Bristol Rovers make contracts decision as 15 players set to depart club following relegation

Bristol Rovers have confirmed that nine players will leave the club this summer at the end of their contracts alongside six loaneesSport

Daniel Hargraves Bristol Rovers reporter

11:31, 04 May 2025Updated 11:43, 04 May 2025

Bristol Rovers captain Scott Sinclair is one of the players leaving the club this summer(Image: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)

Bristol Rovers have confirmed that nine players will be leaving the club this summer following the expiration of their respective contracts.

Scott Sinclair, Grant Ward, Jack Hunt, Luke McCormick, Romaine Sawyers, Jevani Brown, Jerry Lawrence and Matt Hall will all depart while Chris Martin will continue his rehab for a knee injury at the club. It is expected that the striker won’t be fit until autumn at the earliest and the club will make a decision on offering the 36-year-old a deal once he has returned to fitness.

Meanwhile, the Gas have also confirmed that they have triggered a one-year extension in James Wilson’s contract. The defender has played every minute for Rovers this season.

Sinclair has spent two-and-a-half years back at his boyhood club and was made club captain ahead of this season. The former Chelsea, Aston Villa and Celtic winger was absent from the matchday squad that travelled to Blackpool on Saturday, alongside Ward and Hunt who depart after two-and-a-half and two years respectively.

McCormick, has made 118 appearances for Rovers over the course of two spells. The midfielder was a loanee at the club during the 2020/21 season but then returned on a permanent basis in the summer of 2022. The 26-year-old has spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Forest Green Rovers and will be involved in a play-off push as the Gloucestershire outfit attempt to return to the EFL at the first time of asking.

Sawyers arrived in north Bristol in January on a deal until the end of the season while Brown returned to the club midway through the season after an unsuccessful loan spell at Notts County. His last appearance for Rovers was on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign. 22-year-old goalkeeper Hall also departs after two years, during which time he has made just two appearances for the club, both coming in the EFL Trophy this term.

Bristol Rovers Live on Whatsapp

Join Bristol Rovers Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol Rovers stories sent straight to your phone

Bristol Rovers Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.

Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol Rovers news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.

To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.

We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.

To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to join our WhatsApp community.

20-year-old academy graduate Lawrence also departs having made a total of three first-team appearances for the Gas.

Alongside those leaving the club upon the expiry of their respective contracts, six loanees will also be returning to their parent clubs, taking the total number of players leaving Rovers to a significant 15. Lino Sousa, Sil Swinkels (Aston Villa), Gatlin O’Donkor (Oxford United), Matt Butcher (Wycombe Wanderers), Michael Reindorf (Cardiff City) and Myles Roberts (Watford) all depart.

Rovers also confirmed on Sunday morning that head coach Inigo Calderon has left the club with the search process for a new manager well underway ahead of the Gas’ League Two campaign next season.

In the club’s official statement, director of football Ricky Martin said: “On behalf of Bristol Rovers I would like to express my gratitude to each of the players and staff who are moving on from the club this summer. Each goes with our collective best wishes for the future.

“The hard work is already underway in terms of our preparations for the 2025/26 season, including a comprehensive recruitment process for both our coaching department and first-team squad.

“While we are all experiencing the pain of our confirmed relegation, we are channelling that energy into ensuring our team and club is in the best possible position ahead of our first League Two fixture in August.”

Bristol Rovers make contracts decision as 15 players set to depart club following relegation

Tags: