Sources close to the play…

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Whilst last weekend’s action entertained supporters, much focus is now being shed on The EFL’s first set of mid-week fixtures, starting tomorrow.

Taking place on the same day as the summer transfer window closes, Tuesday may turn into a busy day for each of the 72 sides participating in matches across the coming days.

Action across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday flipped the script, with 115 goals scored, whilst some sides climbed their respective divisions.

That same flipping could take place across the Championship, League One, and League Two over the coming days as clubs begin to establish their positions in the league.

Fixture Watch - What matches to look out for on Tuesday and Wednesday

Birmingham City vs Southampton

Coming off the back of victories in game-week three, Birmingham City and Southampton will be looking to build on that in this fixture.

The Blues have not won at St Andrews @ Knighthead Park so far this season in the Championship whilst their opponent’s two wins during the league campaign thus far have both come at St Mary's Stadium.

Did you know: Birmingham have not won against Southampton in a league home match across their last three meetings.

Victory for The Saints could take them as high as eighth, whilst subsequently boosting manager Tonda Eckert’s position, whilst The Bluenoses will aim to defy that and defend their unbeaten Championship run.

For both clubs, three points will be the aim. Ultimately, though, only one side can claim that prize.

Millwall vs Wrexham

Whilst the majority of the Championship’s game-week fixtures will have taken place before Millwall and Wrexham face off, an opportunity remains for both.

Sitting at opposing ends of the table currently, it is clear which team has had the better start to the season. That, arguably, does not matter in this, however.

Fact: Both teams claimed victory away from home against each other in the Championship last season.

Phil Parkinson's team have already been knocked out of the EFL Cup, and are yet to win a league game, whilst Alex Neil’s Millwall side remain in the cup whilst having won two of their three Championship fixtures.

Should the home side claim victory, they could be top for the weekend. Defeat for the away team, on the other hand, could see them drop into the relegation zone.

Huddersfield Town vs Oxford United

After a disappointing end to last season for Huddersfield Town, The Terriers have started the new League One campaign on excellent form.

Having being relegated from the Championship, on the other hand, Oxford United have not found settling into a new division perfect.

Meeting for just the third time this century, and for the first time since 2004, Huddersfield are aiming to claim their second home league victory of the season.

Prior head-to-head record:

6th March 2004: Oxford United 0-1 Huddersfield Town

20th December 2003: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Oxford United

9th March 1999: Oxford United 2-2 Huddersfield Town

Should Oxford disrupt that, with a win of their own, they could overtake their opponents in the League One table heading into the weekend.

Wigan Athletic vs Milton Keynes Dons

Wigan Athletic are the only side in League One, and just one of five across The EFL, to be pointless after the first three games of the league season.

Life under Paul Warne for Milton Keynes Dons have landed in the middle of the road, with the team’s three points in the division this season coming from three draws respectively.

MK Dons’ results:

2-2 draw with Oxford United

1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town

0-0 draw with Leicester City

With both looking to win a match in League One for the first time this season, this fixture presents a perfect opportunity for the two teams.

Whether either take that chance remains unclear, although supporters only have to wait a couple of days to see the answer to that question.

Fleetwood Town vs Oldham Athletic

With both Fleetwood Town and Oldham Athletic sitting in League Two’s top half after three games, either could go top of the division with three points in this match.

Draws all round!

Fleetwood and Oldham drew both of their League Two matches against each other last season.

Oldham, in their second campaign back in The EFL, have picked up four more points at this stage that at the same point last season.

Fleetwood, on the other hand, were held away at Grimsby Town having initially taken the lead at Blundell Park.

This is not a must-win for either side, by any stretch, but could be a match that supporters look back on should one side succeed in the rest of this season.

Salford City vs Newport County

Salford City, having spent this summer’s transfer window placing themselves in the best possible position, have lost each of their three league games this season.

“One of each” would, arguably, be a fair judgement for Newport County, having experienced a win, draw, and loss in their campaign thus far.

Did you know: Newport hold the joint-highest goal scoring record in the division thus far, whilst Salford have scored just one goal so far this season.

Whilst The Ammies have not began with blistering pace, this match offers an opportunity for the side to re-establish themselves.

Should Salford not take that chance, Newport will be right there to pounce.

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Last weekend showed fans of The EFL’s 72 clubs their sides in league action for the second time this season.

Some results stood out more than others, especially Bradford City’s victory over Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic’s win against West Ham United.

Across the Championship, seven clubs were victorious in game-week two whilst 14 other sides across League One and League Two also picked up three points.

The game-week’s results mean that Millwall, Bradford City, and Barnet sit top of The EFL’s three divisions respectively although all of that could change this weekend.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Stoke City

Wolves claimed their first victory back in the Championship last weekend, beating Preston North End 3-1 at Deepdale.

Their opponents this weekend, Stoke City, travelled to St. Mary’s Stadium to take on Southampton last Saturday although were defeated 3-1 by The Saints.

The Potters are yet to pick up a single point in the Championship this season, after defeats to Swansea City and Southampton, whilst Wolves’ win over Preston was their first in league action since March.

Both sides have previously faced each other in EFL Cup action, but have not played each other in a league match since April 2012.

Charlton Athletic vs Preston North End

Charlton Athletic were one of three Championship sides, alongside Millwall and West Bromwich Albion, to retain their 100% record last weekend following victory over West Ham at London Stadium.

Fun fact: Charlton are one of just six sides across The EFL to still hold a 100% winning record in their respective league.

Preston North End, on the other hand, have lost both of their opening two league fixtures (against Bolton Wanderers and Wolves).

"When they opened us up in the first half, it was when we overcommitted and we made a rash decision. Try to give [Wolves] credit, I thought they defended excellently."

Paul Heckingbottom

The Lilywhites did claim all six points against The Addicks last season, though, and will be looking to have similar success in the fixture this campaign.

The two sides enter this match having experienced differing form so far this season, although that could change in the coming weeks as a result of this game.

Plymouth Argyle vs Bradford City

Having been held by Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park last weekend, Plymouth Argyle host Bradford City at Home Park on Saturday.

Bradford come into the fixture as the only League One side to have a 100% record so far, following victories against Peterborough United and Sheffield Wednesday, and will look to continue that form this weekend.

Did you know: City are top of a league table after two games for the first time since the 2001/02 campaign. [Nathan Evans]

The Bantams won four points against Argyle last season including three points at Home Park last December, but had lost each of their last five visits to the stadium before that.

Plymouth could move into League One’s top half with a victory in this match whilst a win for Bradford would keep them top.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Bromley

After disappointment against Bradford last Thursday at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday have turned their attention towards hosting Bromley at home on Saturday.

Coming up from League Two as champions, The Ravens have picked up four points from their opening two fixtures of the season and came from behind to claim a point against Cambridge United last weekend.

Hillsborough hosted over 33,000 supporters last Thursday for Bradford, and the fixture against Bromley could have more than 25,000 attendees.

These two sides were two divisions apart but, with four points each after two matches, there is nothing to separate them heading into this game.

Gillingham vs Northampton Town

Gillingham and Northampton Town have both picked up one point from their opening two games in League Two respectively, and face each other at Priestfield Stadium tomorrow.

The Gills have not finished above 12th in any of their four seasons back in The EFL’s basement division following relegation from League One in the 2021/22 season whilst The Cobblers are entering their first League Two season after relegation in the previous campaign.

Both sides have not gone head to head since 2023, in League Two, but Gillingham have been victorious in three of their last four League Two home matches against Northampton.

With both clubs not taking part in EFL Cup action in mid-week, they have had a week between their last encounter and this one.

Oldham Athletic vs Swindon Town

Both Oldham Athletic (12th) and Swindon Town (7th) sit in League Two’s top half coming into this fixture.

The Robins did a league double over The Latics last season, with a tight away victory at Boundary Park last August.

Should Swindon replicate that in this match, they could climb as high as top of League Two. Oldham, on the other hand, could jump into the play-off places with a win.

Having both scored more than five goals in their last five matches, a high-scoring affair could be expected in this encounter.

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The 19‑year‑old enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last year, making 19 League Two appearances and earning Fleetwood’s Young Player of the Season award. His absence this season has not cooled interest, with Huddersfield and Luton seeing an opportunity to act before his return to fitness.

Fleetwood’s Contract Position Gives Them Control

Fleetwood are in a strong position to resist late‑window pressure. Earlier this year, the club confirmed Haughey had signed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year contract running until 2029, with an option for an additional season. Internally, he is viewed as a long‑term defensive cornerstone, and the club are under no obligation to sell — especially not in the final days of the window when replacing him would be difficult.

The timing of the bids is significant. With the window closing soon, Fleetwood may choose to reject the offers simply due to the lack of time to source a replacement. Huddersfield and Luton are aware of this, and their interest is unlikely to disappear. Even if Fleetwood stand firm now, both clubs — and potentially others — are expected to revisit the situation in future windows.

A Rising Talent with a Distinct Path

Haughey’s journey has been one of Fleetwood’s most compelling development stories. He joined the club from Glentoran after signing a two‑year scholarship, arriving with a reputation already forming in Northern Ireland. Before moving to the Fylde Coast, he became the youngest player ever to represent Glentoran’s first team, a milestone that highlighted his maturity and potential.

Since arriving at Fleetwood, he has continued to progress rapidly. He scored against Burnley in the FA Youth Cup, earned international recognition with Northern Ireland’s Under‑17s, and made his senior debut away at Port Vale last season. His performances across League Two showcased composure, aerial strength and a defensive intelligence that attracted scouts from multiple divisions.

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Why Huddersfield and Luton Are Acting Now

Both clubs are targeting long‑term defensive reinforcements. Huddersfield, rebuilding with a focus on emerging talent, see Haughey as a player who can grow into their system. Luton, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen their defensive depth with prospects capable of developing into starters.

Their bids reflect a belief that Haughey’s ceiling is high — and that securing him early could prove decisive. Even if Fleetwood reject the offers now, the interest is expected to resurface. Huddersfield and Luton are prepared to return, and other clubs may join the race once Haughey is back fit and playing regularly again.

Leicester’s Slow Start Forces Action

Relegation to League One was always going to demand adaptation, but Leicester’s opening two matches have underlined how steep that learning curve will be. One point from two games — including a 2–1 home defeat to Burton Albion — has exposed a lack of intensity and familiarity with the division’s demands. The club is now pushing urgently for players with proven EFL experience, and Kelly fits that requirement.

