 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2010) |
| 2008–09 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Mark Lawn Julian Rhodes | ||
| Manager | Stuart McCall | ||
| FA Cup | Second round | ||
| League Cup | First round | ||
| Football League Trophy | First round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Peter Thorne (17) All: Peter Thorne (17) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 14,038 vsNotts County (9 August 2008) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 5,065 vsLeyton Orient (29 November 2008) | ||
The2008–09 season was the 106th season in Bradford City A.F.C.'s history, their 94th inThe Football League and 96th in theleague system of English football. Their 10th-place finish in2007–08 meant it would be their second successive season inLeague Two.
This article covers a period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.
Stuart McCall had been appointed Bradford City's new manager ahead of the club's2007–08League Two campaign.[1] He had targeted promotion during his first season,[2] but the club were in the bottom half of the league until after the New Year and could only finish tenth, 16 points outside the play-off spots. McCall released 13 players at the end of the season,[3] and also lost his captain,David Wetherall, who decided to retire,[4] andLuke Medley, who turned down a new contract in favour of a return to his home in London.[5] McCall added four new signings: keeperJonathan McLaughlin,[6] midfielderChris Brandon,[7]Paul Arnison and defenderGraeme Lee during June as he attempted to build a team to win promotion.[8][9]
City returned to pre-season training on 1 July 2008 with a fifth new player, afterTranmere midfielderPaul McLaren signed a two-year deal.[10] Two weeks after pre-season training started, City played their first friendly when they lost 3–1 toFarsley Celtic, the only City goal coming from aBarry Conlon penalty. City's side included several trialists, including goalkeeperNick Colgan, Korey Nix (brother of City midfielder Kyle) andRory Boulding. Rory's elder brotherMichael, who had also been training with City, was unable to play because of an injury.[11] The second pre-season came three days later, when City defeatedBradford rivalsBradford Park Avenue 3–1, selecting a squad which included a number of youth team players.[12] City's third friendly was a 2–1 defeat by another West Yorkshire non-league side,Guiseley, who featured former Bradford playerDavid Brown on trial.[13] City embarked on a short tour of Scotland, where they defeatedDundee 1–0 but lost 4–0 toMotherwell.[14][15] During the tour, the club signed brothersMichael andRory Boulding on free transfers.[16] Upon their return to England, City lost their next friendly 2–1 toBurnley.[17] Following his form in several trial games, including a string of saves against Burnley, goalkeeperRhys Evans, who had played on loan the previous season with City, became City's latest signing on 1 August 2008.[18] Three days later, City's next friendly resulted in a 1–0 victory againstLeague One sideOldham Athletic.[19] The final pre-season friendly was played behind closed doors, when City lost 2–0 toSheffield Wednesday with a team made up of juniors and reserve players. A day before the start of the season, McCall signed defenderTJ Moncur on loan fromFulham as cover at right back. The agreement gave Bradford the option to sign Moncur, who had also played seven games on loan the previous season, on a permanent contract once the loan finished on 3 January 2009.[20]
City started the season with a 2–1 victory at home toNotts County. StrikerPeter Thorne, who had been Bradford's top goalscorer in the 2007–08 season and scored a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture, scored both Bradford's goals.[21] City again lost at the first round stage of theLeague Cup for the third successive season, this time 4–0 toWest Yorkshire rivalsHuddersfield Town.[22] Thorne, who had been rested to the substitutes' bench for the defeat at Huddersfield, returned for City's second league game when he scored both goals in a 2–0 victory atMacclesfield Town.[23] City maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2–0 victory againstRochdale on 23 August 2008.