Football Manager 2021 English Lower League Clubs to Manage

List of five English lower league clubs to manage in Football Manager 2021. One of the most fun saves in FM2021 is climbing the English pyramid.

List of five English lower league clubs to manage in Football Manager 2021. One of the most fun saves in FM2021 is climbing the English lower league system.

Climbing up the English lower league system is one of the most fun saves on Football Manager 2021 that you could give a go. This list will provide you with some ideas of who to take over on that journey in FM2021.

Tranmere Rovers

Set in the shadow of nearby Everton and Liverpool, Tranmere Rovers are a club with plenty of potential. Prenton Park is a large lower league stadium and Tranmere have produced good youth players in the past including Jason Koumas and Aaron Cresswell. The facilities at the club are there to allow for an upward progression through the football league.

Ex-Everton man James Vaughan in FM2021

Up front Tranmere have, the Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer, ex-Everton man James Vaughan. Meanwhile, combative midfielder Jay Spearing is the heartbeat of the side. Their line-up, which has plenty of new signings, has the potential to make the League Two playoffs.

Salford City

Backed by the Class of ’92, Salford City have had a meteoric rise up the leagues and finished in a respectable mid-table position in their first season in the Football League. However, this was not enough for the highly ambitious board and Gary Alexander was sacked within a few games of the new season (Paul Scholes is the interim manager at the time of writing).

Can you continue Salford City rise?

The Salford squad is full of players who have played at higher level like former Everton midfielder Darron Gibson, ex Blackburn player Jason Lowe, and Richie Towell. There’s plenty of backing but equally as much expectation mean that you’ll have a demanding challenge on your hands as manager.

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers are now infamous for their financial predicament. A club in absolute crisis that have just dropped into the fourth tier of English football for only the second time in their history.

Yet as recently as 2008, Bolton were officially in the 50 best teams in Europe after beating Bayern Munich. At that point, they were higher than both PSG and Manchester City in UEFA’s club rankings. How times have changed.

It's a long journey back for Bolton.

It’s going to be a long journey to get the club back top those extremely lofty heights. A rejuvenated squad including Eoin Doyle, Ali Crawford, and Nathan Delfouneso coupled with great facilities and a large stadium should allow you good first steps in that long journey

Wrexham

Rumoured to be taken over by Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham are one of National League’s biggest sides. The Racecourse Ground outfit have some good players, a strong youth system and a professional setup which has them setup for success in the Conference.



Wrexham have a decent squad which includes a strong centre back Shaun Pearson, former Manchester United trainee Devonte Redmond and youngster Jordan Davies. Can you get them back into the football league after 12 years away?

Harrogate Town 

In August 2020, Harrogate Town won the Nation League playoffs to reach the Football League for the first time in their 106-year history. There is a real feeling of optimism at the club after the club’s recent successes but League Two will be a huge challenge. With a comparatively small wage and transfer budget, avoiding relegation in the first season will be the main aim for Harrogate Town. 

Can you avoid relegation with an all British squad? 

The all British squad has mainly stayed the same from the line-up that was promoted from National League. Former Premier League forward Jon Stead leads the line alongside main goal scorer Jack Muldoon. Full-back Calvin Miller was signed from Celtic over the summer to strengthen the back line.