The Football League kicks off on Saturday 3 August and here’s our preview of League Two where Portsmouth and Chesterfield are the bookmakers favourites for the title and Morecambe and Dagenham & Redbridge are both expected to struggle. We’ve the views of co-editor Matt Vale as we try to predict who will be Champions and who will be Conference-bound come next May.
Accrington Stanley
James Beattie barely seems old enough for management, let alone management material as he leads Accrington Stanley into the new League Two season. They lost their manager (Paul Cook) and their impressive number two (Liam Richardson) to Chesterfield and now find themselves without their best player as Lee Molyneux has moved to Crewe. Beattie hardly seemed to be first-choice and he may wish he’d never taken the job. It’s quite a task even to survive and Stanley would be delighted with mid-table.
AFC Wimbledon
Neal Ardley leads his AFC Wimbledon team into unfamiliar territory with a brand new passing style which might just surprise a few people. Ardley has spent the summer reshuffling his pack with no fewer than 13 departures and 10 new faces including Charlie Sheringham from Bournemouth but, with one eye on a move to a new ground, the Dons will see survival as a success and anything more as a miracle.
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers are another team with one eye on a move to a new stadium at the University of the West of England. Until the new stadium is resolved, John Ward will have to put together a squad with limited resources but he was instrumental in their much-improved form over the second half of last season which saw them lose only five of their last 21 games (after losing 13 of their previous 25). With such a resurgence, many will expect the Gas to push on for promotion this season but their squad is still small and pre-season injuries may take their toll. Watch out for Ellis Harrison to shine.
Burton Albion
Gary Rowett is earning himself quite a reputation following his relative success at Burton Albion and his stock may rise even further over the course of the next nine months. The Brewers have lost Calvin Zola to Aberdeen but the signing of Rene Howe from Torquay should guarantee them goals (Howe scored 16 last season in a side which flirted with relegation) and the additions of Adam Reed and Rory Delap should further strengthen. Burton have a great shout of making the play-offs.
Bury
I fancy Bury to spring a few surprises this season. They had a tumultuous season last time around but Kevin Blackwell has enough experience to make an impact and he’s already made a few decent signings in the form of Chris Sedgewick, Anton Forrester and Ashley Grimes. No wins in their first 13 games last season meant that relegation was almost certain in October but they did slightly improve from then on, winning two and drawing one of their last three. The new owners aren’t giving too much away and Bury are perhaps the biggest unknown as we head into the new season.
Cheltenham Town
Top seven finishes in both 2011-12 and 2012-13 has seen Cheltenham Town flourish under Mark Yates but is this the season when that improvement finally comes to an abrupt halt? New signings Jamie Cureton, Ashley Vincent and Matt Richards add experience but Cheltenham have lost genuine quality in Kaid Mohamed (Port Vale) and may have to settle for mid-table, despite Yates’ magic in the transfer market.
Chesterfield
My tip for automatic promotion is Chesterfield. A team that showed occasional brilliance last season have now had a full pre-season under manager Paul Cook and new number two Leam Richardson and have already shown signs of promise remaining unbeaten in games against Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest. Ritchie Humphries, Gary Roberts and Jimmy Ryan look to be clever acquisitions (with Ian Evatt expected to follow as club captain) and Marc Richards is expected to improve on his 12 goal tally for last season. The Spireites finished eighth in 2012-13 but can certainly improve if they cope with the expectation of being second favourites.
Dagenham and Redbridge
Dagenham and Redbridge have had a quiet summer with only four new signings and barely a handful of league starts between them. The 20% cut of the £6m fee Peterborough United received for Dwight Gayle might help over the coming weeks but the Daggers’ playing budget will still be miniscule and they may struggle to survive once again. Kevin Maher and Dominic Green have departed, as has Sam Williams and Dagenham still appear to be reeling from John Still’s departure to Luton. Finishing 22nd would be a massively impressive achievement for Wayne Burnett in his first full season as manager.
