
6 -
Marc Topley: He joined us from Glenavon for a mere 1.7K, and became a starter last season. Even though he may not be very consistent this season, he is still a very decent attacking threat when playing with Bike.
36 -
Dan Rhodes:
On loan from Leeds, he proved to be a very good backup to Topley, sometimes playing better than him.
43 -
John Cuthbert: Released from Man Utd, the lad is very promising and has some key attributes that can be exploited maybe in the next season.
CENTRE BACKS
2 -
Ciro Fonte: Transfer-listed at Lazio after a loan at Portuguese side Chaves, he joined us this summer for 190K. He is so far our starter (when injuries allow him to play), being an interesting attacking threat on set pieces.
3 -
Kenneth Hansen: Joining us on a free from Cardiff Met Uni in January 2023, the Danish lad was very important last season as he formed a strong partnership with loanee Fish. After the arrival of Fonte and Krassnitzer in the side, he lost space, and was
sold to Saint-Etienne this January for 500K.
4 -
Davide Consolo: With us since 2022 after joining on a free from Rimini, the Italian was a very reliable backup last season but is short of quality for the division. Currently is behind new signings Krassnitzer, Fonte and Moore.
14 -
Simon Krassnitzer: I was impressed when I saw him without a club. Released this summer by Tottenham, he is a very very quick defender (16 Pace and 17 Acceleration) and is our best defender of the season so far. Adding this up to his Premier League potential and his versatility to play also as a left back, we may say that he's one for the future.
18 -
Willie Moore: Our latest signing, we paid 36.5K to Dungannon for him, mainly because his contract was ending in May. So far he seems unexperienced, despite having more than 100 matches in his career, but has a great prospect.
45 -
Matthew Browne: Released from our "partners" Chelsea, he has a decent prospect and joined in the summer to work as a backup and improve with the under-18s/under-23s.
LEFT BACKS
5 -
Mohamed Samatta: Another Tottenham youth graduate, he joined us on a free in 2022. Initially a backup, he became our starter last season and is so far doing his job in this division. We may be looking into another LB next season as he's nearly reaching his full potential and I don't see him being more than a Championship player, sadly.
28 -
Jordan Bailey: Released by Liverpool this summer, we brought him in as we literally couldn't sign anyone else for the position. Our targets joined other teams and we only had Samatta in the squad, so, he joined to be a decent backup. So far he played above the expectations, having a decent average rating in his four appearances.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS
8 -
James Heyes: definitely our best player, we absolutely robbed Man City when we agreed to pay just 250K for him in January 2025 (we signed him on loan with an obligatory 250K buyout clause). He recently reached Premier League level, and I'm trying to keep hold of him for the next season, as he will be pivotal to (maybe) give some experience to Wilde.
11 -
Robbie Fraser: A regular since he joined on a free from Rangers last season, he developed into a good Championship player this season and he's being a very impressive CM along with Heyes.
15 -
Bryan Wilde: Our best player from the last intake, he's developing into a very good player this season. Not only he perfected his CM skills, but he learned to play as a CB and is also at League Two level right now, being the best DM of our squad.
18 -
Greg Lowe: Joined us on a free from Leicester in 2024, being a very good impact sub last season. After the arrivals of Lukic and especially Brown in the winter, he
left for York for 185K.
19 -
Igor Lukic: Snapped him up this summer after he was on a trial at Leganés, as he was very young (18) and with a very good potential (Premier League maybe). Did a very good job when replacing injured Heyes at some games, but now he's more of a fourth choice after the impressive improvement of Wilde.
20 -
Duncan Brown: Released by Tottenham in August (?), I agreed to a deal with him but since the Championship registration window was already closed, he only joined in January. Not the best of luck in his start for us, as he was injured twice so far and only played for us in a match we lost.
RIGHT WINGERS
26 -
Kris Roestbakken: The Australian lad joined us this season from CU Academy, for a ridiculous fee of 575. 575 EUROS!! My initial plan was to put him in the under-23s maybe, but since he was improving very quickly, he's now being regularly used as an impact sub when Bike is not playing well enough.
31 -
Adrian Goodman: The idea of bringing him on loan from Tottenham was great: he was young, his contract was expiring in June and he didn't have much experience in senior football. However, it was just the idea that was great: in reality, he could never settle into our squad and is now in the under-23s. In this winter transfer window, he also accepted a contract from Hibernian, so he won't be in England for much longer.
33 -
Pedro Bike: Our captain, the Equatoguinean joined on a free from Spanish side Eldense in 2023. Since then, he never stopped progressing, being our team leader and one of the references up front, being a constant threat with his speed and goals.
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
10 -
Jenson Gater: Joined this winter from Arsenal for 400K, seems to be a very decent prospect who can replace Scognamiglio in the following season
35 -
Lorenzo Scognamiglio: Benefitting from Chelsea's partnership, we could bring him on loan without having to spend a penny for his wages, but the amount of assists he's providing this season is very impressive.
LEFT WINGERS
7 -
Sam Butterworth: Our player of the year last season is not in his most constant season ever, but still managed to bang in another 11 league goals so far.
12 -
Dan Carey: Always a backup to Butterworth since joining in the winter transfer window of the past season, he helped us along the way this season by being a very decent impact sub.