7 players from League Two who have fallen off the footballing map
There’s arguably no greater evidence of English football’s great depth than League Two, with thousands flocking to watch historic clubs like Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers, Notts County and AFC Wimbledon on a weekly basis.
But the fourth tier often flies under the radar in a media ecosystem that’s increasingly more concerned with the goings on at the top of the tree. But there are a number of familiar faces still plying their trade further down the pyramid.
We’ve identified seven forgotten players from League Two who have fallen off the footballing map.
Albert Adomah
Lambeth-born former Ghana international Adomah made two Premier League appearances for Middlesbrough at the start of their doomed 2016-17 Premier League campaign, but he soon moved to Aston Villa – then in the Championship – which was generally his level.
From humble beginnings at non-league Harrow Borough, the winger went on to become a cult hero at multiple grounds, having racked up over 100 appearances for five different clubs – Barnet, Bristol City, Boro, Villa and QPR.
Adomah, 37, left QPR when his contract expired last summer. But he clearly harbours a deep love for the game, because rather than hang up his boots he went on trial to Walsall – and impressed enough to earn a one-year deal with the League Two club.
At this stage in his career, the veteran generally makes a super-sub impact role. But he’s been a wonderful, experienced presence in the dressing room for Mat Sadler’s Saddlers – who look like walking the league. A lovely post-script to a great career.
Will Grigg
Equal parts famous for his chant soundtracking Euro 2016 and his inauspicious ‘starring’ role in Sunderland ‘Til I Die, a poster boy for the Wearsiders’ ill-fated League One wilderness years.
After his big-money move to the Stadium Of Light yielded a grand total of just five League One goals, Grigg never quite found his shooting boots in the third tier at MK Dons and Rotherham United and eventually dropped down to the National League to reignite his career at fallen giants Chesterfield.
But that proved just the tonic, firing the Spireites back to the Football League with 24 league goals in their emphatic title-winning campaign. He’s notched a respectable eight goals this season as they’ve consolidated their place back in the fourth tier, comfortably in midtable.
Billy Sharp
Football League legends don’t come much bigger than Sharp, the most prolific English striker of his generation if you factor in all levels.
We have nothing but respect for the 38-year-old, who is seeing out his twilight years back in South Yorkshire (where else?) in a second stint with Doncaster Rovers following a dream-like stint in MLS and half-season at Hull City.
Donny’s Player of the Season all the way back in 2010-11, Sharp is now eyeing a sixth promotion of his career but first from League Two. He’s scored seven goals this season and his experience could prove vital for the run-in, with the club well in the mix for automatic promotion.
David McGoldrick
“I think me and Didzy, he came here on trial but we scored I think it was 39 goals that season,” Sharp said of playing alongside McGoldrick for Sheffield United back in 2021.
“He’s been a great addition and is definitely one of the best partnerships I’ve played in.”
Who could forget the two grizzled veterans of the Football League rolling back the years for Chris Wilder’s Blades a few years back?
Like Sharp, 37-year-old McGoldrick refuses to call it quits. ‘Didzy’ has hit double figures for Notts County in each of the last two seasons and is a key part of their promotion chase.
A Sharp vs McGoldrick play-off final this year? We’d have a bit of that.
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Sam Hutchinson
You might remember Hutchinson from his place on the fringes of Chelsea’s 2011-12 Champions League squad, a highly-rated academy starlet that was subsequently loaned out to Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and – of course – Vitesse Arnhem.
But the defensive midfielder never made it at his boyhood club and instead went on to become a stalwart for Sheffield Wednesday with almost 200 appearances for the Owls across two stints either side of a leftfield move to Cypriot outfit Pafos.
Recent years have seen Hutchinson tumble further down the pyramid from beleaguered Wednesday to beleaguered Reading to a much less beleaguered, nascent AFC Wimbledon in League Two.
“The club gave me a chance to get back into football, so I’ve never thought about anything else other than this,” the 35-year-old said after extending his contract to the end of the season.
“I’ve proved how fit I am and how much I want to play football, so the goal now is to get promoted.”
Nowadays the Dons are finally playing their football back at Plough Lane and look on the up, battling it out with Doncaster, Notts County, Crewe Alexandra and Port Vale to join Walsall in League One next year.
Ben Amos
The goalkeeper has represented no fewer than 12 different clubs since he first emerged from Manchester United’s academy all the way back in 2008.
Often a loanee and rarely settled anywhere, journeyman Amos is currently with promotion-chasers Port Vale, where he generally serves as a back-up to Connor Ripley.
READ: 7 players from League One who have fallen off the footballing map
John Fleck
Another key pillar of that memorable Sheffield United side alongside Sharp, 33-year-old Scotland international Fleck left Bramall Lane after eight years last January.
He struggled for gametime in a half-season stint with Blackburn Rovers in the latter half of last season and then dropped down to League Two with newly-promoted Chesterfield.
But he’s only played eight league minutes this season. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like he’s been able to get over the injury issues he’s been inflicted with in recent years.