The departing 'powerhouse' defender Brackley Town will struggle to replace
Brackley Town recently paid farewell to one of their standout players from 2025/26.
Named the supporters’ player of the season at the end of April, veteran defender Michael Nottingham is confirmed to be leaving this summer.
Nottingham’s departure will leave a big hole in Brackley’s defence – especially when paired with the retirement of captain Gaz Dean.
The former St. Kitts and Nevis international made 33 appearances throughout the campaign just gone, including 29 in the National League and two in the FA Cup.
Despite Brackley’s disappointing relegation back down to the National League North, there were some excellent periods in a debut National League season.
Nottingham, who played a key role in those purple patches, posted to social media: “Sadly my time at Brackley has come to an end.
“I’m devastated that we weren’t able to keep the club in the National League but I have belief that the club is surrounded by the right people to bounce back.
“We had ups and downs during the season but had some great memories also.
“Thank you to all the players, staff and fans for making it such an enjoyable place to play football.”
The Saints have entered a huge summer, with just one player - Kyle Morrison - contracted for next season.
Head coach Andy Whing is excited to get stuck into a complete squad overhaul, but it won’t be easy to replace some – particularly Nottingham.
The defender, now 37, has a wealth of experience at a high level having racked up 135 career League One appearances and played 21 times in the Scottish top flight.
Of course, Nottingham is well beyond his prime years, but he’s still a powerhouse of a defender and his ability to play at both centre-back and right-back will be missed.
As will his leadership, especially as that’s a quality Whing wants many of his new recruits to possess.
Brackley will also lose much of their aerial prowess in both boxes, as the 6ft 4in Nottingham was a force to be reckoned with from set pieces.
Finding a suitable successor for Nottingham - particularly if Whing seeks similar attributes to the ex-Blackpool man - won’t be easy.