Swindon opt to release veteran forward Austin
STRIKER Charlie Austin is among 11 senior players who have been released by Swindon Town following the conclusion of their League Two campaign.
The 34-year-old re-joined the Robins in December 2022 having played for the club earlier in his career from 2009 to 2011.
The former Burnley, QPR and Southampton forward scored 14 goals in 48 games in all competitions this season as the club finished 19th in League Two.
Tom Brewitt, George McEachran, Tyrese Shade and Frazer Blake-Tracy are also leaving the club. The others departing are Tom Clayton, Conor
Brann, Brooklyn Genesini, Reece Devine, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Tomi Adeloye.
Swindon have offered new deals to midfielders Sean McGurk and Nnamdi Ofoborh.
Ricky Aguiar, Jake Cain, Aaron Drinan, Anton Dworzak, Pharrell Johnson, Harrison Minturn and Tariq Uwakwe are under contract for new season, while Jack Bycroft, Paul Glatzel, Udoka Godwin-Malife, Saidou Khan and Williams Kokolo all have options in their contracts for another year.
Anssi Jaakkola has confirmed that he will be departing Bristol Rovers after five years of service as both a player and a coach, writes Daniel Hargraves.
The former Finland international goalkeeper joined the Pirates from Reading in 2019 and made 60 appearances for the club before becoming a coach, initially as part of Joey Barton’s staff.
Jaakkola stayed at Rovers despite Barton’s dismissal in October, and has worked under current boss Matt Taylor since December.
The 37-year-old has been working closely with three 20-year-old goalkeepers in Jed Ward, Matt Cox and
Matt Hall, with the former two both England youth team representatives.
Jaakkola wrote on social media: “My time at Bristol Rovers has come to an end. Really grateful to have been part of this amazing football club for the past five years first as a player and now as a coach. Want to thank all the ex-teammates, coaches, staff members and the fans for the support over the years.”
Jaakkola was Rovers’ first-choice in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, but injuries prevented him from completing full campaigns. He made just four League Two appearances in the promotion season and only played in the EFL Trophy in 22/23.