Kelly’s Rise Through the EFL and Beyond

Kelly’s career has accelerated rapidly since his senior debut for Coleraine in November 2021. A move to West Ham United in 2022 placed him in a Premier League academy environment, before his breakthrough season came on loan at Doncaster Rovers in 2024–25. He scored in both the FA Cup and League Two, played a central role in Doncaster’s promotion and title win, and established himself as one of the league’s most promising midfielders.

He joined Barnsley on a free transfer in July 2025 and continued his upward trajectory, earning a senior debut for Northern Ireland later that year and scoring his first international goal against France in June 2026.

Why Kelly Appeals to Leicester

Kelly offers a blend of technical quality, pressing energy and EFL experience that Leicester currently lack. At 21, he already has two full seasons of senior football behind him and has shown he can influence games at both club and international level. Leicester view him as a player who can raise their tempo immediately while also fitting into a longer-term rebuild.

Barnsley’s Decision Point

Barnsley are reluctant to lose Kelly, especially so late in the window, but multiple bids have forced them into a difficult position. Kelly is settled and not agitating for a move, yet interest from Leicester — and others — ensures the final days of the window will be decisive.

The Week Ahead

Leicester need reinforcements quickly, and Kelly has emerged as a priority target. With bids on the table and momentum building, his future is now one of the key storylines of the closing days of the League One window.

It has been a summer of excitement and anxiety for Luton Town fans so far, after cruelly missing out on a play-off spot on the final day last season, Luton fans finally have a glimpse of hope after three seasons of severe underperformance.

After spending long periods of summer worrying about whether key players Jordan Clark and Liam Walsh would sign new contracts, whilst also waiting for the reigning League One player of the month Kasey Palmer to return, the team has now truly taken shape for this season.

The story of Luton Town’s summer has been about whether they can keep the squad that ended last season so strongly together. With the first few games of the new season passed now, and with deadline day looming it’s fair to say they’ve been successful in this so far, but is it enough for promotion next season?

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After a summer of speculation and rumours, Jordan James’ future finally became clear on Wednesday night as he was confirmed as Wolves’ fourth signing of the transfer window.

The West Midlands outfit have been searching for a midfielder to fill the void of Joao Gomes, who departed for Aston Villa around 6 weeks ago.

This search was ramped up last week, potentially due to a large concern over the openness of the Old Gold in the middle of the park in their Championship opener against Blackburn Rovers.

The Welshman arrives with an array of Championship experience despite being only 22 years old, after coming through the youth set up at Birmingham City and a loan spell at Leicester City, and also a great deal of anticipation, after picking up the prize for young player of the year in the division last season.

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This follows our July exclusive, when The Lower Tiers first revealed that Lincoln City were in talks with Miller and had taken him on trial as part of their early Championship recruitment phase. While Lincoln explored the possibility of adding experienced depth, negotiations did not progress — leaving Miller free to consider alternative offers.

Bromley Move to Complete the Deal

Bromley’s interest has intensified over the past fortnight as the club continues to build a squad capable of competing in League One. Their rise through the divisions has been built on targeted recruitment, and Miller fits the profile of a player who can offer both experience and flexibility.

Talks between Bromley and Miller have advanced significantly, with sources indicating that discussions are now at the final‑stage point. While the deal is not yet signed, both parties are understood to be optimistic.

For Bromley, Miller represents a rare opportunity to add a player with Championship and upper‑League One pedigree without a transfer fee — a valuable asset for a club still consolidating its position in the third tier.

Lincoln’s Earlier Interest — Despite Public Denials Elsewhere

Lincoln City were, contrary to claims made by Football Lowdown and The Stacey West, the first club to make a concrete move for Mickel Miller this summer. As The Lower Tiers reported at the time, the Imps held discussions with the 30‑year‑old and invited him on trial as part of their early Championship recruitment process.

Those denials from other outlets were at odds with what was actually happening behind the scenes. Lincoln’s interest was real, their conversations with Miller were genuine, and he did spend time with the club during the summer. It underlined a recurring issue: without strong sourcing inside the game, it is easy for narratives to drift away from reality. As this situation shows, accuracy depends on access — and some outlets simply did not have it.

Lincoln’s pursuit made sense. Miller had just left Huddersfield Town after an injury‑affected spell but still carried extensive EFL experience and a proven record across both Championship and League One. The Imps’ recruitment team has long targeted players whose careers have stalled, offering them a platform to rebuild. Miller fit that profile perfectly.

His time at Plymouth Argyle demonstrated both his ability and the frustrations that have shaped his career. Injuries limited his involvement during Argyle’s 2022‑23 League One title‑winning season, but he returned to feature more prominently in the Championship the following year. His versatility — operating either as a left wing‑back or a more advanced winger — made him an attractive option for a squad preparing for the demands of the second tier.

Ultimately, Lincoln moved on to other targets, and Miller continued exploring opportunities where regular football was more likely. But the interest was real — and reported accurately by The Lower Tiers.

Argyle moved quickly to secure the 27‑year‑old, beating Barnsley, Rotherham …

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Peterborough United knocked all the negativity and chaos on social media to one side to beat Mansfield 2-1 at the Weston Homes Stadium.

Posh defied the odds with fans describing the game as a ‘must not lose’ already two weeks into the season.

The Stags came out the blocks fast and nearly had the lead through Jon Russell lobbing the ball past Alex Bass but stand in defender George Nevett scraped it off the line.

Posh then came into the game but failed to create any meaningful chances.

After the break the Cambridgeshire outfit came out a different outfit and took the lead after some brilliant work from Liam Kelly.

Harry Leonard’s deflected cross/shot found its way to Ben Woods to tap home in the 48th minute.

The Stags reacted well and found the equaliser after a defensive mix up, however, leading to Rhys Oates squaring the ball to Matt Smith to level the score.

Posh had struggled to get any big decision out of the officials all game and when Ethan Williams was up-ended in the box his claims were waved away.

In the final few minutes, Posh really started to ramp up the pressure. The introduction of Bolu Shofowoke and Vernon Masara were causing Mansfield severe issues.

As the game entered added time, Shofowoke danced round three Mansfield defenders and there was Harry Leonard to tap home at the second attempt sending London Road into jubilation.

Player Ratings

Alex Bass: 7

Alex Bass, who could be seen as ‘Mr Consistency’, was back to his commanding best this week.

The experienced 28-year-old was commanded and cemented confidence into every Posh fan after a nervy start.

Bass pulled off a confident save from the tricky Rhys Oates in the 35th minute. The shot-stopper also claimed many an aerial ball into the box and came across as calm and composed, cementing his number one status.

Carl Johnston: 8

Carl Johnston’s versatility cannot be understated and he was back in his most natural right-back position yesterday.

His calm, collected, demeanour strikes confidence into Posh fans winning 100% of his ground and aerial duels. Johnston was known as more as a defensive full-back before this season.

The 24-year-old has now taken inspiration from Josh Knight with his marauding runs forward driving Posh up the pitch.

His desire to lead and taking a more attacking approach to his game playing the ‘Harrison Burrows role’ from 23/24 playing as more a tuck in central midfielder in the attacking stages.

Johnston’s performance and leadership abilities were key to pulling Posh through yesterday.

George Nevett: 5.5

To pile on to George Nevett would be out of order as first-half in yesterday, he came back into the squad and did not look out of place.

Nevett also made the crucial clearance off the line two minutes into the game from Russell’s lob attempt.

However, Nevett played a part in the Stags equalising goal coming for a ball that he did not need to come for.

That seemed to affect him for a good 20 minutes with misplaced passes. However, the 20-year-old did then come around and asserted confidence in the final period winning aerial duels.

Tom O’Connor: 6

Tom O’Connor was very much similar to Nevett. O’Connor’s height does cause concern seen early on yesterday in the mix up for the early chance for the Stags.

However, that did not bother O’Connor who looked typically calm and composed on the ball playing some lovely diagonal balls to the dangerous Owura Edwards and Williams.

However, he also played a part in the Mansfield equaliser not getting to the ball and allowing Oates to break.

This did not phase him however, winning 4/4 aerial duels for his height is impressive and played a big part in the soldi defensive display after the Stags equiliser.

Evan Weir: 6

Evan Weir’s League One starting debut did not go swimmingly to start with. Weir did struggle first-half with the pace and intensity of League One football and looking a little lackadaisical.

On the other hand, he did play his part defensively, having the awareness to know where his opponents are on crosses clearly multiple balls into the box, in complete contrast to last week.

Weir did come into the game second-half and held his own looking competent on the ball and looking composed in defensive situations.

Liam Kelly: 8.5 (MOTM)

Liam Kelly was brought in to replace the seemingly irreplaceable Archie Collins. Kelly certainly had big boots to fill and judging by yesterday he has the capability to fill them.

His leadership qualities and commanding demeanour of a player of small stature was a breath of fresh air into this Posh side. Kelly dominated and controlled the midfield in his 80 minutes on the pitch.

Kelly very much played a crucial role in creating the opener driving Posh forwards finding Harry Leonard with a tremendous through ball.

Overall, Kelly looked and played the part he was brought into replace.

Ben Woods: 8

Ben Woods at the start of Luke Williams tenure looked to be the next great Posh midfielder.

That petered out with injury and inconsistency however, yesterday he looked back to his best. Having the awareness and urgency to follow in for the first goal scoring for the first time since Stockport at home last season.

Woods physicality gave Posh a presence in midfield that they have been missing so far. Woods and Kelly could be a driving factor (if consistent and fully fit) in Posh striving up the table.

Owura Edwards: 7.5

Edwards yesterday showed what he is all about. Rapid pace and taking on his man in a very old fashioned winger way.

Edwards tormented Stephen McLaughlin and Deji Oshilaja in a brilliant, exciting and frustrating performance. His hard work tracking back is something that Posh fans have rarely seen in recent memory.

The only thing hindering Edwards performance was his lack of end product. The 25-year-old had the beating of his man every time however, his lack of end product with multiple chances going begging.

However, Edwards brought in on a free, certainly played his part in getting fans off their feet.

Brandon Khela: 5

On the contrary, Brandon Khela had a very in and out kind of performance. The first 25 minutes Khela excelled with his energy and athleticism and having two shots at the Mansfield Goal.

However, after that Khela petered out and become very much, a passenger for most of the second half. The 21-year-old prospect clearly has promise but needs to find that consistency he had in that early January spell.

Ethan Williams: 5.5

Same goes for Ethan Williams whose first two Posh games have shown glimpses of quality but lacking any sort of end product.

First-half Williams did not get much service and had to switch wings the terrorising Owura Edwards twice. The 20-year-old who joined for a hefty undisclosed fee from Manchester United did show patches of brightness and should have had a penalty when he was brought down in the box.

Overall, Williams is still yet to make his mark in Posh colours.