[24] It was the first time since the 2001–02 season that City had won their first three games of the season.[25]Michael Boulding opened the scoring with his first City goal before Thorne added his fifth of the campaign.[26] McCall stated he wanted to sign one more player before the August transfer deadline, before bringing in South African midfielderDean Furman from his former sideRangers on loan until January.[27] City's winning start to the league season came to an end with a defeat byAldershot Town—the first time the two sides had met. City had taken the lead withPaul McLaren's first goal for the club, but Peter Thorne missed a penalty as City lost 3–2.[28]
City suffered a second successive defeat when they were knocked out of another cup by a rival West Yorkshire side from League One. This time it wasLeeds United, who won 2–1, in theFootball League Trophy in front of 20,128 fans—one of the highest crowds for the tournament.Barry Conlon scored City's goal.[29] After two successive defeats, City returned to winning ways by defeatingPort Vale 2–0 on 6 September, with goals from Bullock and Thorne.[30] The game marked the first contest between managers Stuart McCall andLee Sinnott since McCall was appointed City manager in May 2007, when Sinnott was also in line for the job following his form atFarsley Celtic.[31] Thorne scored another two, as did Michael Boulding, when City added their fifth win from six league games with a 4–1 victory overExeter City (despite being 1–0 behind at half-time) to go top of the league.[32] City lost their unbeaten home start to the season the following week when they lost 3–1 toBournemouth, managed by former City playerJimmy Quinn.Joe Colbeck scored City's goal, his first of the season.[33] City suffered a second successive defeat a week later against another promotion favourite,Shrewsbury Town, 2–0. The game was marred by an injury to TJ Moncur, who collapsed after less than ten minutes after a clash of heads withGraeme Lee and had to be taken to hospital.[34]
City went a third game without victory with a 1–1 draw withLuton Town. City had been reduced to ten men whenPaul Heckingbottom wassent off, but just four minutes later Barry Conlon, who had come on as a substitute only a minute earlier, gave City the lead, only for Luton to equalise seven minutes later.[35] City recorded their first victory in four games by defeatingAccrington Stanley on 11 October, despite trailing by two goals with ten minutes to go. Goals by Conlon, Michael Boulding and Thorne gave City a 3–2 victory.[36] The roles were reversed a week later when City ledGillingham 2–0 at half-time with goals from Thorne and Colbeck; but, despite Gillingham being reduced to ten men whenMark Bentley wassent off, the game finished 2–2.[37] Only two days later, City again fell to a late goal when they lost toDarlington 2–1, withOmar Daley scoring his first goal of the season.[38] After recording just one victory in six matches, McCall said he wanted to bring in some loan transfers and signedTom Clarke from Huddersfield on 23 October.[39] He made his debut the following day as a first-half substitute againstGrimsby Town after fellow defenderMatthew Clarke was sent off. City were leading 1–0 at the time through anOmar Daley, and, despite being reduced to ten men, extended their advantage through former Grimsby striker Michael Boulding and a first club goal forGraeme Lee, eventually winning 3–1.[40] Colbeck was injured during the victory over Grimsby, and so McCall signed midfielderNicky Law, who had played ten games for City the previous season, as cover on another loan deal.[41] The month ended with a 1–0 against fellow promotion hopefulsBury, with Barry Conlon again coming on as substitute to score the only goal of the game.[42]
