Football Season Guide

Colby Bishop and Dion Charles were one of the most lethal strike partnerships in the EFL in 2020/21 and, at the time of writing, both are set to be unleashed on League One defences again in 2021/22. It has been an unusual summer for manager John Coleman, who tends to lose his best players and has to rebuild his squad for the next season. The transfer window doesn’t close until the end of August of course and there has been plenty of interest in Charles from Championship clubs. The departure of defender Mark Hughes came as something of a surprise, opting to head south and join Joey Barton at Bristol Rovers. The only other significant departures were expected, with several loanees returning to their parent clubs. More loanees are expected to arrive to bolster an already strong squad that was only lacking in consistency last time out. The Covid-19 pandemic played a big part in that inconsistency, as did a number of niggling injuries. Coleman will again rely on midfield stalwart Seamus Conneely and the creativity of Sean McConville. The addition of midfielder Harry Pell from Colchester United could be a shrewd addition whilst winger John O’Sullivan has joined on back a successful promotion campaign with Morecambe. Extraordinary amounts of money have already been spent by League One clubs this summer. Accrington Stanley are one of the have-nots but in Coleman and owner Andy Holt they have stability and shrewd financial and footballing acumen.