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EFL

12 August, 2024

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

STAR FOOTBALL ANTE-POST PREVIEW: League Two – 1-24 Predictions

ALL KICKING OFF – LEAGUE TWO: The 2024/25 campaign is nearly upon us and sure to be another exciting season!

Our football writer and resident EFL fanatic JOE CITRONE has put together his preview for the new EFL League Two season, complete with 1-24 predictions and recommended ante-post bets.

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1. Doncaster Rovers

I think it would be fair to say that the 2023/24 campaign was a bit of a rollercoaster for Doncaster Rovers who, as recently as January, looked to be embroiled in a relegation battle before a truly remarkable run of form led them to the play-off positions.

Unfortunately for Grant McCann and co, they couldn’t get themselves over the line and into League One – losing to Crewe Alexandra on penalties in the play-offs – but will still come into this campaign with momentum and belief that they can go all the way.

Although losing tricky winger Hakeeb Adelakun was a blow, they have been aggressive and proactive in the transfer market and got their business done early; adding some strong additions such as non-league starlet Joe Sbarra and EFL journeyman Billy Sharp.

McCann has come close to leading Doncaster Rovers to promotion on a couple of occasions across his two spells with the club, but this time I think he’ll get it done – and I think they will do it as champions.

Doncaster Rovers to win the League Two title – currently ? with starsports.bet

2. Milton Keynes Dons

Mike Williamson got MK Dons playing some lovely football last season, but when it really mattered, collapsed in the play-offs; suffering a humiliating 8-1 aggregate defeat to Crawley Town.

Williamson’s side now goes into this season with a point to prove and have wasted no time in making some eye-catching signings ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

They have pinched two of Accrington’s star performers in Tommy Leigh and Joe Pritchard and also added Luke Offord, Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Liam Kelly to their squad in an impressive blend of talent, ability, and experience of the level.

The losses of Max Dean and Warren O’Hora will come as big blows, but MK’s recruitment team – who also seem to have their finger on the pulse – have done a good job of replacing them and I am sure there is still more to come in the remaining weeks of the window.

MK will need to address their performances in big games, which ultimately is where they fell short last term, but their squad is simply too strong not to go up this time around in my opinion.

MK Dons to win promotion from League Two – currently ? with starsports.bet

3. Gillingham

Of all the new managerial appointments made in League Two this summer, I think Mark Bonner at Gillingham is probably the most impressive.

He did a fabulous job at Cambridge United, guiding them to automatic promotion from this division in 2021 before then establishing the Amber Army as a League One club; performing a great escape from relegation in 2021-22 campaign.

Bonner will now be looking to repeat the trick with Gillingham, who under their ambitious American owners, will be hoping this will be the season where they can take that next step towards League One.

In Armani Little and Elliott Nevitt in particular, the Gills have made some excellent, under-the-radar signings, and with a good manager like Bonner at the helm, it should all come together this season and result in them returning to the third-tier of English football.

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4. Port Vale

Of the four clubs who have come down from League One, I think Port Vale have the best chance of bouncing straight back up.

Darren Moore was unable to save Vale from relegation last season after he replaced Andy Crosby in February. He will have been relishing the chance to put his own stamp on this team, though, and appears to have been backed strongly by the board in that endeavour this summer.

At the time of writing, no less than 10 new players have been signed up by Vale for the new season and some of those new additions have really caught the eye.

Ronan Curtis and Jayden Stockley should provide plenty of goals at League Two level, and I am also very intrigued to see how Ruari Paton gets on after joining from Queen’s Park. He has been prolific in the Scottish lower leagues in recent years, and if they can adapt to the English game, should be a real threat next season.

I have Port Vale finishing in 4th-position.

Port Vale to finish in the top seven – currently ? with starsports.bet

5. Carlisle United

Carlisle United had a disastrous League One campaign last time out, finishing bottom of the division by some distance, and immediately returning to League Two after promotion a little over twelve months ago.

They have shown loyalty by sticking by manager Paul Simpson – which I think is the correct decision – as they look to rebuild and make an immediate return to the third tier.

Under new ownership, Simpson has a much healthier budget to play with than the last time Carlisle were at this level, and that is reflected by some of the signings they have made so far this summer.

Charlie Wyke’s return to the club is the headline addition. If he can recapture the kind of form he was able to produce the last time he was with the club – 18 goals in all competitions in 16/17 – then the Cumbrians could have a top goalscorer contender on their hands.

I also think players like Dylan McGeouch, Luke Armstrong and Georgie Kelly, who weren’t quite able to live up to expectation in League One, will fare much, much better in League Two.