At the start of November, City extended their unbeaten run to three games, but were unable to defeatBarnet despite being ahead three times. Barry Conlon scored two of the goals in just his fourth league start of the season, with Peter Thorne scoring City's other goal in a 3–3 draw.[43] The first round of theFA Cup saw City drawn againstMilton Keynes Dons, who had won promotion toLeague One the previous season. However, City pulled off an upset with a 2–1 victory atstadium:mk with goals from Daley and Lee.[44] The following week's return to league action saw City againstWycombe Wanderers, who were second in the league and had the only remaining undefeated league record in the country.[45] A second half goal fromLewis Hunt gave Wycombe a 1–0 victory.[46] Full backLuke O'Brien scored his first senior goal in City's next league game as City defeatedRotherham United 2–0 in their first game at theDon Valley Stadium, Rotherham's temporary home. Nicky Law's first goal of his second spell completed the scoring.[47] A second half penalty from Conlon three days later againstChesterfield gave City back-to-back victories and their second 3–2 of the season after being 2–0 down. First half goals from Graeme Lee and Michael Boulding had started the comeback in the first half before Chesterfield were reduced to ten men whenAlan Goodall was sent off for committing the foul which led to Conlon's penalty.[48] Winger Omar Daley was injured in the game, becoming the latest midfielder to be sidelined. As a result, McCall brought into another loan transfer two days later by signingSteve Jones fromBurnley for one month.[49] Jones made his debut the following weekend as City lost 2–1 in the FA Cup second round to League One'sLeyton Orient.[50]
At the start of December, Chilean strikerWilly Topp was released from his contract six months early to let him find a new club. He played only two games during the 2008–09 season, both as substitute.[51] The following day, Tom Clarke followed him out of the club, after he was recalled from his loan spell by Huddersfield caretaker managerGerry Murphy.[52] The first game of the month saw City extend their unbeaten run to three games with a 1–1 draw againstDagenham & Redbridge, in a game in which opposition managerJohn Still said they had dominated.[53] City's unbeaten run was ended atBrentford the following week in a 2–1 defeat, with all three goals coming in the final two minutes. City's goal came from Michael Boulding, who scored for the third successive game.[54] City failed to win for a third successive game when they drew 0–0 withChester City.[55] Another 0–0 draw followed as City's run without victory extended to four games in the first game of the festive period atLincoln City.[56] Bradford ended their run of four games without a victory by defeatingMorecambe 4–0 in the final game of the season to return to the automatic promotion spots.[57]
At the start of the New Year, TJ Moncur's loan spell was cancelled and he returned to Fulham.[58] The following day, City brought in another player on loan, withChris O'Grady signing fromOldham Athletic for one month.[59] City kept their fourth successive clean sheet the following day in the first game of 2009, but were again involved in a goalless draw, this time with fellow promotion-chasing side Shrewsbury Town.[60] City's activity in the loan market continued, with Nicky Law extending his loan until the end of the season,[61] while midfielder Luke Sharry was loaned out toConference National sideBarrow.[62] Furman also extended his loan to the end of the season and Jones for another month.[63][64]
City's next scheduled game was postponed because of a frozen pitch,[65] before they extended their unbeaten run to five games the following week with their fourth draw during that run. A second half goal from Conlon gave City a 1–1 draw with Accrington Stanley.[66] The run was extended to three successive draws against Luton Town, although City were losing 2–0 at half-time before they recovered to 2–2. A late goal from Luton'sAsa Hall looked to have given Luton the win, before Conlon scored for a second successive game, this time from a penalty, to give City a 3–3 draw.[67]
Two days after the game, City again moved into the loan market by takingPakistani international defenderZesh Rehman for the rest of the season fromChampionship sideQPR.[68] Leaving the club on loan was another central defender,Mark Bower, who was signed by Luton Town for one month to cover injuries and suspensions.[69] Rehman was given his debut the following day as City's run without defeat came to an end with a 1–0 loss to top three side Bury to drop out of the top seven for the first time in the season.[70][71] However, City made amends in their final game of the month by recording their first victory of the calendar year, 2–0 against a Grimsby side which had been reduced to ten men. City's goals came from loan players Law and Jones, whose goal was his first for the club.[72]
