Two of our home-grown players could have extended seasons with their loan clubs; Josh Barrett and Lewis Ward are vying to earn promotion with Coventry City and Aldershot Town respectively, with the prospect of forthcoming play-off campaigns to look forward to!
The Sky Bet League 2 season isn’t quite finished yet for Barrett and the Sky Blues – and they still have a chance of being bumped out of the play-off positions. But if they can avoid defeat to relegation-threatened Morecambe on the final day, they will be assured of a semi-final place.
The top three in the division are already sorted, and Exeter and Notts Country are each assured of a play-off campaign. But one of Coventry, Lincoln and Mansfield will miss out on the final day.
19-year-old Barrett, who signed a new Reading deal before making the loan switch to the Ricoh Arena, has eight appearances to his name for Coventry. Most recently he came off the bench to help defeat a Stevenage side which included former Reading man Terence Vancooten by a 3-1 scoreline.
The Vanarama National League season has finished, however… and Ward and Aldershot have a clear (if somewhat confusing!) path laid out ahead of them as a route back to the EFL.
The Shots host Ebbsfleet on Wednesday evening at the Recreation Ground; the winner will go on to face Tranmere in the semi-final... on the other side of the draw, Sutton will host a semi-final against either Boreham Wood or AFC Fylde, depending on who wins this Thursday. The final takes place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 12th May.
Ward has played a key role for Aldershot this season; in 24 league appearances, he has kept his sheets clean on eight occasions. With the Shots just two points inside the play-off positions, those defensive contributions have been crucial!
Very best of luck to both Josh and Lewis for successful ends to the season with their loan clubs.