Harry Leonard: 8.5

On the other hand, Peterborough United have their ‘starboy’ to thank once again as Harry Leonard took his only chance of the game.

The 22-year-old striker scored 17 last season in all competitions and already has two for this campaign. His ability to occupy three, physical, Mansfield defenders and hold his own doing extremely well for both goals shows his quality.

Leonard has an ability to link play when the majority of the game he is isolated away from his side shows his class.

Subs:

Bolu Shofowoke: 8

Bolu Shofowoke has had a patchy start to his senior Posh career being only 17 playing out of position.

However, his demonising pace is such a weapon to come off the bench against tiring defenders. His tricky work for the winner dancing through three Stags defenders before finding Leonard shows his talent.

Chris Conn-Clarke: 6

Chris Conn-Clarke was written off by many within the Posh fanbase after a torrid two years.

However, yesterday Conn-Clarke did show some of his class and why Posh signed him in the first place. Linking play from originally central midfield and giving fans some hope that there is still a player there.

Harrison Jones: 6

The young Mackem joined in the summer and yesterday came on in a tricky last 10 minutes replacing Liam Kelly. Jones held his own and controlled the last 10 minutes of the game with no mishaps.

Vernon Masara: 6.5

Masara joined from Burnley just prior to the opening weekend and Posh fans did not know what to expect.

So far however, Masara has shown glimpses of promise and an outstanding attitude with an exceptional work rate. Keeping the ball in play when all hope looked lost and exceptional pace bound to cause defences issues.

There is a familiar feeling around Norwich City. Two games into a Championship season, it would be absurd to suggest a campaign has already been decided but after Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Millwall, Norwich have lost both of their opening league games, sit on zero points and have already conceded four goals.

More concerning than the numbers, though, is the feeling surrounding them. Norwich looked short of answers at The Den, and the afternoon got even worse when José Córdoba was shown a straight red card in the second half.

Millwall were already in control, but Norwich's afternoon quickly descended into one of those performances that leave supporters asking much bigger questions than simply why their side lost a football match and inevitably, the biggest question is now being asked of Philippe Clement; how long does he have left?

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The EFL’s second game-week is underway, with Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City playing the first match of the weekend on Thursday evening.

The majority of the game-week’s fixtures are due to take place on Saturday, however, as some sides look to continue their good form whilst others aim to improve on their results last weekend.

Last weekend, eight sides in the Championship got off to a winning start whilst 18 outfits across League One and League Two also picked up three points on opening weekend.

Queens Park Rangers, Bradford City, and Walsall currently top The EFL’s three leagues respectively although that could change this weekend.

The games to look out for this Saturday

West Ham United vs Charlton Athletic

After being held to a draw against Burnley late on last weekend, West Ham United return to London Stadium looking to pick up three points for the first time this season.

Their opponents, Charlton Athletic, came from behind to beat Derby County at The Valley last weekend and sit sixth in the Championship currently.

West Ham beat Portsmouth at London Stadium in Round One of Carabao Cup two weeks ago, and won on the final day of the Premier League season in May against Leeds United on their way to relegation.

Charlton, aiming to both beat The Hammers at home and claim the bragging rights in the London derby, will be looking to continue their good start to the season.

Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough beat newly-promoted side Lincoln City late on in their opening Championship fixture of the season, but travel to Ewood Park on Saturday to face Blackburn Rovers.

Rovers, who were held at Molineux Stadium in the league’s opening match against Wolves, have not won a home league fixture in six attempts but will need to break their trend if they are to claim all three points in this match.

Neither side beat each other last season, with two 0-0 draws in December and March, as both clubs experienced differing fortunes.

Now, both clubs have the chance to take a positive step and to maintain their unbeaten starts to the campaign against each other.

Wycombe Wanderers vs Plymouth Argyle

Neither Wycombe Wanderers or Plymouth Argyle got off to a winning start in League One last weekend, with the former drawing 1-1 against Blackpool whilst the latter were defeated 3-1 by Stockport County at Home Park.

Both sides now meet at Adams Park as they aim to lift themselves from last weekend and pick up a victory.

Plymouth were unbeaten against Wycombe last season in League One, picking up four points, and are unbeaten against the Chairboys across their last four league games, a trend the Pilgrims will aim to continue away from home on Saturday.

Wycombe must break that trend if they are to claim all three points in the match.

Leicester City vs Burton Albion

Facing their first League One match since the 2008/09 season, Leicester City were held by Notts County at Meadow Lane last weekend.

The Foxes face League One mainstays Burton Albion, who are starting their nine consecutive season in the English third tier and who drew 1-1 with Stevenage last weekend, on Saturday at King Power Stadium.

The two sides last met in Round One of Carabao Cup in the 2023/24 season, with Leicester coming out 2-0 winners in that affair, but have never faced each other in the league.

Entering unchartered territory, both sides have the opportunity to build on their draws from last weekend and pick up three points with a victory.

Rotherham United vs York City

Facing each other in league action for the first time in just over 13 years, Rotherham United and York City enter this match from polarising situations.

Last weekend, Rotherham were defeated by Cheltenham Town whilst York came from behind against Bristol Rovers to win at LNER Stadium.

The two sides also enter the game having been two divisions apart last season (Rotherham, League One and York, National League).

In this Yorkshire derby, both sides have the opportunity to claim the bragging rights. Saturday will reveal which of these clubs takes that chance.

Swindon Town vs Cheltenham Town

Swindon Town and Cheltenham Town met twice in League Two last season, with each side winning away from home against the other.

In this season’s first West Country derby, both outfits now have a fresh opportunity to underline their ambitions for the season.

Whilst Cheltenham won last weekend, against Rotherham, Swindon were held to a 1-1 draw against Northampton Town, who were relegated to League Two from League One last season.

With both sides aiming up, a victory against each other could be the key needed to demonstrate ambition and progress.

For weeks, it appeared Derby County were on the verge of a new era.

Turki Alalshikh’s proposed investment had gathered serious momentum, with the Saudi Arabian billionaire’s Lion Sport looking to acquire a controlling interest in the Rams following months of discussions with owner David Clowes.

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Peterborough United are commonly known as being that staple League One side who always spring a surprise from time to time.

The club have punched above their weight for years, but their luck now appears to have run out.

The last few years have been nothing short of a disaster for the club on the pitch, seeing the Cambridgeshire outfit from the verge of the Championship to potentially sinking to League Two in nine months time.

The church that owner and chairman Darragh MacAnthony created is burning and it is burning brightly.

A remarkable Tuesday evening, where the experienced Posh chairman called out local rival Cambridge United fans and Posh fans alike, was a truly surreal read.

20 years ago, in an interview, MacAnthony told Posh fans to ‘unite’ and get behind a then fearless Peterborough United. The divide that exists between the club and its supporter could now never be bigger.

The Peterborough United X timeline has been a sea of despair and negativity and constant arguing as Posh sank to their knees at Mbanq Valley Parade against Bradford City last Saturday.

Key questions now exist as the club looks to succeed in League One this season.

The problems that Peterborough United face

Peterborough United have always had a good way of chasing and finding the next gem through their recruitment process.

That process has found some of the best players in Posh’s 91 year history with the likes of Dwight Gayle, Ronnie Edwards, and Ephron Mason-Clark all being signed from lower leagues and developed into monsters at the level.

However, with the sale of Kyrell Lisbie to Millwall this seemingly infinite amount of non league talent may have finally ran out.

United have been patient to sign players this summer, with five arriving in June and none for the six weeks following that before three in one day last Thursday.

The signings of Ethan Williams, Vernon Masara, and Liam Kelly, are all heavily positive to a degree.

Williams and Masara add trickery and depth in attacking areas, which Posh are in desperate need of, and Kelly comes in to replace the seemingly irreplaceable Archie Collins.

The latter also adds quality from set-piece scenarios and gives the side some vastly needed experience.

On the other hand, the squad’s size and ability appears as a key weakness, opening the side up to being bullied physically by teams.

Peterborough were solid in games last season where they could play the ball around and create chances without having to get into a physical battle. Against sides with physicality such as Lincoln City, Plymouth Argyle, Bradford, and Stevenage, Posh were bullied and cast aside, though.

The worry is, as proven on the opening day, Peterborough United are severely vulnerable to any physicality. The side also lack in attacking areas with Harry Leonard being particularly isolated currently.

That brings grim reading for many, but the lack of physicality, leadership, and depth in certain areas also brings great concern.

The problem with no standout leaders

Peterborough United have succeeded multiple times in the past and every single one of those times there is a common denominator: an experienced leader who leads by example with a team full of desire and a fearless attitude.

United have had a number of pronounced and skillful leaders: Mick Halsall, Grant McCann, Gabriel Zakuani, Jonson Clarke-Harris and Mark Beevers. Those leaders would put their bodies on the line for the badge and often were the main men in Posh’s charge for success.

Fast forwarding back to the present, do Posh have anyone capable of these standards? Last season, Peterborough had the experienced hands of Tom Lees to look up to. Since Lees departed to Harrogate Town in the summer, however, the question now is: do Posh have left to lead?

Sam Hughes, the other natural leader in this Posh squad, has no return date from his achilles injury which he suffered a year ago.

Peterborough have been left a ship with no rudder, therefore, and whilst Kelly is experienced he lacks leadership quality. The same goes for Alex Bass and Carl Johnston.

Can the ship be steadied with the options that United have available currently? The answer currently appears to drift towards no.

Is there any hope for Peterborough fans to grasp onto?

The club have barely had any positives to look at over the last few years, bar the honeymoon period at the start of Luke Williams tenure.

Peterborough United have had a rollercoaster of a time in the church that Darragh MacAnthony built after taking over in 2006. He promised success, something that was found in stages with three Vertu Trophies, multiple promotions, and three memorable Championship campaigns.

MacAnthony took over when the club were on the brink of devastation and potentially falling out of the EFL. 20 years on and it could all be coming full circle if the club continues to sink the way it is.

The ‘patient’ calls to fans, when supporters have run out of patience, is incredibly thin, and are arguably coded messages which Posh fans really are starting to lose faith with.

His amazing memories and work could all be eradicated soon if Peterborough fall back into the hole that MacAnthony and everyone associated with the club fought so hard to get out of.

There are few small strands of hope for Posh to hang on to, however. Harry Leonard stands out amongst these, and was superb in his first full league season scoring 17 times in all competitions. United have signed the pieces to now supply him with chances, but are they good enough? Time will tell.

The fruitful Posh academy who are producing talents left, right and centre, remains another glimpse of hope.

Lucca Mendonca, Patryk Sykut and Bolu Shofowoke standout as the club's main three academy products and are raw in their own right but all have a fearlessness about them.