The January transfer window closed two days later than traditionally, with City extending Jones' loan until the end of the season but deciding to allow O'Grady to return toOldham.[73][74] City had been due to playDarlington live on television the same day, but the game was postponed because of snow.[75] When City returned to action, they recorded their first back-to-back victories since November with a 2–0 victory against fellow promotion-chasing Gillingham.[76] It was followed up by a third successive victory without conceding, with a 1–0 victory against second placed Wycombe a week later. Jones scored for the second successive home game.[77] The sequence of wins came to an end with the rearranged game with Darlington, which ended in a 0–0 draw.[78] City's four games without defeat or conceding came to an end with a 4–1 defeat by Barnet, who were third from bottom in the table and without a home win in four months.[79] It was followed up by another away defeat, this time 3–1 at Notts County, which saw City drop out of the play-off spots.[80]
City ended their three-run game without a defeat and returned to the play-off spots three days later by defeating Macclesfield Town 1–0 with a goal from Dean Furman.[81] Four days later, City recorded their highest victory of the season with a 5–0 victory againstAldershot Town. Peter Thorne scored two goals, with Dean Furman, Barry Conlon and a last minuteown goal completing City's scoring.[82] When City returned to the road three days later, they recorded a third consecutive away defeat, this time 3–0 to fellow promotion-contenders Rochdale, with all three goals coming in the second half.[83] The following day,Northern Ireland international wingerKeith Gillespie joined City for the rest of the season after he impressed Stuart McCall during two weeks training with the club.[84] After another defeat, the fourth successive away from home, this time 1–0 to another side chasing promotion, Exeter City, Bradford once again dropped out of the play-off places.[85] Conlon and Clarke were disciplined by the club and missed the game with Exeter because of a non-footballing matter.[86] When City suffered their fifth successive away defeat, this time 4–1 to Bournemouth, only three days later,[87] Stuart McCall threatened to resign if the side missed out on a play-off place.[88]
Although Conlon played in the defeat by Bournemouth, he was sent on loan to Grimsby at the end of the week, with fellow strikerPaul Mullin arriving as his replacement from Accrington Stanley on a similar deal to the end of the season.[89] The following day, a 1–0 defeat by Port Vale was City's fourth loss in 11 games.[90] McCall opted not to bring in any more new players by the transfer deadline,[91] but defenderSimon Ainge was allowed to move on loan toCambridge United.[92] City's run without a victory was extended to five with a goalless draw away at Chester, who had themselves not won in their previous 17 games.[93]
City started April by extending their number of games without a win to six with a 1–1 draw at home with league leadersBrentford. City's goal came in the final minute from Peter Thorne to rescue one point.[94] Despite taking the lead in their subsequent game through Matt Clarke's header, City's run of form continued with a 2–1 defeat by Morecambe. City also had a goal from Thorne ruled out which would have given them a 2–0 lead.[95]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 August 2008 | Notts County | Home | 2–1 | 14,038 | Thorne (2) | [21] |
| 2 | 16 August 2008 | Macclesfield Town | Away | 2–0 | 2,556 | Thorne (2) | [23] |
| 3 | 23 August 2008 | Rochdale | Home | 2–0 | 13,154 | M. Boulding,Thorne | [24] |
| 4 | 30 August 2008 | Aldershot Town | Away | 2–3 | 3,805 | Bullock,McLaren | [28] |
| 5 | 6 September 2008 | Port Vale | Away | 2–0 | 7,273 | Bullock,Thorne | [30] |
