Another exciting League Two season is set to get underway and it looks more open than ever at the top with many teams fancying their chances.
After the promotions of Stockport County, Wrexham, and Mansfield Town last season, many feel this is one of the most open League Two seasons in some time, with no clear favourite in the field.
The Adver spoke to people at every club in the division and asked them five questions to see how each team feel going into next season. This article will take you through the top eight by bookmakers’ odds, with the other 16 teams covered in the other two previews.
The questions were: 1) How did last season go for your club? 2) What are the expectations going into this year? 3) Who is the best player you have signed? 4) Which player should every other club be watching out for? 5) Where do you expect to finish?
Chesterfield – Liam Norcliffe, Derbyshire Times
1. Chesterfield finally ended their six-year stay in non-league and they did it in style. After three successive play-off heartaches, they romped to the title with almost 100 points and more than a century of goals. It was a joy to watch, and you never felt like they were going to throw it away.
2. Chesterfield are probably one of the most aligned clubs in England. They have a manager in Paul Cook who has won four league titles, a nice blend of youth and experience on the pitch, owners who are fans themselves with the funds to take the club forward, and they have sold around 5,300 season tickets which is a club record.
3. The standout addition is experienced centre-back Chey Dunkley. The former Sheffield Wednesday defender is very vocal, a leader, dominant in the air and should still be playing at League One level.
4. Tom Naylor is another one who should be playing higher and he was Chesterfield's Player of the Year. He was by far the classiest central midfielder in the National League and, despite initially coming in as a holding midfielder, ended up hitting double figures with his best-ever scoring season.
5. I think a top-seven finish is definitely realistic, but I'll be specific and say third. They still need about another three or four players but with Cook's experience of winning titles and the momentum they have from last year, I think they could be in for another exciting season.
Milton Keynes Dons – Toby Lock, MK Citizen
1. The aim was 'one and done' on their return to League Two, but as close as they got, it had plenty of storylines. A head coach which didn't work out, a complete stylistic shake-up, and huge personnel changes. There were some good days, but the bad days will stand out more.
2. I think they had set their stall out so far this summer to go and win the title. If they are able to withstand the adversity League Two throws at teams and fix the issues which saw them come undone against certain systems, there's no reason they won't be at the sharp end.
3. The capture of Liam Kelly from Crawley Town - the man who not only ran the show in the play-offs but also scored in the final - is the one which has captured the imagination of the supporters. He was a huge part of everything Crawley did well last season.
4. He was such a talisman for the Dons last season, and I cannot see Alex Gilbey not wanting to lead the side one step further. He was the engine in midfield, added goals, lifted the team when no one else around him was on their game, and always provided a moment.
5. I think everyone at Stadium MK will be disappointed if they are not in the mix for the title. With the signings they have made and the noises out of the club citing their desire to avoid all things play-offs, it will be a great letdown if they are not challenging at the top this season.
Doncaster Rovers – Ricky Charlesworth, Doncaster Free Press
1. It was a strange old season. They were in the doldrums for the first half of the campaign before the most remarkable turnaround in form. They were almost faultless as they qualified for the playoffs. It would have been nice to take it to Wembley and get a chance at the fairytale ending but it wasn't to be.
2. Immediately after that Crewe defeat Grant McCann came out and told the press that he was only thinking about the league title in 2024-25. Such a quick and bold aim seems to have reverberated around the club and it's undoubtedly aided their recruitment.
3. Of the seven arrivals, Joe Sbarra looks the canniest. He's been making headlines in the National League and is now ready for another tilt at the EFL after a spell at Burton earlier in his career. Playing in the number ten role he is lively and a bundle of attacking energy.
4. There's plenty of players in the squad who other League Two teams would be envious of. Of them all, Luke Molyneux is arguably the stand-out player. Rovers fought off real competition to tie him down to a long-term contract. When he's on form, he is unplayable at this level.
5. Given the calibre of the manager and the squad he's put together, this team looks like a sure bet for an automatic spot. McCann has already indicated in no uncertain terms that the aim is the title. I'll temper that slightly and predict them to finish runners-up.
Wakeling added to the Swindon contingent at Gillingham this summer (Image: Andy Crook)
Gillingham – Luke Cawdell, Kent Online
1. It was a season that failed to live up to the hype and so was quite disappointing, not just with the results, but the lack of goals. The aim was top-seven, minimum, so to finish mid-table left everyone feeling disappointed, with a change of management failing to give the fans the exciting football the owners want.
2. There’s a new man in charge and Mark Bonner has added pace out wide with hopes of giving the fans some goals to cheer. Bonner knows what it takes to get out of this division as he’s done it previously with Cambridge United. The signings should bring a new attacking dimension.