That fearlessness, which was shared in Posh players of old, was key in the club’s rise previously. That quality is one that will be needed if Peterborough are to rise high once again.

Can the club resurrect their identity, or will they die in their own church that they created?

To die in the church that you built has a weird satisfaction about it. The principles and the comfort of knowing the spark only burnt out after everything was given to keep it alight.

That is the way Peterborough United and the ownership looks at the moment. Last season demonstrated that, in precise detail.

Darren Ferguson, no doubt a Peterborough United legend for his constant success when at the helm, eventually petered out.

His achievements, from back to back promotions, play-off runs, and back to back Vertu Trophies eventually ran out. The walls caved in at the beginning of last season and his reign concluded with that.

His sacking felt like the end of an era at the right time for Peterborough United. Now the question is, is the same happening to Darragh MacAnthony?

‘El Presidente’ has helped deliver so much success to the club, the city and its supporters. However, the church is burning, the one he worked so hard to create, the man who kept the club alive, brought so much success to the club, and made memories for fans no matter the age.

MacAnthony, at the moment, is arguably bringing his church down and tarnishing his legacy in Peterborough history.

United fans will always remember the good times of free flowing, fearless, attacking football of the last 20 years. The bad times are starting to out weight the good, however, and that needs addressing quickly.

Can Posh resurrect themselves or will the church be burned? The outcome of that question remains to be seen, but may be one answered in the coming season.

Sheffield Wednesday’s ticket prices for their match against Bradford City today has once again raised the question: how much is too much?

The Owls, hosting Bradford at Hillsborough for their first home game of the League One season, have been widely criticised for charging away supporters £34 to attend the fixture.

For home fans, on the other hand, prices as high as £46 have been posted online for the match.

Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust, representing supporters of The Owls, stated that they have “actively engaged in discussions” on the matter.

Wednesday are not the only club that have been criticised for their ticket prices, though, with others, including former Premier League champions Leicester City, falling in line with wide public negativity for their prices.

Alongside an increase in ticket prices, supporters are feeling raised pressures from other areas relating to the game itself (travel, food, refreshments) which are each pushing some supporters out of watching live football altogether.

So, how big is the issue? What is driving it? What do supporters think should happen? And what actions could the EFL take to help ease the pressures of increasing costs? Those are the questions this pieces aims to answer.

The issue’s size

Whilst Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City have stood out as two primary cases relating to increasing ticketing costs, the increase is being felt across the EFL.

Matchday ticket prices have been steadily increasing season on season, for home and away supporters. Away ticket prices for adults are as high as £37 for this season (Norwich City) at Championship level whilst Exeter are charging £29 to visiting supporters for their matches in League Two.

Others have stood out for their low-price matchday ticketing approach, however, such as Barnsley who are charging away supporters £17 for League One fixtures at Oakwell.

Season ticket prices are increasing, too, impacting the large percentage of supporters widely. Shrewsbury Town stand out in this, with an early bird season ticket for adults costing £521 (£22.65 per game) for their League Two matches, although an early bird Category B season ticket for adults was frozen at £400.

Season tickets in Cappagh Stand Central at AFC Wimbledon costed £694, on the other hand, whilst season tickets in Cappagh Stand Standard costed £644.

Even Bradford City, who have been internationally highlighted for their affordable approach, have increased their season ticket prices over the past few seasons with an increase of £50 being applied for this season’s adult early bird season tickets, the same increase fans faced between the 2024/25 and 2025/26 campaigns.

It is not just the ticket cost that is putting pressure on supporters, however, especially in the case of away games. Food and drinks inside stadiums have steadily increased, impacting both home and away matches, whilst the cost of coaches and alternative forms of transport has also gone up, directly impacting those who travel across the country to support their club.

It is clear, the cost of attending a football game is increasing steadily, something that is increasing the pressure on supporters and pricing some fans out of watching live EFL football altogether.

Factors driving the increase

Ticket prices, both on an individual and season-long basis, have increased, alongside the price of refreshments inside stadiums and the cost of travelling to games, but there is a number of factors that drive that.

Government actions is one of those. The national minimum hourly wage was increased to £12.71 (up from £12.21) for those 21 and over on April 1st whilst the minimum amount those aged 18 to 20 must be paid was raised to £10.85 (up from £10), increases taken in an attempt to combat the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Alternative operating costs, including the price of energy and stadium maintenance, have also increased, forcing clubs to increase prices to avoid further losses.

Player wages have, too, increased whilst the demand for success at all levels of The EFL remains high, inflating the pressure that exists on clubs. Through increasing prices on supporters, across tickets and refreshments, clubs can open up more space, allowing sides to access the needed freedoms to push themselves to the next level.

“Supporters want ambition, but they also want hope that feels real, jeopardy that feels fair and competitions that remain open, credible and exciting, whether watched from the stands or on television.”

Trevor Birch, EFL chief executive

Away from clubs directly, the increased price of fuel, alongside an increased minimum wage, has forced coach companies to charge supporters more. Increased fuel costs has also made the cost of driving higher, increasing the cost of those travelling to matches via cars.

What fans think

It is the fans that suffer the increasing costs of football, and their opinion matters more than ever in that context.

On a poll run on Bantams Pride, 95.6% of supporters agreed that there should be a cap on ticket prices with 4.4% stating no.

Supporter Rob Beezley spoke to The Lower Tiers about the increasing cost of going to football, saying: “In my opinion, ticket prices are far too steep especially for away games. The price of food and travel are also high but they’re not quite at the level of tickets.

“For some away days you could be looking at £100 per person if not more depending on where you are going or what you are buying. A cap would be the way to go if the EFL ever implement one.”

Derby County supporter and Vital Football writer Holly Wright also spoke to The Lower Tiers about the topic, saying: “Personally, I think the increase is difficult to justify when supporters are already facing higher costs in everyday life.

“For many fans, going to a football match is no longer just the cost of a ticket. There is travel, parking, food and drink, and for those travelling to away games, potentially accommodation too. When all of that is added together, even a relatively small increase can make a noticeable difference.

“I understand that clubs are facing their own financial pressures, and I appreciate that ticket prices cannot realistically remain frozen forever; however, there needs to be a balance between protecting the financial health of a club and rewarding the supporters for their commitment.

“Fans should not feel as though they are continually being asked to pay more to follow a club they are passionate about.

“One way I would try to ease the pressure is to introduce more affordable ticket options, particularly for young supporters, families, and regular attendees.

“I would also look at stronger incentives for season-ticket holders and introduce a cap on away-ticket prices across the league. Following your team around the country can quickly become an expensive commitment, and supporters should not be priced out of doing so.

“For me, the key is making sure increases are reasonable and transparent. If clubs can show supporters where the additional money is going and make an effort to keep football accessible, fans are far more likely to understand a price rise.

“Football needs its supporters just as much as supporters need football, so there has to be a point where financial sustainability does not come at the expense of accessibility.”

What actions can realistically be taken?

With an issue present, some focus must be shed on what can be done to try and make the situation better.

The Premier League has received large praise for applying a £30 cap on ticket prices for away supporters, and some have called for The EFL to follow suit by introducing a similar scheme.

A scheme, that may be considered fair, on all supporters, could see the following caps introduced on prices for away fans:

• Championship: £25

• League One: £23

• League Two: £20

Whether The EFL would move to introduce such a scheme remains to be seen, although it would help to relief some of the pressures currently impacting supporters.

Cheaper prices for midweek and cup matches could also be applied, benefitting supporters whilst making football more accessible to those who have low amounts of disposable income.

Bradford City have stood-out for this in recent years with the club frequently reducing prices for home and away fans in both league and cup games. The most recent of these reductions has come for Bradford’s game against Burnley in Round Two of Carabao Cup, with advance tickets costing £5 for home and away supporters.

Bradford’s approach in doing this has attracted international attention, alongside widespread praise, and could be something that other clubs in the Championship, League One, and League Two take to make football more affordable.

Multi-match packages could also be beneficial, for supporters who cannot commit to buying a season ticket due to their own schedules and the cost. This has been seen across The EFL already, with a wide range of clubs including Derby County, Rotherham United, and Southampton running similar offers last season.

Increased fan consultation across The EFL on ticket prices could also help to directly address the thoughts and concerns of those attending matches whilst further shaping prices and schemes that are reasonable for supporters.

It is clear, something must be done. The cost of watching football across The EFL’s three leagues is growing season on season, placing more pressure on supporters. Without action, increases will continue and that could price some supporters out of watching EFL football live altogether.

Now is the time to take action. Now is the time to address the issues that have dominated online discourse. Now is the time to make the cost of football reasonable once again.

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Ten years ago, Leicester City stood at the summit of English football. A club that had spent much of its history moving between the top two divisions had somehow defied the odds, overcome the established giants and lifted the Premier League trophy.

Today, the picture could hardly be more different.

Leicester are standing at the front door for their first season in League One since 2009 after successive relegations from the Premier League and Championship. Financial difficulties and an EFL six-point deduction have added to the turmoil, leaving a club that once dreamed of competing with Europe’s biggest sides facing an altogether different reality.

After 16 years of ownership, King Power now appears ready to bring its time at Leicester City to an end. An investment prospectus prepared by Citigroup, reportedly titled Project Lineup, has been circulated to prospective buyers. The club’s physical assets are valued at around £224 million, while King Power is reportedly seeking more than £200 million for the overall package.

But the potential sale is about much more than a price tag.

How did a club that reached the summit of English football fall so far, and why does King Power appear ready to walk away now?

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The EFL is back! And with that so is prediction season. As the famous adage goes “it’s time for cities and towns to start dreaming again”, and every fan across the land is thinking: is this our year?.

In League Two the feeling is no different, the excitement of a promotion charge up the football pyramid in unavoidable, and plenty of clubs will be aiming for that top seven to get a shot at playing League One football in 2027/28.

League Two is looking as exciting as ever for the upcoming campaign, can any of the relegated side make the jump back to League One? Who can shoot for the play offs? Who will end up in mid table obscurity? Who will make the dreaded drop out of the football league?

24. Newport County

Newport spent the majority of last season in the bottom two and looked almost certain for relegation. However, Christian Fuchs guided them to safety thanks to four wins in their last seven games.

Fuchs has since left the club, and has been replaced by Hayden Mullins, who they snatched from Premier League club Fulham’s U21’s team. Mullins’ only previous permanent managerial club stint was at Colchester United, where he lasted 40 games and managed a weak 28% win rate.

Newport have lost Bobby Kamwa to Bristol Rovers, Mattew Baker to League One side Notts County and Courtney Baker-Richardson to Tranmere, all of whom could prove to be huge losses.

