Bristol Rovers' chances of an immediate return to League One assessed following relegation

Bristol Rovers will be looking to get out of League Two at the first time of asking once again following their relegation from League One

Daniel Hargraves Bristol Rovers reporter

17:00, 04 Jun 2025

Bristol Rovers celebrate promotion back to League One at the first time of asking in 2022(Image: Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Bristol Rovers will be looking to complete an immediate return to League One in the upcoming season, following their relegation to League Two last term.

The Gas managed to scrape a third place finish the last time they were in the fourth tier, entering the automatic promotion spots for the first time in the dying minutes of the 2021/22 season.

Unlike in other divisions, League Two has three automatic promotion places alongside a play-off winner. However, it still looks set to be an extremely competitive division to get out of this campaign.

Clubs such as MK Dons, Chesterfield, Salford City, Notts County and Colchester United are all being backed to have good seasons while the clubs relegated alongside Rovers in Cambridge United, Crawley Town and Shrewsbury Town will all surely fancy their own chances.

Although they did it three years ago, how likely is it actually for the Gas to bounce back to League One at the first time of asking and, if they can’t, how long could they spend in League Two? Bristol Live looked back on the four teams to get promoted out of the fourth tier from the last 10 seasons and how long they had spent in the division…

Over the past 10 campaigns, only nine clubs out of the total of 40 were promoted at the first time of asking following relegation from League One. They were Port Vale (2024/25), Rovers (2021/22), Bolton Wanderers (2020/21), Plymouth Argyle (2019/20), Bury, MK Dons (2018/19), Coventry City (2017/18), Doncaster Rovers and Blackpool (2016/17). On average, less than one team has gone straight back up per season in the last decade.

There are other clubs, of course, who also only spent the single term in League Two, but as part of back-to-back promotions from the National League. One, of course, was the Gas in 2015/16, while Wrexham in 2023/24 and Tranmere Rovers in 2017/18 also did it in the last decade.

The longest spell a club has had in the fourth tier following relegation from League One was Exeter City, who spent 10 years in the division after relegation in 2011/12, coming close to promotion on a couple of occasions before finishing second in the 2021/22 campaign.

However, Morecambe spent a whopping 14 consecutive seasons at League Two level, having never played in the third tier in their history before promotion in 2021; they were promoted out of the National League in 2007.

Out of the sample of 40 promoted clubs, 15 had played in the National League more recently than in League One, more than the number of teams who bounced back from relegation immediately.

While fewer than one team per season over the last 10 campaigns has been able to bounce back at the first time of asking, there have been two seasons where multiple relegated teams returned to League One within one season – Bury and MK Dons in 2019 and Doncaster and Blackpool in 2017.

Rovers appear to generally be the bookies favourite out of the four relegated clubs to be promoted, but there is certainly no guarantee that they will bounce back at the first time of asking. History proves that it is actually a lot more difficult and unlikely than it may seem.

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Every club promoted from League Two in the past 10 seasons and the length of their stay in the division

2024/25

Doncaster Rovers – 3 seasons
Port Vale – 1 season
Bradford City – 6 seasons
AFC Wimbledon – 3 seasons

2023/24

Stockport County – 2 seasons (promoted from NL in 2021/22)
Wrexham – 1 season (promoted from NL in 2022/23)
Mansfield Town – 11 seasons (promoted from NL in 2012/13)
Crawley Town – 9 seasons

2022/23

Leyton Orient – 4 seasons (promoted from NL in 2018/19)
Stevenage – 9 seasons
Northampton Town – 2 seasons
Carlisle United – 9 seasons

2021/22

Forest Green Rovers – 5 seasons (had entire history outside of League One)
Exeter City – 10 seasons
Bristol Rovers – 1 season
Port Vale – 5 seasons

2020/21

Cheltenham Town – 5 seasons (promoted from NL 2015/16)
Cambridge United – 7 seasons (promoted from NL 2013/14)
Bolton Wanderers – 1 season
Morecambe – 14 seasons (had entire history outside of League One)

2019/20

Swindon Town – 3 seasons
Crewe Alexandra – 4 seasons
Plymouth Argyle – 1 season
Northampton Town – 2 seasons

2018/19

Lincoln City – 2 seasons (promoted from NL 2016/17)
Bury – 1 season
MK Dons – 1 season
Tranmere Rovers – 1 season (promoted from NL 2017/18)

2017/18

Accrington Stanley – 12 seasons (promoted from NL 2005/06)
Luton Town – 4 seasons (promoted from NL 2013/14)
Wycombe Wanderers – 6 seasons
Coventry City – 1 season

2016/17

Portsmouth – 4 seasons
Plymouth Argyle – 6 seasons
Doncaster Rovers – 1 season
Blackpool – 1 season

2015/16

Northampton Town – 7 seasons
Oxford United – 6 seasons (promoted from NL 2009/10)
Bristol Rovers – 1 seasons (promoted from NL 2014/15)
AFC Wimbledon – 5 seasons (promoted from NL 2010/11)

Bristol Rovers’ chances of an immediate return to League One assessed following relegation

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