3. It’s a toss-up over whether Aaron Rowe (ex-Crewe) or Jack Nolan (ex-Accrington) is the standout but Nolan’s stats at Accrington were exceptional and if he can match them again then the Gills are going to be a serious team going forward.
4. Six-foot-five-inch striker Josh Andrews will be a defender’s nightmare with his combination of size and speed. He joined last January but had a couple of injuries that kept him out. Hopefully, now he’s fully fit and with creativity and pace around him he is going to be a real handful.
5. Expectations are higher than last year. It’s got to be a title challenge.
Port Vale – Jonny Hancock, Ale and the Vale Podcast
1. Last season was quite simply awful, neglect from above caused the inevitable relegation. A change of manager to get Darren Moore came too late to make much of a difference, and his hands were tied by the players available to him and so he could not prevent us going down.
2. The main thing we need this season is just to get back to winning games, it is something over the past two seasons we have forgotten how to do. The dream would be to bounce back straight away, and we are making signings to suggest that we can do it.
3. Lorent Tolaj. He is an exciting signing on the back of 25 goals in the league below. You saw that Macaulay Langstaff brought his form into the football league, so it gives you hope that he might be able to do the same after making the step up from Aldershot Town.
4. Ben Garrity is the player that people should be looking out for as he was our only consistent performer over the past three seasons. He scores goals, works hard and is the sort of player you need to have in your team if you are going to be capable of having any success.
5. Play-off chase should be the aim but who knows?
Bradford City – Simon Parker, Telegraph and Argus
1. It was a strange season that never really recovered from a very slow start - which cost Mark Hughes his job at the start of October. Four successive losses - three at home - in March caused huge unrest but then Bradford finished seven unbeaten to just miss out on the top seven by a point.
2. The hope is to build on the end-of-season form and Graham Alexander exudes a quiet confidence they will do just that. The summer market started with a flurry but has been very quiet since, although Alexander maintained the squad does not need a big overhaul.
3. On paper, the signing of midfielder Antoni Sarcevic looks the most eye-catching considering his incredible promotion pedigree. He has been promoted four times from this division, including with Stockport last season - and went up under Alexander at Fleetwood, scoring their Wembley winner in 2014.
4. Calum Kavanagh made a real impression after arriving on January deadline day from Middlesbrough. He's quite raw for a striker but has that knack of knowing where to be at the right time - and there's a bit of devil in his place, so he's not afraid to show defenders he's around.
5. League Two looks more of an even playing field this season minus the big spending of the three who went up automatically last time. I'm still not sure if City have enough for the top three - unless they can lift the burden on Andy Cook for goals. They should have a decent shout for the play-offs.
Carlisle United – Jon Colman, News and Star
1. Carlisle went up with a great feeling, but they really hit the buffers in League One and rarely looked up to the standard of League One. The takeover has still galvanised the club that maybe it will be a short-term disappointment and the whole club might be brighter now.
2. The expectations are quite high, and the manager has talked openly about targeting promotion. The fans are optimistic, but many are more realistic about teams that go down how Carlisle did, turning the ship around might take a bit longer but there is hope to make a competitive fist of it.
3. It is hard to look past Charlie Wyke. His track record as a goal scorer at higher levels than this since he left Carlisle is exceptional. He is a statement signing and a show of ambition, something will have to go wrong if he isn’t getting a good proportion of goals.
4. The longest-serving player is Jon Mellish, he has played pretty much every position since 2019. He might not be the slickest footballer on the eye or the most cultured passer, but he is like the Duracell bunny. He might not be the most refined, but he will have an impact on games.
5. I see them being in the playoff region, as much as I would love to say automatics. That could happen but you have to be realistic about the after-effects of a really bad season. I think they should be strong enough with a new core to be in that top seven race, whether that will be enough for the owners remains to be seen.
Notts County – Thomas Wagstaff, Notts County Talk
1. Last season was a missed opportunity as we could score so many goals, but couldn't keep them out at the other end and that ended up costing us a higher finish. If we had recruited correctly in defence, then we would have got in the top three in my opinion.
2. I am more optimistic than most Notts fans about this season. I think we will challenge for the top three, despite losing Macaulay Langstaff to Millwall this summer. Our defence is completely new and improved with some good additions in that area to add to our potent attack.
3. I think our best signing will be Matthew Platt, the centre-back who joins from Bradford. He should help to add some more steel at the back or it could also be Alex Bass in goal after he was an ever-present for AFC Wimbledon last season and kept the second-most clean sheets.
4. Once again, it has to be Jodi Jones. He's an absolute assist machine after breaking the record for setting up goals last season. He is a constant danger as a wing-back and will continue to be a key attacking weapon for Notts under Stuart Maynard this season.
5. I am going to be very optimistic and say a third place finish for Notts.
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