As for incomings, the key additions include Kyle Cameron looks to be a shrewd addition from Bromley, Cameron Norman arrives after a solid season for Tranmere and Harrison Biggins has joined permanently after a successful loan during the second half of the season. But is that enough to keep them up? We don’t think so.

23. Tranmere Rovers

Another side who found themselves narrowly staying up last campaign, we predict Tranmere to finally fall into the National League and this has been coming for a few years now.

Darrell Clarke has joined as manager for his seventh job in eight years, having had a miserable time at Bristol Rovers last campaign.

They’ve also not really had a particularly inspiring window. Omari Patrick and Cameron Norman could prove to be costly losses, though the latter has been well replaced with Joel Senior on a free from Bristol Rovers.

Will Vaulks and Tom Ince have joined from the Championship and will add vital experience, but the lack of goals could cost Tranmere, and we have them going down.

22. Gillingham

We have Gillingham falling from the mid table mediocrity of recent seasons right into a relegation battle, but just surviving.

Gareth Ainsworth didn’t particularly have the best of seasons in charge, and may have his doubters coming into the new season.

Key players such as Remeao Hutton and Josh Andrews have left for sides who will be expecting to finish at the other end of the table, which will harm Gillingham’s chances.

James Brophy has arrived from Cambridge, which looks a clever addition, however the other arrivals don’t look particularly exciting.

21. Rochdale

The first of the newcomers for 2026/27, we have Rochdale in 21st.

After accumulating 106 points, the expectation may be that they finish a little higher. However, manager Jim McNulty has left for Stockport County and his replacement is Ian Watson from South Shields, who is unproven in the football league and may struggle at first.

They’ve kept the bulk of their first eleven from last season which will help, but also not really added anything in terms of first team starters in the market.

The lack of change will help team togetherness, however they could struggle with quality in what looks a very competitive league.

20. Cheltenham Town

After a horrifying start, Cheltenham ended last season in pretty good form, which also saw manager Steve Cotterill awarded freedom of the borough by Cheltenham council.

Last season’s loanee and top scorer Isaac Hutchinson has since left, so has silky winger Jordan Thomas, who has gone to League One side Doncaster.

The Robins have made some good additions though. Shaun McWilliams arrives from Rotherham, Pierce Sweeney featured a lot for Exeter City last term, Charlie McCann shone for Barrow in their relegation and Kirsten Otchere could be a bit of a wildcard on loan from Leicester.

19. Accrington Stanley

Another team pretty much as you were from last season, they haven’t lost anyone of note, except for Isaac Heath following his loan from Everton, and the only player they’ve signed that could be a regular starter is goalkeeper Louie Moulden on loan from Norwich.

They will likely fall a few places due to not having Heath for the upcoming season, but the lack of change may also work in Stanley’s favour.

18. Crawley Town

Crawley stayed up by a solitary point last season and there may be a few who have them to go down, however Colin Kazim-Richards showed promise in his nine games in charge and they have made some clever additions in Jude Arthurs, Stephen Duke-McKenna and Preistley Farquharson.

They have also signed Gianmarco Di Base from Juventus, who shone on debut in an excellent performance by Crawley in the Carabao Cup against York.

Crawley could actually be a dark horse for a very promising season.

17. Shrewsbury Town

Shrewsbury struggled after relegation to League Two, finishing 19th last season, however after Gavin Cowan’s appointment, they accumulated roughly 1.42 points per game, which would’ve had them on 65 points for the whole season and finishing in a comfortable 13th.

Taylor Perry will be a miss in midfield following his exit, however the signings of Arkell Jude-Boyd, Josh Davison and Isaac Fletcher could prove to be clever additions to the squad, whilst talented goalkeeper Sam Proctor arrives from Aston Villa on loan and Jack Price returns to the club to add experience.

16. Oldham Athletic

After returning to League Two last season, Oldham had a pretty strong campaign by finishing 10th and having the second least amount of goals conceded in the division.

They’ve not lost anyone of note and also haven’t added anyone that you’d expect to break into the first team, therefore we anticipate a small drop off, however Micky Mellon is a very good manager and will steer The Latics well away from any danger.

15. Colchester United

The U’s have stagnated in League Two since their relegation in 2016, only finishing in the play offs once, and even dropping as low as a 22nd placed finish in 2024. Over the last two season Colchester have cemented themselves back to mid table and we expect that to continue here.

The Cowley brothers remain in charge going into their second full season and have been busy in the transfer market. Kyreece Lisbie has left to join Reading and will be a huge miss, whilst Matt Macey, Arthur Read and Owura Edwards have all departed following the conclusion of their contracts.

On the incomings front, key additions include Paul Digby, who could be a great option in the squad, Leon Chiwome who is a promising young forward on loan from Wolves and Thimothee Lo-Tutala has been brought in on loan from Hull.

14. Northampton Town

The first of the newly relegated sides, The Cobblers have spent the summer in ownership turmoil, whilst waiting for a deal to sell the club to new ownership, involving former Chelsea striker Alexandre Pato.

The club have placed their faith in Chris Hogg to lead the team for 2026/27, in what will be his first managerial job, and have also seen eleven players exit on free transfers, including Cameron McGeehan. Dean Campbell has also departed for Notts County for a reported £200,000 in what is a huge loss in midfield.

As for players coming in, Harvey Saunders could be a clever forward addition after impressing for Eastleigh, Matty Warhurst looks an exciting talent from Manchester City, James Maxwell could come in as the starting left-back, and Lee Evans adds experience and control into midfield.

13. Fleetwood Town

Elliot Bonds leaving for Salford is a huge loss and a player that Fleetwood will struggle to replace, which is the main reason behind us having Fleetwood sat mid table for another season.

The club also haven’t signed anyone that you would expect to break into the main eleven, and therefore we expect they will not be mounting a serious charge for the play offs.

12. Swindon Town

The experienced Ian Holloway remains in the dugout and with him you will always have a chance, however Swindon’s collapse last season cannot be understated. Being in the play offs for 39 consecutive gameweeks and finishing 9th will almost certainly leave a mental scar on those within the club.

The exit of Will Wright removes quality at the back, whilst Billy Bodin and Junior Hoilett leaving on frees takes away a lot of experience. Stephen Negru and Matty Virtue look like quality additions, some very good loan signings and the continued development of Fletcher Holman should have enough to keep Swindon in the top half.

11. Crewe Alexandra

Max Sanders and James Connolly will be big misses in midfield and centre defence respectively, however Luke Offord fills the void of the latter at least who has joined alongside two further additions in Jordan Gibson, who will aim to improve Crewe’s option on the wings, and the highly rated Joe White on a permanent deal from Newcastle United.

Crewe also have stability in the managerial department, with manager Lee Bell having been there since November 2022, and he will be looking to get his side back into the play off picture.

10. Exeter City

Recent season regulars such as Jack Aitchinson, Pierce Sweeney, Josh Magennis, Jack McMillan and Ilmari Niskanen have all departed, the latter being a particularly huge miss for Exeter, and a defeat in the opening round of the Carabao Cup to local rivals Plymouth will not help dressing room mood at all, we just can’t see a way Exeter achieve immediate promotion back to the third tier.

The signings also haven’t been particularly inspiring so far, however it will be interesting to follow the development of Ethan Sutherland, who was loaned from Wolves on Monday and immediately sent off on debut.; the 20-year-old is rated highly at Molineux however.

9. Barnet

Many will have Barnet higher up the table than this, and it is clear to see why they’re one of the favourites for the play offs at least. A huge Summer window has seen 13 players depart and 11 join, including some seriously good additions including Matthew Cox on loan from Brentford, who impressed after joining Shrewsbury on loan in January last season.

The club also have excellent continuity, with manager Dean Brennan being at the club since 2021.

However, such an overhaul of players may mean the squad takes time to gel, which could lead to a slow start hence harming their promotion and play off chances, but still a strong season predicted for Barnet.

8. Rotherham United

A club that has been through some turmoil, particularly in recent months, seems to finally be settling down a little (on the pitch at least) prior to the season starting.

A long process to detect a new manager saw Alex Bruce, son of Steve, take over in what will be his maiden managerial job in the football league.

After a dismal campaign last time out, a clear out was needed, and Rotherham were ruthless with a whopping 17 players departing.

Additions include excellent forward line depth with Fabio Tavares, Tom Bradshaw and Paul Mullin all arriving alongside 8 other additions to further bolster the squad.

7. Walsall

The Saddlers will be hoping that this will not be a third season running where they don’t just bottle the title, but also promotion, despite being hot favourites at many points throughout both campaigns.

New manager Lee Grant arrives as a breath of fresh air and will aim to adapt Walsall to a new, attractive brand of football, however his first managerial stint at Huddersfield doesn’t offer too much hope,

An impressive 1-0 win away at Bristol City in the Carabao Cup offers extra confidence of a good campaign, however this is another squad who has had a major gutting and may struggle to gel the 12 new signings in straight away, but still making the play offs.

6. York City

After rampaging National League and winning the title with 108 points, many would have had York City as one of the favourites to be in contention up the top again. However the decision to sack manager Stuart Maynard and replace him with Scott Lindsey has been widely scrutinised in public view.

However, York City do still have a very good squad despite 6 of last season’s title winning squad departing, including the sale of Malachi Fagan-Walcott to Hearts for around £750,000.

Alfie McNally on loan looks a shrewd replacement for Harrison Male, whilst Arthur Read and Mark Shelton look excellent pick ups for the midfield.

5. Grimsby Town

We back Grimsby Town to continue their upwards trajectory this season after a really solid campaign last time out. David Artell has proven himself to be a very capable manager in this league, especially after sealing a play off spot last season.

The Mariners will need to improve more in the window however, with the majority of the signings so far being more for depth, last week’s loss of Jaze Kabia, who netted 18 league goals last season, means Grimsby will need to bring in more firepower before the window shuts.

4. Chesterfield

Since returning to League Two in 2024, Chesterfield have finished in the play offs in both seasons since, however Paul Cook’s side haven’t been able to quite cross the line into League One just yet.

We expect Chesterfield to once again confirm their spot in the play offs, with smart additions in Jack Simpson and Alfie Pond, who was very impressive on loan at Crewe last season, to bolster the defensive options, 20-year-old Danny Anisjko who will provide excitement and trickery on the wing, and Fraser Brydon from Crusaders, who managed 22 goals in the Northern Irish Premiership last campaign.

Chesterfield could be one to watch to challenge for an automatic promotion spot.

3. Port Vale

Port Vale probably look the most likely of the relegated sides to make an immediate return as it stands, and we predict that they will do so.

