With three big clubs promoted from this division to the Championship last season, many fans will be thinking that League One is not going to be as competitive or as exciting as the 2010/11 campaign. However, I couldn’t disagree more.
Even though we have lost Brighton, Southampton and Peterborough, the teams who have dropped down from the Championship will all be as competitive and will want to get straight back up. The inclusion of Sheffield United into League One is great for the division, as it brings back the excitement of the Steel City derby. And everybody loves a derby day, right? Preston will have something to prove too, and there are not many more competitive managers around than their new man at the helm, Phil Brown. Yes, they have money problems, and yes they have lost key players like Andy Lonergan, Callum Davidson and Sean St. Ledger, but no, they will not lie down and become a mediocre League One team. Brown will do everything in his power to get them back to the Championship, and I think they will be there or thereabouts come May. Scunthorpe are the final team to drop down, and they’ve done this all before. Another one of the Football Leagues yo-yo teams of recent years, they will have experience to bounce straight back. I think they will find it harder than the other two I’ve mentioned, but no doubt they will be pushing to be successful once more.
New boys coming into the division from League Two include title winners Chesterfield, automatic promoted sides Bury and Wycombe, along with play-off winters Stevenage. Many teams in recent years have done well in their first season at this level, but I think consolidation will be main priority for these hopefuls. Out of all the teams who have come up, I think the champions Chesterfield are best prepared for this division, and I think they will be pushing for a top half finish.
Transfer wise, we have seen a lot of exciting players join the division, as well as many leaving for bigger and better things. Arsenal youngster Mark Randall put pen to paper on a one-year contract at Chesterfield, while Charlton defender Carl Jenkinson went in the opposite direction, to further his development at the Emirates. No surprise that Lee Clark has added to his already strong squad at Huddersfield, adding the experience of Damien Johnson and Tommy Miller, along with the promising talent of Oscar Gobern and Danny Ward. They will however miss Lee Peltier and Anthony Pilkington however, who have moved on to Leicester and Norwich respectively. Other notable players coming into the division include Clarke Carlisle, Chris Porter, Scott Donnelly and Niall McGinn, who will all no doubt make an impact for their teams.
So onto the first big question, who will be vying for those two precious automatic spots at the top of the table, and who will fancy their chances as a play-off winner?
I personally can’t look any further than Huddersfield for the title. They have been so strong since Lee Clark took over, and with the likes of Southampton, Norwich and Leeds all out of their way, I think it could be turn of The Terriers. I can see challenges coming from both Sheffield outfits, along with Preston, Charlton and MK Dons. I think they will all fancy that second automatic spot, but feel they would all be happy with a spot in the play-offs.
The other big question is obviously who has enough quality to stay in this division. There have been a few teams in League One who have got progressively worse, and some who have struggled for a number years. I think three of the four promoted teams will all be around the foot of the table, but think Wycombe are best prepared for the challenge, with many shrewd additions, along with experience at this level. I think Bury and Stevenage may struggle. They both have a shortage of knowledge and experience at this level. Bury will rely heavily on the goals of Ryan Lowe, but if he doesn’t have a good season, I think Bury could be doomed. It’s a similar story with Stevenage, who have only recently become a Football League club. I think it could be too much of an ask for them to stay up first time around. The other teams I think that will finish in that feared bottom four are Yeovil and Walsall. Both teams to me are really lacking goals. Yeovil have lost Dean Bowditch to MK Dons, which will be a big loss. They have brought in ex-Plymouth forwards Rory Fallon and Steven MaClean, but both have struggled for recent goals, and another unsuccessful season could be bad news for The Glovers. Walsall are in a similar boat, with last season’s top scorer Julian Gray released and not really replaced, goals could be hard to come by.
Teams such as Tranmere and Hartlepool will be down the bottom, but I think will have just enough to stay up, again. At the other end of the table, I think teams like Bournemouth, Brentford and Scunthorpe will have decent seasons, but not quite enough for a play-off spot. The others teams not mentioned, will have a season that will not excite the fan, yet not upset. Nevertheless, clubs shouldn’t rest on their laurels. Too many teams have been content with mid-table, and find themselves getting sucked into a relegation dogfight.
I hope I haven’t offended anybody with my predictions, it is just the way I see things panning out. I could be wrong, we shall see! Anyway, I’m sure everyone is looking forward to the big kick off on August 6th.
@MatthewDStone
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