Exeter City
Exeter’s Paul Tisdale is not only attempting to match Arsene Wenger in terms of longevity (Tisdale is now the second longest serving manager in England) but is also giving the Frenchmen a run for his money when it comes to lack of signings. Just three newbies have arrived at St James’s Park and Tisdale will again be reliant on youngsters Jamie Reid, Jake Gosling and Jimmy Keohane. The Grecians were 7th in terms of goals scored last season but have lost 21-goal Jamie Cureton to Cheltenham and will be again reliant on Matt Oakley to provide creativity.
Fleetwood
Fleetwood finished last season in disastrous fashion, winning only two of their final 15 games and finishing in the bottom half. However, lessons from the Cod Army’s first season in the Football League appear to have been learned and they are now a who’s who of lower division names. Jeff Hughes (Notts County) and Matty Blair (York) have both signed up as Graham Alexander focuses his attention on players suited to League Two rather than the likes of Jon Parkin who arrived in summer 2012 and Jamille Matt who was their record signing six months later. Fleetwood are the most backed team in League Two at the moment and what price being in the same division as local rivals Preston AND Blackpool as we line up in 2014-15?
Hartlepool United
Colin Cooper and Craig Hignett are the Middlesbrough duo attributed with the task of achieving promotion for Hartlepool at the first time of asking. Last season’s relegation and 20 game run without victory is probably best forgotten, as should perhaps this summer’s transfer dealings with only Jack Compton arriving from Colchester. Cooper’s links to Middlesbrough and Forest might help in the loan market as the season gets underway but it’s expected to be a largely mundane season for the monkey-hangers.
Mansfield Town
Mansfield surprised many by clinching the Conference Premier title last time around but with key player Matt Green departing to Birmingham and ongoing disagreements and rows at board level, there is a concern that the Stags may turn League Two into their own mini version of Dallas. Two former directors are at loggerheads with current owner John Radford over outstanding loan payments and Carolyn Radford has taken to social media to air her own grievances. Mansfield should be happily safe in mid-table but Paul Cox seems to be running his football team against a constant backdrop of the John and Carolyn Radford show.
Morecambe
Morecambe are struggling to survive on crowds of less than 2,000 and manager Jim Bentley has seen Gary McDonald (St Johnstone), Jordan Burrow (Stevenage) and Lewis Alessandra (Plymouth) all reject reduced contracts to find pastures new. Their replacements include former Bury captain Mark Hughes but with impressive forward Jack Redshaw out for seven months, Morecambe will be happy to survive in more ways than one.
Newport County
Newport County are welcomed back to the Football League for the first time since I was a young boy and manager Justin Edinburgh has finally earned his crack at the big time following various stints throughout non-league. Although their summer signings have been largely underwhelming (two from Oxford, one from Eastleigh and a Liverpool Youth Team player, the adjustment from Conference to League Two shouldn’t worry the current crop of youth and experience and a steady mid-table finish is expected.
Northampton Town
We all know what to expect from Boothroyd’s Northampton Town and that’s bundles of competitiveness and very little actual football. Liam Dickinson is expected to sign following a trial and the Cobblers have also added Darren Carter and Matt Duke to the mix but with Alex Nicholls still nursing a broken leg and with Adebayo Akinfenwa having departed, the onus will be on Clive Platt and Roy O’Donovan to supply the goals. If they do, Northampton may be a surprise inclusion towards the top seven but it’s a big if.
Oxford United
Oxford’s 2012-13 season was one of various ups and downs. Six wins out of six at either end of the season, six successive defeats in September and a largely respectable 12 wins out of the remaining 34 games left the U’s in ninth position and heading towards 2013-14 in optimistic fashion. Chris Wilder has had a major clear out with 16 departures and 11 new arrivals, including Asa Harford and the marquee signing of Dave Kitson. Deane Smalley and James Constable will be fighting it out to partner Kitson in attack (or replace him after an hour) but Oxford will need goals from somewhere having finished with the second-fewest goals scored in the top half last season and having lost 10-goal Tom Craddock to Portsmouth. Attacking worries aside, the U’s defence should be well equipped for this division following the successful coup of Rotherham captain John Mullins on a three year deal. They’ll go well.