Carlisle should have a strong season and I think they will reach the play-offs fairly comfortably.

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Premier League offer …..

6. Bradford City

It has been a difficult couple of years for Bradford City with so much potential going unrealised as the former Premier League side continues to languish in League Two.

However, this could be the season where they push on and get themselves back to competing at the top end of the fourth tier.

I am not expecting them to be the prettiest side in the division or play the best football, but Graham Alexander knows how to get results at this level and guided the Bantams to five wins out of five at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

Antoni Sarcevic, who has worked with Alexander before at Fleetwood Town, is an excellent signing and should provide plenty of service to Andy Cook – an absolutely prolific goalscorer at this level.

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7. Chesterfield

Chesterfield romped home to the National League title last season and I am expecting the Spireites to continue that momentum into their 2023/24 League Two campaign.

Although I am not entirely convinced by them as title favourites ( ? with starsports.bet), I do believe the squad they had last season was good enough to be competitive at this level and, with the extra additions they have made, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them be up there.

Will Grigg and Paddy Madden should provide plenty of goals at this level, Chey Dunkley is a really strong addition at the back, and I am intrigued to see Armando Dobra – who tore the National League up last season – make the step up to League Two.

An automatic promotion push is likely beyond them, but a play-off charge could be on the cards for newly-promoted Chesterfield.

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8. Notts County

Notts County made a very bright start to their first season back in League Two, but after the departure of previous manager Luke Williams, their form dropped off significantly and they fell away into mid-table.

Current boss Stuart Maynard came in for some pressure from County fans towards the end of the campaign and the former Wealdstone manager has a point to prove heading into this new season.

This summer, Notts have added some quality players such as Jacob Bedeau from Morecambe and Kellan Gordon from Crawley Town but – although they have been able to retain Jodi Jones – have been unable to hold onto prolific goalscorer Macauley Langstaff and that will come as a big blow.

I am excited, though, to see striker Alassana Jatta in action. After a lengthy work permit process, he joined the Notts squad in February and showed exciting flashes of the player he could be.

I expect an improvement from Notts this season with their squad seemingly a lot more well-rounded, but I am sadly still not fully convinced by Maynard at this stage to have them as a play-off contender.

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9. Colchester United

After a disappointing few years of scrapping at the wrong end of the League Two table, this could be the season where Colchester United start moving in the right direction again.

Why do I think this? Well, the Cowley brothers – who were drafted in as the new management team in early January – are a big reason behind it. They have proven themselves to be canny operators at this level and know how to get results.

Their signings haven’t been bad either; adding some decent quality like goalkeeper Matt Macey, creative midfielder Jack Payne, and, of course, veteran striker Lyle Taylor who the Cowleys know well from their time at Concord Rangers.

They have lost some good players as well – Jayden Fevrier to Stockport County and Cameron McGeehan to Northampton Town – but this Colchester side is in a much better place than they were 12 months ago.

This could also be a breakthrough season for young striker Bradley Ihionvien who forced his way into the first-team picture last season. Under the Cowleys, who have a good record of getting the best out of their centre-forwards, this could be the campaign where the 20-year-old starts to really catch fire.

Transforming down-on-their-luck relegation strugglers into genuine promotion contenders in one summer might just be beyond the Cowley brothers. However, I still expect a huge improvement and a ninth-place finish would represent progress at last for the U’s after a few years in the doldrums.

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10. Crewe Alexandra

Crewe Alexandra will be looking to shake off their play-off hangover, after they fell at the final hurdle to Crawley Town at Wembley last season, and continue their progress under promising young coach Lee Bell.

However, losing Rio Adebisi, Luke Offord and Elliott Nevitt means this could be a slightly rougher season for the Alex and I have them slipping down to 10th-position.

It might have been further if not for Bell who I think has shown so far in his fledgling managerial career that he has the credentials to go far in the game.

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11. Fleetwood Town

It has been a tumultuous 12 months for Fleetwood Town with ex-owner Andy Pilley imprisoned for fraud and the club subsequently suffering relegation from League One.

They have also gone through several managers in that time, starting last season with Scott Brown at the helm before giving a brief stint to Lee Johnson and then ending up with first-time-manager Charlie Adam.

Although they went down under Adam, Fleetwood probably showed arguably their best performances of the whole season under him with the former Liverpool midfielder showing glimpses that he could have the makings of a good manager.

As things stand, they have been able to keep hold of some players who could thrive in this league; Phoenix Patterson, Ronan Coughlan, Ryan Broom and Brendan Wiredu in particular.

They still need a few additions, and it may take some time to adapt to this new league, but I reckon the Cod Army will have a reasonable season.