| 6 | 13 September 2008 | Exeter City | Home | 4–1 | 12,683 | M. Boulding (2),Thorne (2) | [32] |
| 7 | 20 September 2008 | Bournemouth | Home | 1–3 | 12,824 | Colbeck | [33] |
| 8 | 27 September 2008 | Shrewsbury Town | Away | 0–2 | 6,517 | [34] | |
| 9 | 4 October 2008 | Luton Town | Home | 1–1 | 13,083 | Conlon | [35] |
| 10 | 11 October 2008 | Accrington Stanley | Away | 3–2 | 3,012 | M. Boulding,Conlon,Thorne | [36] |
| 11 | 18 October 2008 | Gillingham | Home | 2–2 | 12,432 | Colbeck,Thorne | [37] |
| 12 | 21 October 2008 | Darlington | Away | 1–2 | 3,034 | Daley | [38] |
| 13 | 24 October 2008 | Grimsby Town | Away | 3–1 | 4,470 | M. Boulding,Daley,Lee | [40] |
| 14 | 28 October 2008 | Bury | Home | 1–0 | 12,830 | Conlon | [42] |
| 15 | 1 November 2008 | Barnet | Home | 3–3 | 12,510 | Conlon (2),Thorne | [43] |
| 16 | 15 November 2008 | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 0–1 | 5,002 | [46] | |
| 17 | 22 November 2008 | Rotherham United | Away | 2–0 | 4,586 | Law,O'Brien | [96] |
| 18 | 25 November 2008 | Chesterfield | Home | 3–2 | 12,145 | M. Boulding,Conlon (pen),Lee | [48] |
| 19 | 6 December 2008 | Dagenham & Redbridge | Home | 1–1 | 12,145 | M. Boulding | [53] |
| 20 | 13 December 2008 | Brentford | Away | 1–2 | 4,339 | M. Boulding | [54] |
| 21 | 20 December 2008 | Chester City | Home | 0–0 | 12,092 | [55] | |
| 22 | 26 December 2008 | Lincoln City | Away | 0–0 | 6,156 | [56] | |
| 23 | 28 December 2008 | Morecambe | Home | 4–0 | 13,105 | M. Boulding,Conlon (pen),Law,McLaren | [57] |
| 24 | 3 January 2009 | Shrewsbury Town | Home | 0–0 | 12,877 | [60] | |
| 25 | 17 January 2009 | Accrington Stanley | Home | 1–1 | 12,172 | Conlon | [66] |
| 26 | 24 January 2009 | Luton Town | Away | 3–3 | 6,053 | Conlon (pen),Furman,McLaren | [67] |
| 27 | 27 January 2009 | Bury | Away | 0–1 | 4,112 | [70] | |
| 28 | 31 January 2009 | Grimsby Town | Home | 2–0 | 12,816 | Jones,Law | [72] |
| 29 | 7 February 2009 | Gillingham | Away | 2–0 | 4,866 | M. Boulding,Daley | [76] |
| 30 | 14 February 2009 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 1–0 | 12,689 | Jones | [77] |
| 31 | 17 February 2009 | Darlington | Home | 0–0 | 12,782 | [78] | |
| 32 | 21 February 2009 | Barnet | Away | 1–4 | 2,445 | M. Boulding | [79] |
| 33 | 28 February 2009 | Notts County | Away | 1–3 | 5,138 | Thorne | [80] |
| 34 | 3 March 2009 | Macclesfield Town | Home | 1–0 | 11,908 | Furman | [81] |
| 35 | 7 March 2009 | Aldershot Town | Home | 5–0 | 12,465 | Conlon,Furman,Thorne (2),own goal | [82] |
| 36 | 10 March 2009 | Rochdale | Away | 0–3 | 5,157 | [83][97] | |
| 37 | 14 March 2009 | Exeter City | Away | 0–1 | 5,253 | [85] | |
| 38 | 17 March 2009 | Bournemouth | Away | 1–4 | 4,847 | M. Clarke | [87] |
| 39 | 21 March 2009 | Port Vale | Home | 0–1 | 12,436 | [90] | |
| 40 | 28 March 2009 | Chester City | Away | 0–0 | 2,735 | [93] | |
| 41 | 4 April 2009 | Brentford | Home | 1–1 | 12,832 | Thorne | [94] |
| 42 | 10 April 2009 | Morecambe | Away | 1–2 | 4,546 | M. Clarke | [95] |
| 43 | 13 April 2009 | Lincoln City | Home | 1–1 | 12,932 | Bullock | |
| 44 | |||||||
| 45 | |||||||
| 46 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 November 2008 | Milton Keynes Dons | Away | 2–1 | 5,542 | Daley,Lee | [44] |
| 2 | 29 November 2008 | Leyton Orient | Home | 1–2 | 5,065 | M. Boulding | [50] |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 August 2008 | Huddersfield Town | Away | 0–4 | 8,932 | [22] |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 September 2008 | Leeds United | Away | 1–2 | 20,128 | Conlon | [29] |
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 1 | GK |  Rhys Evans | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Paul Arnison | 22 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 (1) | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Paul Heckingbottom | 9 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 (1) | 0 |
| 4 | MF | Paul McLaren | 30 (1) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 (1) | 3 |
| 5 | DF | Graeme Lee | 41 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 3 |
| 6 | DF | Mark Bower | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 7 | MF |  Omar Daley | 26 (2) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 (2) | 4 |
