EYES ON BOYLE
» Championship club chase Robins star
CHELTENHAM Town defender Will Boyle is still a potential target for Championship club Preston North End.
Sheffield Wednesday’s interest has come to an end, according to Yorkshire Live.
But several clubs are still keen on the 25-year-old, who was named in League Two team of the year for the part he played in Cheltenham’s League Two title success in 2020/21.
Boyle, who was on the books of Wednesday as a youngster before joining Huddersfield Town, is the longest serving player at the Jonny-rocks Stadium, making 130 League Two starts and a further five from the bench since joining in January 2017.
A knee injury disrupted his involvement in the season just finished, but he still started 29 of the club’s 46 league fixtures, along with five starts and two substitute appearances in the cups, scoring seven goals in all competitions.
His contract at Cheltenham runs until the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Charlton Athletic, Rotherham United and Fleetwood Town, all of whom Cheltenham will face in League One next term, are also interested in 6ft 3in left-footer Boyle.
Cheltenham Town could be set to make a summer approach for Exeter City forward Ryan Bowman.
The 29-year-old has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons at St James Park and helped the Grecians reach the League Two play-off final last year.
Robins boss Michael Duff is known to be an admirer of the former Carlisle United, Hereford United and Motherwell front man, who was on his list of potential targets during the January transfer window.
Although Duff did express an interest in Bowman then, the Echo understands a switch to the Jonnyrocks Stadium was never close to being completed.
But it could now happen ahead of the Robins’ return to League One, where Bowman last played during his time at home club Carlisle between 2009 and 2011.
His contract with Exeter runs until next summer.
Cheltenham have strikers Alfie May, George Lloyd and Andy Williams already contracted for next term, along with youth team graduate Callum Ebanks.
Tahvon Campbell and Alex Addai were both released at the end of this season, while Sam Smith’s half-season loan spell from Reading came to an end.
Duff is certain to be looking to add more firepower to his squad, with centre forwards and attacking midfielders top of his priorities.
Bowman, 6ft 2in and powerfully built, scored 14 League Two goals in 2020/21, including a hat-trick in Exeter’s 6-1 win over Colchester United in November.
He netted 15 in all competitions during 2019/20 – his first full season with the Devon club.
Cheltenham are still waiting on decisions from goalkeeper Scott Flinders and defender Sean Long after both players were offered deals for next season.
Meanwhile, a return to Cheltenham Town for midfielder Jake Doyle-hayes is unlikely, the Echo understands.
The Irishman impressed during a season-long loan spell from Aston Villa in 2019/20 before joining Scottish Premiership club St Mirren after his release by Villa last summer.
Cheltenham hoped to capture the 22-year-old on a permanent basis ahead of their return to League One in 2021/22, but they now look set to miss out.
Doyle-hayes has started 21 of St Mirren’s 38 league matches this term, scoring his only goal in a 1-0 win at Livingston in November.
He has helped the Paisley club claim victories over Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers, who they knocked out of the Scottish League Cup in December and has been offered a new deal by the Buddies.