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12. AFC Wimbledon

It’s hard to know what to make of AFC Wimbledon. Johnnie Jackson has been in charge of the Dons for a little over two years, and if I’m honest, I am still none the wiser as to whether he’s a good manager or not.

There have been some highs – that dramatic win over fierce rivals MK Dons last season is certainly right up there – but there have been some painful lows as well with Jackson being heavily criticised and questioned by the club’s own fanbase at times.

Although losing Ronan Curtis to Port Vale will have been frustrating and academy product Jack Currie joining Oxford United will have been tough to take, I do quite like the look of some of their signings. Goalkeeper Owen Goodman on loan is a smart piece of business as is striker Matthew Stevens on a free transfer from Forest Green Rovers if he is able to recapture his best form.

However, there is just something I’m not quite able to put my finger on that is stopping me from placing them amongst the chasing pack at the top of the table.

Somewhere in mid-table is where I expect to see them finish up.

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13. Tranmere Rovers

In Nigel Adkins, Tranmere Rovers may have the happiest man in football in charge, but I am predicting a season for them that even Adkins may struggle to crack a smile about.

In fairness, a 13th-place finish would represent progress for Tranmere after a difficult couple of years, but I think it would be fair to say that the Rovers faithful will probably be hoping for more out of this season.

However, at the time of writing, I am not sure I have seen a transfer window from them that gives me the belief that this team is ready to jump seven or eight places in the table.

I am predicting them for a modest, respectable but fairly uninspiring 13th-position.

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14. Barrow

I am always concerned that, whenever a team ends a season in bad form, there is a chance that they will continue that into the following season, and that’s what I fear will happen to Barrow.

On the whole, it was a positive 2022/23 campaign for Barrow, but they will still have been frustrated that a poor run at the worst time – just two wins in their last 10 games – saw a play-off place slip away.

With manager Pete Wild departing as well, a crucial reason behind the success last season, I am not expecting much from Barrow if I am being honest.

Conor Mahoney and Theo Vassell are smart free additions, and Andy Dallas on loan from Barnsley is a solid signing up top, but the appointment of Stephen Clemence doesn’t fill me with a ton of confidence and I can see them slipping into the bottom-half of the table.

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15. Salford City

Salford City were one of the big underachievers last season, finishing just a handful of places above the drop-zone, despite many – including myself – tipping them for promotion at the start of the campaign.

Despite a change in management and a big turnover of players, I am not expecting the Ammies’ fortunes to change much this term, and I can envisage another season of frustration for the Class of 92-owned club.

Bar Ben Woodburn who, providing he can stay fit, looks like a decent signing for the level, I haven’t been impressed by Salford’s transfer business so far, and they have lost some key players as well in Matt Smith, Elliot Watt and Alex Cairns.

Karl Robinson should have enough experience under his belt to keep the Ammies clear of danger. I don’t think that this has been the transformative transfer window that he would have been hoping for that will see them competing at the top, though.

Although a 15th-place finish would be a jump of five places from last season, it would still be a disappointing campaign for a club with lofty ambitions.

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16. Cheltenham Town

Cheltenham Town suffered relegation from League One last season and I can see another disappointing season on the horizon for the Robins.

Darrell Clarke came so close to pulling off the greatest of escapes last term but, ultimately, Cheltenham weren’t able to survive and now find themselves back in League Two.

Clarke has since left for Barnsley and has been replaced by Michael Flynn who was once regarded as one of the most exciting coaches in the EFL whilst in charge of Newport County, but whose stock has fallen in recent years after disappointing spells with Walsall and Swindon Town.

A host of new players have come in, which include returns for Owen Evans and Harry Pell, and I expect Matty Taylor to continue to bang in the goals, but they don’t have a squad equipped for a promotion push for me.

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17. Walsall

Walsall had a very up-and-down 2023/24 season where, at times, they were able to produce unbelievable runs of form, but were unable to be consistent enough for a spot in the play-offs.

Isaac Hutchinson, a skillful and creative midfield player who wracked up 15 goals and 12 assists last season in all competitions, was a huge reason behind the success the Sadlers did have last term but he has since departed for League One side Bristol Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

Despite the signing of experienced forward Albery Adomah, which looks interesting on paper, Hutchinson’s departure is bound to have a profound effect on Walsall’s chances of success this season.

Combined with my uncertainty over manager Mat Sadler, who did okay last season but still has a lot to prove in my eyes, this could be a frustrating campaign for the West Midlanders.

