The Fourth Tier: Ian Holloway’s Swindon Town Using Bromley Blueprint In Bid For Promotion
With legendary manager Ian Holloway at the wheel, Swindon Town have the blueprint to promotion from League Two this season.
Ian Holloway belongs to the illustrious 1,000 games club. His managerial career has taken in all four divisions, nine different clubs and three decades.
The canny Bristolian has won things too. He guided Queens Park Rangers back into the Championship in 2004 and surpassed that achievement by taking Blackpool and Crystal Palace into the Premier League.
As one of football’s most controversial characters, Holloway divides opinions. He is marmite to most. You either tolerate his style of wit and unfiltered ‘outbursts’, or you detest his mannerisms and moaning.
At 63, Holloway just doesn’t care about opinions anymore. He continues to tell an audience exactly what he thinks. For the EFL, he remains box office material.
Wherever his Swindon Town side travel in League Two, the home crowd watch Holloway in the technical area just as much as the match unfolding in front of their eyes. Because of his presence, Swindon have become one of the league’s major scalps.
Holloway’s next assignment is to win promotion. Last season they missed out on a play-off place by three points. To rub salt into wounds, one of Holloway’s former clubs, Grimsby Town, secured the final place. A 4-0 defeat at Grimsby in the last few weeks of the campaign virtually sealed their fate.
Swindon have finished 12th and then 9th under their experienced manager, and this could be his final opportunity to add another promotion to his extensive CV.
Having been around the block many times in the EFL, Holloway appreciates the difficulty in winning promotion. It is a gruelling ten months, where injuries and suspensions play their part.
You need a touch of good fortune. A decent budget helps considerably too.
Spending in the right places
Most lower league clubs focus on spending what money they have on player wages or additional loan signings. The likes of MK Dons, Salford, Chesterfield and Cheltenham did find some extra finance to sanction transfers for those hidden ‘undisclosed fees’.
Managers in the bottom tier usually shop around in the bargain bin for free transfers or potential loan signings from Championship and Premier League clubs.
If your recruitment is good, you can land an outstanding Under-23 player, who can make a real difference to your team’s chances.
Do not forget that whilst on loan, Elliot Anderson helped Bristol Rovers to promotion back in 2022.
England full-back Jared Quansah also spent time on loan at the Memorial Ground, and Aston Villa’s Finn Azaz helped Cheltenham to promotion in 2021 before also joining Newport County.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford got valuable game time out on loan with Burton Albion in League One. Jack Grealish played for Notts County. Ben White played for Newport County.
When Holloway does speak about the game, it is usually informative and entertaining at the same time. His take on League Two spending has been intriguing.
Whilst he is amazed by what his League Two rivals can afford to do, Holloway is adamant that ‘it is about achieving value for money and building a team ethos’ rather than potentially trying to buy promotion.
Before the beginning of this season, Holloway stated: “I don’t care what anyone else is spending, to be honest. It’s about what we do. You can have all the money in the world, but if you haven’t got the right characters, the right blend, and people who want to work for each other, it means absolutely nothing.”
He also described Swindon’s 2025/26 budget as ‘very disappointing’ and blamed past spending mistakes for the club’s limited resources.
He won’t be using finances as an excuse though and nor should he.
Battle of the big dogs
There are always going to be those historically bigger clubs that have the capacity to attract the better players, and subsequently that can lead to promotion.
Over the last decade, Portsmouth, Luton, Coventry, Bradford City, Plymouth Argyle and, last time out, MK Dons and Notts County have all managed to get out of the fourth tier. Coventry City under Frank Lampard have even been able to make a return to the top flight.
Last season, MK Dons’ wage budget topped £5.5 million. Salford City lost the play-off final to Notts County with an estimated wage bill of £4.6 million.
They reportedly spent almost £400,000 on the Fleetwood forward Ryan Graydon in January to get them over the line. They failed at the final hurdle, and manager Karl Robinson was sacked nine days later. The season was branded ‘a failure.’
Chesterfield’s outlay was estimated at £5.4 million, but they only secured sixth place and subsequently lost in the play-offs to Notts County, who had spent £3.5 million themselves.
Gillingham finished 17th, and their budget reportedly surpassed £4.2 million under their new American ownership.
Bromley the blueprint
Of course, budgets are important for any club regardless of division, but it should never act as an excuse clause. The perfect example is last season’s League Two champions.
Bromley were 66-1 longshots to win the league title and a generous 16/1 to win promotion before a ball was kicked.
Operating with a budget of £2.1 million, not many gave Andy Woodman’s side much hope of accomplishing what they did.
Bromley showed it can be done. It was nothing short of a footballing miracle.
Woodman and his recruitment team worked tirelessly to attract the best free transfers they could. The Northampton Town pairing of Mitch Pinnock and Will Hondermarck arrived at Hayes Lane, and they made 87 league appearances between them, contributing greatly.
Defender Kyle Cameron signed from promotion rivals Notts County to add experience to the dressing room.
The London club also signed promising development players who had been released by clubs and scanned the loan market to bring in youngsters.
Brentford’s Under-23 midfielder, Ben Krauhaus, made the biggest impact on his return to Bromley. He had originally joined the club following his release from Charlton Athletic’s Academy in 2021.
Krauhaus’ consistent performances in non-league led to a transfer to Premier League Brentford as part of their B squad. His returns on loan to Bromley resulted in two promotions in three seasons.
Bromley lost just seven matches last season. They impressively remained unbeaten at their Hayes Stadium and finished with 87 points.
New signing Pinnock was instrumental in their creativity, providing 10 assists. Leading scorer Michael Cheek scored 16 goals in just 35 games and towering partner Nicke Kabamba netted 13 goals.
The outsiders enjoyed their finest season in their 134-year history, deservedly clinching the League title ahead of MK Dons on the final day.
Woodman drilled set-pieces into his athletic and physical team. It paid off. 31 of their 81 goals came via a set-play.
Their foundation was built on a strong defensive structure, marshalled by the leadership of Omar Sowunmi and the veteran goalkeeper, Grant Smith.
Bromley showed what can be achieved once momentum and belief are created. They invested what budget they had wisely and took pride in becoming difficult to beat.
That team ethic and clinical finishing of a reliable forward like Cheek have shown the way for other smaller clubs to follow. Competitive budgets are important but do not necessarily guarantee where you will finish. The Bromley blueprint is doable.