| 8 | MF | Lee Bullock | 11 (8) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 12 (9) | 2 |
| 9 | FW |  Barry Conlon | 15 (15) | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 (15) | 11 |
| 10 | FW | Peter Thorne | 29 (5) | 15 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 (7) | 15 |
| 11 | MF | Chris Brandon | 3 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (3) | 0 |
| 12 | DF | Matthew Clarke | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 2 |
| 13 | GK | Jonathan McLaughlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | Michael Boulding | 33 (8) | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 36 (9) | 12 |
| 15 | MF | Joe Colbeck | 17 (8) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 (8) | 2 |
| 16 | DF | Simon Ainge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW |  Willy Topp | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Rory Boulding | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | Luke O'Brien | 30 (1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 (1) | 1 |
| 20 | DF | TJ Moncur | 11 (3) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 (4) | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Tom Clarke | 4 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (2) | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Kyle Nix | 5 (9) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 (9) | 0 |
| 23 | MF |  Dean Furman | 24 (6) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 (6) | 3 |
| 24 | MF | Nicky Law | 28 (1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 (1) | 3 |
| 25 | MF |  Steve Jones | 22 (2) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 (2) | 2 |
| 26 | MF | Luke Sharry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | Leon Osborne | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
| 28 | FW | Sean Taylforth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 29 | DF | Adrian Bellamy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | Matthew Convey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | Chris O'Grady | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |
| 33 | DF |  Zesh Rehman | 13 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 (1) | 0 |
| 34 | MF | Keith Gillespie | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
| 35 | FW | Paul Mullin | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| own goals | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||
| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2008 | MF | Paul McLaren | Tranmere Rovers | Free | [10] |
| 24 July 2008 | FW | Michael Boulding | Mansfield Town | Free | [16] |
| 24 July 2008 | FW | Rory Boulding | Mansfield Town | Tribunal | [16] |
| 1 August 2008 | GK | Rhys Evans | Millwall | Free | [18] |
| 11 March 2009 | MF | Keith Gillespie | Sheffield United | Free | [84] |
| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 December 2008 | FW | Willy Topp | Released | [51] |
| Date | Pos | Name | From | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 2008 | DF | TJ Moncur | Fulham | 1 January 2009 | [20][58] |
| 27 August 2008 | MF | Dean Furman |  Rangers | [27] | |
| 23 October 2008 | DF | Tom Clarke | Huddersfield Town | 3 December 2008 | [39][52] |
| 27 October 2008 | MF | Nicky Law | Sheffield United | [41] | |
| 27 November 2008 | MF | Steve Jones | Burnley | [49] | |
| 2 January 2009 | FW | Chris O'Grady | Oldham Athletic | 2 February 2009 | [59][74] |
| 26 January 2009 | DF | Zesh Rehman | Queens Park Rangers | [68] | |
| 20 March 2009 | FW | Paul Mullin | Accrington Stanley | [89] |
| Date | Pos | Name | To | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August 2008 | DF | Adrian Bellamy | Salford City | [99] | |
| 7 October 2008 | MF | Sean Taylforth | Guiseley | [100] | |
| 6 January 2009 | MF | Luke Sharry | Barrow | 24 February 2009 | [62][101] |
| 26 January 2009 | DF | Mark Bower | Luton Town | [69] | |
| MF | Louis Horne | Barrow | 24 February 2009 | [101][102] | |
| GK | Matthew Convey | Salford City | [103] | ||
| 20 March 2009 | FW | Barry Conlon | Grimsby Town | [89] | |
| 26 March 2009 | DF | Simon Ainge | Cambridge United | [92] |