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18. Grimsby Town

When David Artell took charge of Grimsby Town in November, my intial thought was that if he was able to steady the ship and keep the Mariners in the league, they could be in for a really exciting and strong 2024-25 campaign.

However, I have been left fairly underwhelmed by their transfer business which may leave them with a decent-looking starting XI, but very little depth after that.

In George McEachran, they have signed a player that is as good as you can get at this level on his day, but whose career has been plagued by inconsistency to date, and their other signings – such as Lewis Cass and Matty Carson – look solid but unspectacular.

There may be a chance that if those some of those young signings catch light, and Artell’s coaching over pre-season pays off, that Grimsby could finish higher. But there are just too many unknowns at the moment for me.

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19. Swindon Town

Off-field issues have contributed to a difficult couple of seasons for Swindon Town and I am expecting another one for Mark Kennedy’s side.

They have been busy in the transfer market, adding the likes of Will Wright from Crawley Town and Ollie Clarke from Mansfield Town, and at the time of writing have been able to keep hold of strike Paul Glatzel, but their trend for the last few years has been a downward trajectory and I think that will continue this season.

I think the players they have brought in should help keep their heads above water and prevent them dropping into the National League, but I can see another uncomfortable season on the horizon for Swindon Town.

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20. Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver is the current longest-serving manager in the top four leagues having first taken charge of the Sulphurites in 2009 – and has done a pretty incredible since taking them to the EFL for the first time in 2020.

Last season, Harrogate managed a very solid 13th-place finish – and even flirted with the play-offs at times – which is no mean feat for a side with one of the smallest budgets in the division.

However, due to that limited budget, their business this summer hasn’t been able to capture the imagination with Ellis Taylor, Stephen Duke-McKenna and Zico Asare the only permanent additions to Weaver’s squad.

Weaver has proven himself to be a canny operator at this level and I back him to keep Harrogate punching above their weight, but do think they’ll be looking over their shoulders at times in this upcoming season.

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21. Bromley

This will be a historic season for Bromley as they are set to play in the EFL for the first time.

It was a tense and cagey play-off final against Solihull Moors, but Andy Woodman’s side navigated a dramatic penalty shoot-out to earn promotion into the fourth tier for the first time. Now, they’ll want to stay there.

No side has ever gone straight back down after promotion from the National League and I expect Bromley to be able to help maintain that record.

The bulk of the squad that earned promotion last season has stayed, which is great news, and they have strengthened some key areas with the signings of Omar Sowunmi, Danny Imray and Marcus Diananga among others.

That, along with the togetherness of this group and the momentum that they are coming into this season with, should be enough to keep their heads above water.

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22. Morecambe

Morecambe’s off-field issues have left them as many people’s pick to go down, but with Derek Adams back at the helm for a third spell in charge, I can see them making another great escape this season.

17 new players have come through the door at Morecambe this summer at the time of writing, and although none of them are especially eye-catching, they all fit the bill of what Adams will be looking for. Solid, reliable, experienced, and can do a job.

I don’t expect the Shrimps to pull up any trees this season, but Adams and Morecambe are a match made in heaven, and I think they can prove a lot of people wrong and stay in the division with him at the helm.

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23. Accrington Stanley

It’s been a hell of a ride but, sadly, I have Accrington Stanley dropping out of League Two next season.

Unfortunately, without the miracle workers of John Coleman and Jimmy Bell at the helm, I can see this being the season where things go awry for Stanley.

John Doolan knows the club inside out but lacks managerial experience, and with Stanley losing both Tommy Leigh and Joe Pritchard this summer, the rookie boss has an almighty challenge on his hands for his first-ever role as a number one.

As for their recruitment, there are a lot of gambles from non-league – which has worked wonders for Stanley in the past – but they are relying heavily on them hitting the ground running and that concerns me.

This is going to be a tough season for Stanley, and my prediction is that they will drop out of the EFL for the first time in nearly 20 years.

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24. Newport County

Sorry, Newport County fans – I have you coming rock bottom of League Two.

It’s been a tough couple of years for the Exiles as the promising work done under previous manager Michael Flynn, which very nearly saw them promoted to League One on a couple of occasions, has begun to unravel.

Under difficult circumstances, Graham Coughlan did a decent job in keeping Newport in the EFL last season, but new owner Huw Jenkins decided a change was needed and has drafted in Nelson Jardim for his first-ever managerial role.

Jardim brings with him some promising credentials, but I just don’t think an inexperienced coach, who will be learning on the job, is really what Newport need in these circumstances.

They have made some reasonable additions to their squad – Courtney Baker-Richardson for example should inject some goals into the side – but nothing that will drag them away from the mire.

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