Bristol Rovers have announced their retained list for next season and one name on it is causing fans much concern.
The Gas were in a troubling spell of form, having seen manager Graham Coughlan leaves and new man Ben Garner struggle to stamp his authority on the side. They survived in League One and would have done had the season played out, but a period of rebuilding now looks likely.
That means no new deals for a collection of players. Tony Craig, Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, Liam Sercombe, Sam Matthews, Tom Nichols, Gavin Reilly, Ben Morgan, Josh Bailey, Lewis Clutton, Rhys Kavanagh and Theo Widdrington will all leave the club, although only a handful of them will be sorely missed.
Tom Nichols is not one of those players, with one social media user confirming the striker is comfortably the worst signing for many years. The 26-year-old joined from Peterborough in 2017 and scored just four league goals in 96 appearances. He finished the season on loan at Cheltenham Town, surprisingly without scoring.
https://twitter.com/WillQuibes/status/1272477207039000576
35-year-old Tony Craig may not have many years left in his professional career, but his departure seems to be causing a little more consternation. Craig, who has formerly appeared for Millwall, Brentford and Crystal Palace, will leave after two years service in which he made 97 appearances, scoring five times. That’s one more than so-called striker Nichols, despite being a defender.
These Pirates’ fans were a little upset at seeing the veteran leave the club, even if it does seem to be a move towards a younger, leaner squad for Garner next season.
https://twitter.com/BernieFerntree/status/1272480720603226118
https://twitter.com/brfctom2/status/1272473161813184513
https://twitter.com/di1cox/status/1272471212246122499
https://twitter.com/BlueSideofTown/status/1272469877677109249
https://twitter.com/EthridgeRhys/status/1272469089877929985
https://twitter.com/BRFCSamuel/status/1272469592175185920
https://twitter.com/Joorrdd180M/status/1272472315469664257
https://twitter.com/JAMurph18/status/1272484471829299200
