Loan report: Leonard promoted with Northampton

Marc Leonard became the second Albion player to enjoy promotion from League Two this season after the Cobblers beat Tranmere Rovers 1-0 on the final day to secure their place in the third tier.

Following Ed Turns’ League Two championship win with Leyton Orient, the Cobblers went into the final game knowing that a win would be enough.  

Skipper Sam Hoskins netted the only goal of the game to ensure Jon Brady’s team’s a place was in League One next season. Leonard’s time at Northampton comes to an end having made 45 league appearances.

Turns on the other hand, having joined the O’s in January, finished the season with 16 appearances to his name, as well as two goals.

Further down the League Two table, Todd Miller called time on his half-season with Doncaster Rovers having made ten appearances, as Donny ended the season in 18th spot.

James Beadle’s brief stint at Crewe came to an early end last month after he picked up an ankle injury. That said, the 18-year-old impressed in his nine appearances between the sticks for the Railwaymen, as they finished three points better off than Doncaster.

Crawley managed to retain their League Two status as they finished three points above the relegation zone, with Teddy Jenks making 17 appearances before a hamstring injury brought an end to his season in February, while Jack Spong made four substitute appearances for the Red Devils after joining in January.

Despite an impressive season in League One, Jensen Weir couldn’t prevent Morecambe’s relegation to the fourth tier. The 21-year-old only missed three league games, finishing the season as the Shrimps’ top scorer with ten goals.

Carl Rushworth’s season in League One proved to be successful, as he kept 19 clean sheets with Lincoln City, the third best record in the division. Haydon Roberts on the other hand will be disappointed with how Derby County finished the season as they missed out on the play-offs by a point, losing to Sheffield Wednesday on the final day.

In the Championship, Taylor Richards made 15 appearances for QPR as they steered clear of relegation, while former Albion player and coach Liam Rosenior’s Hull City had a comfortable mid-table finish, where Aaron Connolly scored two league goals before injury curtailed his campaign.

Finally in the EFL, Reda Khadra had a fine end to the season with Birmingham City, as despite the Blues’ 17th place finish, the winger grabbed three goals and two assists in an enjoyable second half of the season.

In Scotland, James Furlong’s Motherwell enjoyed another win, beating Kilmarnock 2-0 to move nine points clear of danger.

In Europe, Abdallah Sima scored his fourth goal of the season in a 2-1 defeat for Angers against Monaco. Angers’ relegation from Ligue 1 looks set though, as they sit nine points from safety with four games to go. 

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise’s fight for the Belgian Jupiler Pro League title was boosted with a 2-1 win at Club Brugge on Saturday. Simon Adingra was unable to add to his 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions so far this season.

Steven Alzate scored for Standard Liege on Saturday in their 2-1 defeat to Gent, as they fight it out for a place in the Europa Conference League.

Kjell Scherpen and Kacper Kozlowski’s Vitesse Arnhem lost 2-0 to Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands, while Michal Karbownik’s Fortuna Dusseldorf were comfortable 3-0 winners against Holstein Kiel. 

Andi Zeqiri’s Basel were beaten 2-0 at home by Zurich, with both goals coming in second half added time. To add to the drama, Basel had three players sent off, while Zurich finished the game with ten players.