Jon Brady’s previous stint in League Two was largely successful, finishing 4th and 3rd with newly relegated Northampton back in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons respectively, and therefore has experience in getting teams promoted out of this division.

An impressive Summer has also followed suit, with four wins in pre season, and some clever signings.

Jackson Smith excelled on loan at Grimsby last season and will be solid between the sticks, Kyle Dempsey has started regularly in League One for around a decade now, and signing both Mo Faal and Oli Lynch on loan provides excellent competition and depth up front.

2. Salford City

I think many would say that the Salford project so far hasn’t lived up to expectation, with the club still yet to break into League One, however this season just feels different.

Australian Peter Cklamovski feels a brave choice for manager after the dismissal of Karl Robinson, although his win rate of 45% across his last three jobs does offer positive encouragement.

However, this prediction is a lot more about the incomings than anything else. Will Norris and Sam Long provide Salford with an excellent goalkeeping department; Joe Powell was one of the brighter players in a poor Rotherham side last season; Elliot Bonds joins off the back of a great season with Fleetwood; and both Luke Molyneux and Macauley Langstaff provide a level of firepower that shouldn’t be seen in a league this low.

A quite ridiculous window from Salford.

1. Bristol Rovers

And finally, The Lower Tiers’ League Two Champions for the 2026/27 season are Bristol Rovers.

Since Steve Evans joined the club, it has begun an entire new era for The Gas. A stretch of nine games to conclude the season saw 8 wins and a draw, which we think is a sign of things to come for this upcoming season.

Only Joel Senior has departed the club from the consistent starters that contributed to last season’s ending, with Tommy Leigh being reloaned in, Kofi Balmer joining on a permanent deal and Richard Smallwood following suit.

Bristol Rovers have also acquired the services of Jack Aitchison from Exeter City, Tom James from Leyton Orient, Bobby Kamwa who has done well for Newport County in recent years, Ciaran Kelly from Bradford City and Ben Purrington from Cambridge. What’s more impressive is that they completed all these signings without spending a penny in transfer fees.

Truly fantastic stuff from Bristol Rovers, and we have them as our 2026/27 Champions.

The 2026/27 Championship season has finally arrived, with six new teams joining the division to mix things up after a thrilling last campaign.

It’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive editions of the second tier to date, with three new clubs coming up from League One, three big-hitters heading down from the Premier League, and the seasoned sides all making improvements to their squads.

Some players on certain teams have the potential to stand out more than others - from different calibres of clubs. Here are the best eight, who perhaps aren’t being tipped for the big awards, but you should be keeping a close eye on.

1. Elijah Just - Swansea City

The first player on this list was much coveted during the summer transfer window after an excellent season for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, in which he made 14 goal contributions.

Attacker Elijah Just eventually joined Swansea City in a £6m deal despite interest from the likes of Southampton, Sheffield United, Rangers and Celtic, and looks an exciting proposition.

The 26-year-old scored three goals in as many games in the 2026 World Cup for New Zealand, giving EFL and Swansea fans in particular a glimpse into what is to come - Just could be a special addition to the Championship.

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It’s everyone’s favourite time of the year! The time when we all moan about our team being predicted too low by an “expert”, just to finish even lower in reality.

With that being said, this year is incredibly tough to predict in League One, with there only being a handful of frontrunners just before the season, with plenty of teams ready to be this years dark horses.

Can Bradford and Stevenage replicate last seasons form for another play-off run? Can Stockport reach the playoffs for a third year running, this time under new manager Jim Mcnulty? Will teams such as Wimbledon suffer “second season syndrome?” Well, here’s what we think.

24th - Cambridge United (R)

This is arguably the hardest position to predict, and the position no one ever wants to see their team predicted in but unfortunately here Cambridge are.

Cambridge have actually somewhat impressed with their transfer business so far this summer, with players such as Patrick Bauer and Gassan Ahadme having experience at this level last season, as well as recruiting well from League Two with players such as Callum Stead.

An unbeaten pre-season is nothing to scoff at either, however the squad seems too thin to sustain a survival bid by the end of the season.

During pre-season goals were also hard to come by, not scoring in their last two friendlies.

Everyone knows what Neil Harris is like as a manager too. He will get this team to scrap and fight for every point and The Abbey is a ground that no team will want to go to next season, but the squad looks terribly thin, and youth may be called upon too early in the season for Harris’ liking.

A season similar to Wimbledon’s last season could well be on the cards, however 24th is where they rank here.

23rd - AFC Wimbledon (R)

Speaking of Wimbledon, unfortunately the “second season syndrome” is going to catch up with them this season.

They stayed up last season against all odds, with most people having them nailed on for relegation before the season started.

However, they stayed up somewhat comfortably by the end of the season, with impressive runs of form throughout the season having fans starting to believe they could be outsiders for the play offs, however their form fell off a cliff come the end of the season.

This run of form to end the season is what should scare Wimbledon fans, with only one win coming in their last eleven games to end the season.

Whilst the squad was ravaged with injuries at that point, recruitment this summer hasn’t been good enough to justify staying put in League One, with next season looking to be an extremely tough league to stay in.

It’s unfortunate for Wimbledon as their hands are tied in terms of budgets considering they’re still a fan owned team, however this lack of funding means their squad is sub-par as it stands, and they’re running out of time in the window to pull together a true League One level side.

A 98th minute equaliser to force a penalty shootout against League Two opposition in the Carabao Cup last weekend (which Wimbledon ended up winning) isn’t the best sign going into the season, however the win is a welcome bonus for morale, but it won’t be enough come May.

22nd - Notts County (R)

Joining fellow promotion winners from last season, Cambridge, Notts County will be among the teams dropping back into the fourth tier this season.

Many pieces of last seasons promotion winning side are missing going into this season, especially star man Alassana Jatta.

His impressive 16 goal season last year meant that holding onto him would be a long shot for County no matter what, and he has ended up joining Casa Pia in Portugal.

Impressive loanees Tom Iorpenda and Jayden Luker, both of whom started at Wembley in the play-off final against Salford last season, have both returned to their parent clubs for the upcoming season, with Luker assisting for Luton during their 3-0 victory at Gillingham, making a reunion at County this season unlikely.

It is always a tough ask for teams to stay up following promotion, and County will especially struggle considering their team is arguably worse than when they went up at the end of May.

Similarly to Cambridge, they’ll scrap and fight for every point in this division, especially at home, but unfortunately other team’s quality will shine through, confining County to the drop.

21st - Peterborough United (R)

Their squad just isn’t very good, is it?

Kyrell Lisbie, Archie Collins and Jimmy-Jay Morgan. Gone. Arguably the most important pieces to this team from last season all not being there for next season is going to hurt (though Morgan was never going to be considering he was a loan) and whilst retaining Harry Leonard is extremely important, will he score enough to drag this team into staying up?

Leonard is the key to this team having a chance next season, but the supporting cast around him will need to step up massively to stop Peterborough from sleepwalking into League Two.

We saw this happen last season, a great run of form after Luke Williams appointment saw Posh in and around the play-off spots through Christmas, however after this the team fell apart and were nearly in a relegation battle by the end of the season!

At the end of the day, this is a team who finished 18th last season, and with the squad arguably being worse and teams who were below them improving (more on you later, Orient) as well as promoted teams looking promising, Williams and his side have a massive job on their hands to stop themselves from slipping into the drop zone.

WIll Darragh Macanthony magically find the answer to Posh’s problems between now and the end of the transfer window? Probably. But for now? 21st.

20th - Burton Albion

It’s Burton Albion, we all know the script by now. Everyone predicts them to go down, they’ll look doomed for most of the season, definitely look nailed on to go down, then Gary Bowyer drags them out of the relegation zone and they miraculously stay up quite comfortably by May.

Will it be closer this year than most years? Yes, it’s the hardest the relegation battle has looked in this division for years. But this year is no different, they’ll stay up. Just.

Say whatever you want about the squad, but Bowyer will make any player look ten times their worth when it matters most.

Corey Addai is a good addition in net, Curtis Tilt (at 35) will do exactly what they need as a big physical centre half, and whilst replacing Jake Beesley was never going to be easy, Matthew Dennis had a solid season in a Notts County side that they’ll meet in the league this season.

They will survive, they always do.

19th - Bromley

Bromley are an interesting fit in League One this season, having never played this high before.

It’s been said before but teams are going to absolutely hate playing Bromley this season. The term “anti-football” seems harsh, but fitting for the way Bromley will play, and that's being said in a respectful manner.

Andy Woodman has worked absolute miracles with this Bromley side so far, and whilst it’d be very easy to write them off and say they aren’t good enough and are going to go down, they might just have enough fight in them to stay up.

Omar Sowunmi has been an unbelievable centre half for them, and would probably start for at least half the teams in this league, so holding onto him is crucial for the rest of the window, and his partner in crime, Kamarl Grant is someone Bromley fans know well from his previous spell at the club, it won’t be easy for any striker to come up against them this season.

One problem is that it’s an aging squad. Sowunmi is 30, Michael Cheek is 34, Mitch Pinnock is 31, Corey Whitely is 35. most of these having little to no experience at this level.

They’ve brought in players such as Victor Adeboyejo and Ethon Archer who both had experience at this level last season but didn’t impress, however Woodman will get the best out of this squad and similarly to Burton, they’ll just about stay up.

18th - Wigan Athletic

Gary Caldwell is a top manager for this division and is one of the sole reasons that Wigan will have enough in them to not be dragged into a relegation dogfight.

They’ll have a fine season, even if their squad has taken a slight step back. All Wigan fans know that Sam Tickle would be nearly impossible to replace, but Joe Walsh is a fine replacement who won’t do them much harm this season. Max Power is a great addition to the squad, even if he’s 33 now, and James Carragher is someone who will undoubtedly have interest from higher up the pyramid if he keeps improving like he is.

One thing this team lacks is goals, Joe Taylor returning to Huddersfield after his successful loan spell will hurt Wigan, but not to the point that they fall apart.

18th seems very harsh to place Wigan as it implies they’re close to the relegation zone, but they’ll be comfortable enough to be on the beach by April.

17th - Doncaster Rovers

A cup win against last season’s play-off final losers, Stockport, isn’t a bad way to start the season for Doncaster.

On paper, Doncaster fans shouldn’t be offended by 17th, especially after losing captain Luke Molyneux to Salford City over the summer.

There’s still quality in this Doncaster side, Isaac Hutchinson is coming off a fantastic campaign in League Two for Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham, Alfie May is still a fantastic player for this level, and keeping Owen Bailey is huge for Doncaster going into next season.

