It was a disappointing season for Swindon Town on the pitch, but with the benefit of some distance, how well did each player perform?

I will be assigning a grade for each player who made more than five league appearances last season as a kind of final player ratings for the campaign. This is the second part of this series, to read the ratings for the other players, then click here.

Jake Cain – D

A slightly surprising 24 appearances for someone who felt like they were out of the team for so long. I had some hope he would take a step up last summer, but it never really materialised and he comes into this pre-season with plenty of question marks.

Williams Kokolo – D

A player who has joined the proud tradition of being an emergency Swindon signing to play significant games. Kokolo looked improved towards the end of the season, but flattered to deceive too often for my personal taste.

Tariq Uwakwe – D

Uwakwe’s season was almost entirely stolen by injuries, not playing at all after October. He had some very impressive displays early on but had started to tail off before his season was prematurely ended.

Dawson Devoy – B

I am a big fan of Devoy’s. When utilised as a more advanced midfielder, he was a big part of Town’s attacking play and was adding goals to his game. He struggled more when fielded deeper, but that is more of an issue of recruitment than his own failing.

Udoka Godwin-Malife – A

He is electric to watch in a way most defenders aren’t and was a huge part of the way this team attacked. You really noticed on the occasions he wasn’t there as suddenly there was a ball progression problem. Defensively he was sloppy as everyone was at times, but also had plenty of very good moments using his physical tools and intelligence.

Liam Kinsella – D

I felt slightly disappointed by Kinsella. He was not necessarily poor, but he arrived as the experienced, hard-working midfielder who could help things out but he never had the desired impact. He clearly fitted in at Cheltenham Town much better.

Aaron Drinan – B

Drinan probably got a little bit lost in the McKirdy deadline day drama and he took a little while to get going but he had a strong half-season. His physicality and work rate make him a good foil for Glatzel and he proved to be capable of scoring a good number of goals.

Conor McCarthy – C

McCarthy seemed like the perfect solution for a while, bringing leadership and calm to the tsunami that was the Swindon defence. But eventually, even he was swallowed up and all of that deserted him. I feel like both sides of this deal probably deserve an apology.

Tyrese Shade – D

His Solihull Moors stint has breathed new life into him and proved what he can do, but very little of what he has shown was on display in League Two. He suffered from being played out of position, but he very rarely impacted games.

Ricky Aguiar – D

A very strong loan spell at Worthing saw him return, but other than one or two good showings, he failed to establish himself in the first team. We are still waiting on his breakout.

Harrison Minturn – C

14 starts is a lot more than I would have expected last summer and it would have been more if not for his injury. He is a legitimate League Two defender at this point and I look forward to seeing more from next year.

Charlie Austin – B

There was a fair amount of ups and downs in his performances as he was used more than is probably sensible, being the only player to feature in every league game. Double-digit goals and plenty of assists show that when he was on it he was a great influence, but it was not the fairytale end everyone wanted.

Joel McGregor – A

It is only fair to grade him on his own expectations and he ended up having done far more than anyone could have imagined. He was excellent in the final weeks of the campaign and seems to be the furthest ahead of a very exciting crop of youngsters.

Lewis Ward – D

He got to have another big day in the final game of the year against Forest Green Rovers, but he had another couple of big errors in some less positive displays. He is available again…

Nnamdi Ofoborh – B

What Ofoborh managed to show in seven appearances after two years out of the game was pretty remarkable. He looked a bit off the pace at times, but he instantly began to fill the enforcer-shaped hole in Town’s midfield and if he signs, should be a big asset next year.