The opening fixtures of the 2015/16 Football League season are underway this weekend after an excruciating three month absence. League Two kicks off on Saturday and excitement is in the air around England’s fourth tier.
Joining the division this season are relegated League One outfits Notts County, Crawley Town, Yeovil Town and Leyton Orient. And from The National League join Bristol Rovers and Barnet.
Last season saw a relatively straightforward promotion race with the main excitement stemming from playoffs. However, Wycombe’s remarkable season was also a main talking point.
Hartlepool were also a great watch last season at the bottom end of League Two, with them seemingly all but down at Christmas, Ronnie Moore remarkably guided Pools to safety.
This season promises to be more exciting however at the top end, with at least half of the division hoping to achieve promotion.
Promotion race
With that said, who is odds on to achieve promotion to League One this season? As previously said, last season’s promotion race was more or less a foregone conclusion with Burton Albion and Shrewsbury Town making light work of reaching League One. After a poor start from Bury, their second half of the season form made them worthy of automatic promotion.
Few could also complain about Southend’s playoff win, especially after Wycombe’s late demise in the season where they really should have been promoted automatically.
So who are this season's contenders? It’s surely hard to look further than Notts County this season, as the team who will be champions. Manager Ricardo Moniz has assembled a squad that will surely be too good for League Two, with the only doubt surrounding The Magpies being, can they gel as a squad?
But with signings like Jon Stead and former Belgian international Gill Swerts, they really are showing their muscle. The size of County’s squad is incredible for a fourth division side, and it’s hard to see any other team being able to compete with them.
As for the other three promotion spots, to predict them, is much more difficult. Wycombe will be hoping that they can build on last season, where they spent much of the campaign in the top three. Teams like Crawley Town, Leyton Orient and Yeovil will also be hoping that they can bounce straight back to the third tier, and you could also add Luton Town, who have strengthened significantly this off-season as a team who could compete for promotion.
Portsmouth will also surely be in and around the promotion chase this season, after a few years of stagnation. The club is just simply too big for this division, and with them now seemingly stable as a club behind the scenes, now could be the start of the rise of Pompey.
Who’s going down?
Hartlepool United were the only team who you could really say battled to stay in the league last term, with eventual relegation sufferers Cheltenham and Tranmere going out with somewhat of a whimper.
With most leagues you can usually pinpoint teams that will be relegated, but usually in League Two it’s much tougher to call. It’s usually the easy choice to pick the teams that have been promoted into the division as the teams to go down, but with the top end of the National League and the bottom half of League Two being relatively close in terms of quality; it’s not as easy to do this.
With that being said, Bristol Rovers could find it tough heading into the new season, but could easily achieve a comfortable first season back in the division, with a mid-table finish.
Accrington Stanley, York City and Dagenham are teams expected to be hovering above the two relegation spots this term. Newport County could also find themselves in trouble this season, with the squad that narrowly missed out on the League Two playoffs last season, being completely dismantled by new manager Terry Butcher, due to the club having to cut their budget significantly. The Exiles have brought in 10 new signings, mostly from the National League and relegated League One clubs.
But the South Wales outfit’s unpredictability could go in favour for them, and a successful season could be on the cards at Rodney Parade.
Teams to look out for
Every season, whatever league it is, has a dark horse, or even a few dark horses that surprise us all. Just look at Bournemouth in the Championship last season, and in League Two, Wycombe were the surprise package of the season.
So what about this year? Keep an eye out for Cambridge United this term. After an FA Cup run last season which saw the U’s face Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United, the club made a huge windfall in terms of prize money, and have spent some of that cash in the transfer market.
Manager Richard Money has brought in Barry Corr from Southend, who was a key cog in their promotion last season. United have also re-signed Luke Berry from Barnsley, whilst also recruiting Elliot Omozusi and Keith Keane, who both have experience at a higher level.
AFC Wimbledon could be another team that surprises us this season. The Dons had a relatively good year last campaign, where they finished not too far from the playoff spots. Neal Ardley could get something going in South London this term and the Wombles might just have a season to remember.
Teddy Sheringham’s Stevenage are a team that on paper, look like they can mount a challenge for promotion this season too. Former Manchester United forward Sheringham has brought in extra firepower in the close season, with the capture of Aldershot striker Brett Williams. The Boro finished in last season’s playoff spots, losing in the semi-final to Wycombe, and the Hertfordshire club will be hoping they can go better and return to League One this season.
So here’s hoping for an exhilarating, exciting and unpredidicable campaign. With so many teams looking to compete for promotion, and the unpredictability of the relegation spots, League Two is sure to keep us on our toes.