Is it harsh after finishing higher than this last season? Maybe, but it’s a harder division this year, and the 60 points that led Doncaster to 14th last season may only be good enough for 17th this year, with everyone (including themselves) improving their squads for next season.

Overall, they have a fine squad, a good enough manager and will ruffle some feathers in the league, but lower mid-table feels fitting, for now.

16th - Barnsley

Barnsley may just be the hardest team to predict for next season. Daniel Stendel coming back will excite fans, and similarly to last season they have a young, promising squad with a fan favourite manager who the fans will get behind.

With that being the case, it’s hard not to predict them having a very similar season to last. David McGoldrick has gone down the road to Mansfield, Reyes Cleary is having a very “will he, won’t he” summer in terms of if he’s staying or going (though if he stays everyone will be shocked), and they no longer have 6 months of Davis Kellior-Dunn being the best player in the league or Adam Phillips commanding the side.

Luca Connell, Jonathan Bland and Cameron McGeehan will be good midfield rotation next season, provided Connell stays, however the team isn’t very creative.

Losing McGoldrick, Phillips and Cleary all in the same summer will hurt Barnsley, and without any replacements who will truly wow fans, a season like last may be all Barnsley fans can hope for next season.

15th - Stevenage FC

This one hurts, as Stevenage haven’t done much wrong this summer to be ranked down so much compared to last season.

A good squad, a very underrated manager in Alex Revell and some fine, if uninspiring, transfer business means that Stevenage could well be challenging at the upper end of the table again.

Unfortunately, the league has simply improved around them. Teams like Leyton Orient and Blackpool have recruited impressively, and that’s not to say Stevenage haven’t, the others have just recruited “better”. Terrence Vancooten coming back is something that Stevenage fans will welcome with open arms, but is he good enough to be Charlie Goodes replacement? (No pun intended).

Josh Magennis scored a dramatic equaliser in the Carabao Cup against Wycombe, but is he really the striker to back up Jamie Reid for a team who want to push for the play-offs again?

There’s real quality in this Stevenage side, Filip Marschall is one of the best in this division, Jamie Reid is a true goalscorer, but going into this season with a very similar side expecting the same as last season simply won’t happen, so a step back is coming Stevenage’s way.

14th - Blackpool FC

Now the table is getting terribly tough to predict.

Blackpool have done some fantastic transfer business, Fin Munroe is someone that the entire EFL was drooling over in January, eventually joining Middlesborough, Imari Niskanen was one of the best wing backs in the division last season, but the squad looks thin defensively.

Losing players like Reuell Walters and Ashley Fletcher over summer will hurt them, whilst it’s fair to say that they’ve arguably upgraded on Walters through Niskanen, bringing Walters back from a Luton side that he’s clearly unwanted in would’ve been harmless for depth both at centre back and wing back, and losing their main man in Fletcher is a bad sign for Blackpool.

Whilst there’s bundles of attacking quality at Blackpool in players such as Niall Ennis, Josh Bowler and Karoy Anderson, someone of Fletchers profile fit extremely well with this supporting cast, and replacing him is so tough considering he’s such a unique striker.

Ian Evatt is a very hot and cold manager in this division too. When it’s good under him, it’s very good, but unfortunately the bad is very bad. He has brought back a familiar friend in Dion Charles, even though he has been extremely disappointing at Huddersfield. Evatt knows exactly what Charles is like as a player though, bringing out the best of him at Bolton, and if he gets firing Blackpool could fly up the league very quickly.

They have quite a high floor of around mid-table and also a higher ceiling, don’t be surprised if Blackpool knock on the door of the play-offs.

13th - Oxford United

Scrap anything about Barnsley being the hardest team to predict, Oxford are here.

This team genuinely have the potential to finish either 24th or 1st and quite literally anywhere in between, so somewhere mid-table seems like the best guess.

The financial problems are very well documented at Oxford, however the squad is actually quite good.

One of the main problems about Oxford is obviously the transfer embargo, but in terms of building a good starting eleven for the division, the embargo doesn't really hurt them. It more affects their squad depth.

Cameron Brannagan could and arguably should be one of the best players in the division, Tyler Goodrham has shown he can be a fantastic player at this level. Mark Harris means goals and the rest of the starting eleven is fantastic for this level.

However, the team could go either way before deadline day.

It could very well get picked apart, and all the main players of quality leave to a more assured club who don’t have any financial questions looming over their heads and suddenly then Oxford are left with a team who look like they’ll be battling at the wrong end of the league.

The odds are stacked against Oxford coming off a relegation season, but is Aaron Ramsey the breath of fresh air the club needs?

There are strong parallels to Luton last season, bringing in Matt Bloomfield for a Championship relegation battle they ended up finishing the wrong side of, cutting ties with him before it got too painful, and replacing him with a former, injury prone Arsenal midfielder from the early 2010s in.

It (somewhat) worked at Luton, so why can’t it work at Oxford?

Oxfords league position will be much easier to predict come September, so it’s the safe option of 13th for now.

12th - Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe will be a fine team this season. Michael Duff is one of the best there is in this division, and he’ll take no prisoners at Wycombe, however he may need one full season before turning Wycombe into true contenders at this level.

Bringing back Cauley Woodrow this summer is a smart piece of business, he was unwanted at Luton and will be a good player for this level. He won’t be a 20-30 goal a season striker/10, but he will get 10/15 G/A, and that’s okay.

Keeping hold of Fred Onyedinma was important considering the interest he had from other sides with his contract expiring, and he is the type of player that’ll have Wycombe fans excited for next season.

Steve Cook will be the best defender in the league by far if he can stay fit all season, and player such as Emre Tegzel will be joining the club with a point to prove in this league.

The rest of the squad will be fine supporting members, but it feels like Wycombe are missing one electric player to truly get fans believing this year.

The chairboys won’t be anywhere near the bottom of this season, and will almost certainly look good for a play-off spot at some point during the season, don’t be surprised if they do sneak up the table by the end of the season, but it may be one year too early for Duff’s side to be a top contender.

11th - Reading

This is being prefixed by saying genuinely any team from here onwards could end up being a team in the play-offs next season.

Reading’s summer recruitment has been fantastic, Jacob Brown has been off it for a few years, but if he gets fit and firing in this league he will be a ridiculous player. Kyreece Lisbie will get Reading fans on the edge of their seats, Josh Stokes is another interesting addition, and with a goal in his debut at the weekend, who says he can’t kick on this season?

Keeping hold of Lewis Wing automatically adds three positions to their position in these predictions. Joel Pereira has been an outstanding keeper for years at Reading, and he’ll contribute massively throughout the season to help them out. Charlie Savage will help Wing to run the midfield, and Jack Marriott while fit is one of the best strikers in the league by far.

Their defensive depth is questionable and this could end up being their achilles heel throughout the season.

If Marriott can’t stay fit they no longer have Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan to fall back on for goals (Luton fans around the country are celebrating) and if Jacob Brown doesn’t find his feet, where are the goals?

Similarly to Wycombe, a play-off push could very well materialise, but Reading could very easily fall apart and sink into mid-table mediocracy.

10th - Mansfield Town

Two words: David McGoldrick.

For as long as he plays in this division, any team he plays against should be afraid.

Nigel Clough has a knack for making this team awful to play against, and over 46 games you best believe that he’ll get the best out of his players to challenge at the top end of the league.

There aren’t the same question marks over Mansfield as there are for many other teams in this league, their football won’t be pretty, but it’ll be effective.

It almost feels harsh to have them this low, as their summer business has arguably been the best in the division.

Michael Smith and McGoldrick are two strikers where you simply have to look past their age and acknowledge that their footballing IQ will combine for multiple wins over the season. Owen Dodgson had almost every team in the league looking to bring him in 12 months ago, so him now potentially joining up in Clough’s system is nothing to be scoffed at.

There always seems to be an underdog or two challenging for play-off spots during the season, and Mansfield seem the perfect candidates to be one of these teams.

The first six games will be imperative to whether Mansfield will sink or swim in a play-off push this season, as games against Doncaster, Peterborough, Luton, Bradford, Reading and Huddersfield will show where they’re truly at.

Don’t let the result in the cup against Sheffield United fool you, this team can play, and they’ll prove it.

9th - Huddersfield

You genuinely never know with Huddersfield.

Huddersfield’s strategy for another summer is to change management, spend money on big wages and try and force their way out of the division, and it might just work.

In their defence, the management change was forced by Liam Manning unfortunately stepping down due to personal circumstances. Martin Drury clearly did enough to impress as caretaker and get the job permanently, and Huddersfield fans will hope he’s the chosen one to take them up.

It’s been a fine summer of additions at Huddersfield, Ashley Fletcher is a well proven striker at this level and he’s the type of profile that a club like Huddersfield needed going into next season.

If Joe Taylor is to stay with the club for next season, him and Fletcher together up front (albeit in a different system to which they currently play) could prove to be a very fruitful partnership.

Ibane Bowat is a smart addition from Portsmouth, and it feels like Huddersfield have just tried to slightly tweak their squad for promotion, rather than facilitating a full scale rebuild for next season. Will it work? Who knows. Is the squad good enough to go up? Yes. If Drury can put all the pieces together, they’ll contend.

But is Drury the person to challenge at the top end of the division? He is rather unproven at this level and compared to some of the managers in the division, he could end up being a small fish in a big pond. It is too early to say whether he’ll be truly successful for next season, so for now Huddersfield are 9th.

8th - Leyton Orient

Don’t let last season fool you, Leyton Orient can be a force to be reckoned with in this league.

A poor follow up to an impressive play-off run was the story of last season, and nearly sleepwalking into the relegation zone wasn't the way Richie Wellens would’ve wanted the season to go.

However he’ll be determined to make sure this Orient team bounce back strongly next season, and the summer business has reflected as such.

A club-record fee on Jaze Kabia, Isaac Hayden joining and instantly being appointed club captain, Nathan Baxter, Alfie Gilchrist amongst others.

That transfer window is better than some Championship clubs!

It’s arguably the best window in the league, and in terms of bringing in quality compared to last season, it’s the best by far.

Don’t let Dom Ballard’s departure fool you, Wellens has proven to have a special touch when it comes to strikers in this division, so don’t be surprised if one of Kabia or Aaron Connolly win the golden boot next season.

Defensively, bringing in Nathan Baxter and Alfie Gilchrist will help to patch up an extremely leaky defence.

Idris El-Mizouni showed the same quality last season as he showed in his last spell at the club, and him and Hayden is a partnership that is up there with the best in the division.

Armando Dobra will give them flair off the wings, a fully fit Theo Archibald will do similar.