Plymouth Argyle
John Sheridan has brought optimism to Plymouth for the first time in years. Bottom in January, Sheridan masterminded survival, has signed a three year deal and is now starting to build a competitive – and much stronger – squad. Plymouth won five of their last nine games and have secured the signings of Reuben Reid and Dominic Blizzard from Yeovil and Marvin Morgan from Shrewsbury. There’s even talk of a new 18,000 seated Home Park Development, a new cinema, an ice rink and a Nandos. What’s not to like? (Apart from a football stadium consisting of a new cinema, an ice rink and a Nandos?)
Portsmouth
2008 FA Cup Winners Portsmouth are the bookmakers favourites for the title but questions remain over whether the club ought to concentrate on its new ownership and a nice, safe season in mid-table. It is usually very tricky to achieve promotion on the back of such a horrible relegation but Portsmouth do have quality in their side with the signing of Oxford’s Tom Craddock and Swindon’s Simon Ferry as well as the insistence of captain Johnny Ertl to sign a new contract. They should do well but I wouldn’t be backing them at 4/1.
Rochdale
Keith Hill is something of a hero in Rochdale but will be hoping that his reputation isn’t tarnished by a difficult 2013-14. Hill’s return towards the end of last season was surprising but Rochdale did improve (4 wins from their last 6) enough to comfortably finish just inside the top half. Matt Done is an impressive signing to add some much needed creativity but the loss of Bobby Grant (15 goals) and Ashley Grimes (10 goals) may ask questions about Dale’s firepower.
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe may be about to rival Mansfield in the boardroom soap-opera stakes as entrepeneur Peter Swann takes the reins ahead of Dennis Hobson who was widely expected to succeed outgoing chairman Steve Wharton. All Scunthorpe need now is their very own Carolyn Radford. Boardroom power struggles may take the focus away from Brian Laws’ attempts to put together an ageing squad of players which includes new signing Deon Burton, Chris Iwelumo and Andy Dawson but the wise old heads and tired legs should just ensure that Scunthorpe avoid the embarrassment of successive relegations with a comfortable mid-table finish.
Southend United
Phil Brown. Oh my. It’s a shame that such a nice club like Southend have ended up with such a horrible character like Brown and one win from the final ten games of the season isn’t inspiring any confidence for an improvement on last season’s top half finish. These are sad times for the Shrimpers. Brown as a manager and summer transfer activity consisting of someone classed as ‘unemployed’ and cast-offs from Colchester and Bradford. I hope they finish comfortably mid-table but wouldn’t be surprised to see them looking over their shoulders.
Torquay United
This time last year, Torquay United were flourishing on the back of two successful 7th and 5th placed finishes which helped gain the club and then manager Martin Ling an excellent reputation. Fast forward twelve months and following an appalling 2013-14, Rene Howe has moved on to Burton Albion, others have followed and Ling himself has since departed after a stress related illness. Last season almost ended in disastrous fashion but the grim approach Alan Knill brought to the Gulls did result in four wins from the final eight games and ultimately survival. Personally, I think next season will be more like the last rather than the heady days of 2011-12.
Wycombe Wanderers
Everyone’s favourite manager Gareth Ainsworth saw Wycombe have a brilliant middle of the season (losing just 2 and winning 9 of their 13 games between November and February) but ultimately they fell short too often and 2012-13 season was a disappointing one for the Chairboys. Attendances are falling slightly and Ainsworth has had his guitar-playing hands severely tied in the transfer market. Joel Grant has departed for Yeovil Town following his ten goals last season but with Wycombe only mustering 1.09 goals per game and failing to score in a third of their games, they’ll need to improve immensely to avoid another season of disappointment, despite an impressive pre-season draw with Aston Villa.
York City
Richard Cresswell back at York should have Football League fans reminiscing of the late nineties when he scored 21 goals in 95 appearances for the Minstermen. Fast-forward fourteen years and Cresswell returns to Bootham Crescent alongside fellow striker Ryan Jarvis in a forward line which is hardly going to be looking to run in behind opposition defences time and time again. Boss Nigel Worthington is fully aware of their limitations and is putting together a squad which screams “4-4-2 with wingers” which should suit Cresswell and Jarvis nicely. York might surprise some people at times but it’s mid-table for me.
Promotion: Chesterfield, Portsmouth, Oxford, Fleetwood.
Also in the Play-Offs: Bury, Burton Albion and Bristol Rovers.
Relegation: Dagenham & Redbridge, Morecambe
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