Everything is pointing to this season being a successful one for the O’s, with last weekends win in the cup over Oxford being a true statement of intent.

They could well bounce straight back into the play-offs, however this O’s side are always one week away from falling apart, and a mid-season meltdown will have them just outside of the play-offs.

7th - Plymouth Argyle

How do you even choose one of these seven teams to finish outside of the play-offs?

Unfortunately, Plymouth are the first team outside in these predictions, but it is marginal between any of the next four teams to miss out.

Plymouths transfer business has actually been rather impressive, Harvey White on a free transfer is a fantastic coup, Murphy Cooper is a great keeper, Wes Harding commanded the defence last season so keeping him permanently is huge and Will Evans is a great striker for this league.

Ultimately, the looming question remains, can they make up for missing out on Tolaj’s goals this season?

The answer is still up for debate, and it’ll take a good few months to see whether Plymouth miss him or not. Keeping hold of Bim Pepple is huge for Plymouth if they want to contend at the top end of the table again, and if not the season could fall apart before it ever really starts.

A win over local(ish) rivals Exeter was the perfect way to open the season for the Pilgrims, however it’ll all be for nothing if they don’t start the season strongly.

Tom Cleverley is a great manager, and Plymouth ended up being proven right by sticking by him last season when their season was unravelling, and backing him is the best thing they can do to try and contend for promotion.

The re-appointment of Derek Adams last season proved to be extremely valuable for Plymouth, and their unbelievable run to end the season coincides perfectly with his appointment, and the Pilgrims are hoping they can ride that momentum from last season into the upcoming one, with promotion the clear aim.

6th - Stockport County (PO)

Stockport are such an interesting team going into next season.

As someone who was sat in the press room listening to Dave Challinor following the play-off final defeat to Bolton in May, if you said that Challinor would walk away from his position as manager but the squad would remain largely intact, I’d be shocked.

Challinor leaving the Hatters actually isn’t that surprising, as he seemed to accept his fate after back to back losses at Wembley in back to back months, knowing he had taken Stockport as far as he could.

However, the squad not getting picked apart is shocking, with star man Kyle Woorton returning to lead the line this season, as well as holding onto captain Ollie Norwood, Lewis Bate, Jack Diamond, amongst other stars.

Players such as Ben Osborn, Ethan Pye and Malik Mothersille were all key contributors last season, and Jim McNulty will hope most of the squad from last season can contribute to another play-off campaign.

It isn’t often that the first game of the season feels like a “six-pointer”, but Stockport vs Plymouth on the opening day feels like one of the biggest games of the season already.

Their transfer business has been impressive, bringing in Oliver Whatmuff from Manchester City, who new manager Jim McNulty knows well from their time together at Rochdale last season, as well bringing in players such as League of Ireland star Harry Wood, who had strong interest from multiple teams in League One.

The important question for Stockport is whether McNulty can replicate Challinor’s success next season and drag Stockport into the play-offs again.

The quality in the squad is there, but can McNulty deliver?

5th - MK Dons (PO)

If in doubt, get the chequebook out.

Don’t let the fact they were in League Two last season fool you. MK Dons aren’t here to stay in the division, they have Championship aspirations.

Some of the transfer business this summer has been utterly ridiculous, Sam Nombe returning, Cohen Bramall joining on a free transfer, League One Team of the Season defender Charlie Goode, Dan Barlaser, Sammy Silvera and Cardiff City’s Player of the Season Ryan Wintle all joining.

This is coupled with the fact that they still have Paul Warne as manager, someone who has experience winning promotion from this division, as well as a side that were already ridiculous for their level last season in League Two.

The transfer window isn’t even finished yet, and they’ll undoubtedly be looking to bring in more players before deadline day.

If that all fails?

They’ll just sign more players in January!

This team is ruthless, and utterly terrifying for this league, after being stuck in League Two for years they’ll be coming into this league with a vengeance to prove they belong here, the rest of the league should be scared.

4th - Bradford City (POW)

Second season syndrome? This team have never heard of it.

Graham Alexander knows exactly what this Bradford team needs to go up, and he’s gone about filling these holes in the squad successfully this summer.

Jake Beesley is the target man that Bradford had been crying out for all season last year, and Adam Phillips is a major coup from Barnsley.

Adding depth to the side that reached the play-offs last season was imperative, and Bradford have done as much this summer.

Reece Welch could be a great buy-low sell-high situation from Everton on a free transfer, and Callum Connolly joining from the Stockport side who finished in the play-offs twice in a row brings important experience to this Bradford side, and a debut assist from centre back in the Carabao Cup proves as such.

Antoni Sarcevic is now officially club captain, and his quality and experience will help the rest of the squad push on as they look to build on last season’s success and return to the play-offs.

Bradford have got better than last season, so in theory, they should be better, admittedly here they’re predicted to finish in the same position, however they’ll be a team challenging the top two this season, as opposed to looking over their shoulders all season at the teams chasing them.

In fear of sounding very Americanised, Bradford shouldn’t worry about the regular season, it’s in the play-offs where their season will be judged, and they could well take the leap to Wembley success this season.

3rd - Sheffield Wednesday (POF)

It is very hard to predict that Wednesday won’t get promoted automatically this season.

Like many teams in the league, their summer business has been fantastic. Mason Burstow has experience winning promotion from this league with Bolton last season, Billy Mitchell brings a wealth of experience to the side from Millwall. Sil Swinkels and Ricardo Santos are great centre backs for this division. Joe Lumley is more than good enough to be a number one in this league and these players aren’t even Wednesdays main transfers.

The most impressive transfer business has been bringing in Louie Barry permanently, Harry Gray on loan from Leeds and most importantly bringing back the crown jewel of this Wednesday side, Barry Bannan.

It cannot be understated how important Bannan will be to this side next season, and any side with him in at this level will automatically be challenging for promotion.

Wednesday fans don’t need an introduction to Bannan, after their emotional parting of ways in January, he returns to Wednesday a hero looking to drag his side back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

The main question marks over Wednesday’s head are whether the huge overhaul in players can translate to promotion at the first time of asking, and whether Henrik Pedersen is good enough to be the man to lead the squad there.

Pedersen was dealt an impossible hand last season in the Championship with a Wednesday side who were quite literally doomed from the start, fielding a team of free transfers and academy products on their way to being the worst side in Championship history after starting on -18 points.

This means it’s hard to judge truly how good Pedersen is as a manager, as this is his only experience as a manager in England so far.

If Wednesday start slow don’t be surprised to see them part ways with Pedersen and look for a new manager to take them back up at the first time of asking.

2nd - Leicester City

Leicester seem the easy choice to finish top of the league this season, so that almost makes it easier to predict them as runners up.

It seems like Leicester have learned from Luton’s mistakes after being on the receiving end of back to back relegations (more to come on Luton…) and have recruited ridiculously well for the league.

Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin, Tommy Watson, Liam Cullen. In League One? That has promotion written all over it.

That’s before mentioning the players still at the club. Harry Souttar and Caleb Okoli are simply too good for the division, and Stephy Mavididi will rip apart the division if he stays.

That is one of the main problems at Leicester, the players they’ve retained thus far are ridiculous for League One standards, but if they leave before the window closes they’re left in a rush to try and replace them.

Do they lean on the youth coming through their academy? Jayden Joseph impressed in the cup against Northampton, and Louis Page has been attracting interest from Europe’s elite clubs, so do Leicester give them sustained runs in the first team?

These are all headaches that Russell Martin has to contend with as the season starts, and with rumours of a potential takeover looming over the club too, it seems like too much to juggle for a Leicester side who need to hit the ground running.

Russell Martin is comfortably a top five manager in the league, it’s easy to forget he won promotion to the Premier League just two seasons ago, but he has to get his team together and set by the time the window closes, otherwise Leicester may be playing catch up to teams that start the season faster than them.

They should be favourites, but a double relegation hangover is looming over them, can they find the cure?

1st - Luton Town

The end to Luton’s season last year was the most obvious statement of intent for what is coming next season.

26 points from a possible 30 to end the season.

A Vertu Trophy win over eventual Play-off Finalists Stockport in the Hatters derby.

One loss in 17 games to end last season.

A transfer window showing that sometimes less is more.

This just seems like a team ready to make the next jump.

Whilst lots of other teams in the league will face an identity crisis to start the season, Jack Wilshere’s side know exactly what they are, it’s time to go and prove it on the pitch now.

Most importantly, the squad has stayed intact. Liam Walsh and Jordan Clark signed new long-term contracts at the club, whilst Kasey Palmer signed permanently. Harrison Ashby, George Johnston and Callum Marshall are the only other signings, showing Wilshere is clearly confident in the players from last season to continue this run into next season.

The only question that Luton face is whether Emilio Lawrence will rejoin, but if he doesn’t? Youngster Benny Benagr proved in the Carabao Cup that he’s ready to make a starting spot his own.

The defence is extremely solid, Josh Keeley has proved in recent years that he is one of, if not the best, goalkeeper in the division, Hakeem Odoffin is yet to lose a game whilst starting for the Hatters, George Johnston was a key part of the Bolton squad who got promoted last season, captaining them to victory at Wembley, Kal Naismith had a fantastic comeback to end the season and prove why he’s club captain, and Izzy Jones has proved himself to be a competent Championship player in recent years.

Teden Mengi was one of Luton’s best players in the Premier League from 2023/24, Mads Andersen was the best defender in League One the season before this, Harrison Ashby has proven he can be a competent backup in this league, and Joe Johnson is an extremely promising young defender.

Not bad for backups.

Most of Luton’s success comes through their midfield however, with Liam Walsh and Jordan Clark building a formidable partnership which clicked for most of last season.

In front of them though is the main man, Kasey Palmer, the reigning League One Player of the Month.

Keeping him after his loan spell from Hull was imperative to Luton having a successful season this year, and his permanent signature was a huge statement of intent.

Backing Palmer up is Jake Richards, Gideon Kodua and Jayden Luker, all of whom impressed last season whether it was at Kenilworth Road or elsewhere.

Kodua and Richards will also be utilised out wide, providing much needed versatility in a team who will undoubtedly challenge at the top.

Luton’s striker options have also improved massively this summer, with Callum Marshall joining the Hatters permanently from West Ham, him and Nahki Wells will be the main options, with Devante Cole backing them up.

This is a squad with quality all around the pitch, and after having a season of finding who they are, Jack Wilshere’s side are ready to take the step up.

Most importantly, the players have bought into Wilshere’s ideas. Whilst other teams may be slow to adapt to what their managers want, it seems Wilshere has already found the answer at Luton.

Luton are historically slow starters in any league they’re in, but once they get going this season, teams may not be able to catch up.