League Two 2019/20 Prediction

Well its that time of year again, when every football fan can dream of a successful season ahead for their team and none are justifiably more hopeful than those who support EFL League Two teams, given that a couple of lucky signings or a top youth player emerging can make a huge difference.  It’s always hard to predict the finishing spots in the fourth tier, however this season a few teams do look a class apart. Anyway without further ado here is our prediction for the 2019/20 EFL Division Two finishing positions:

League Two Title Contenders

 

1 Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth were relegated on the final day of the 2018-19 season won goal difference with a respectable 50 points – not enough to stay up most seasons but still not awful. They will be missing some of their better players from last season, especially Freddie Ladapo who chipped in 19 goals in 49 appearances all competitions.

The Reported £50oK Transfer Fee will have softened the blow a little and some of this money may be available later in the season if new players are needed for a promotion push. New manager ex Bury boss Ryan Lowe has taken advantage of his old clubs plight to bring in four of his promotion-winning squad including last seasons League Two player of the year Danny Mayor. The lack of a proven goal scored is a worry however the squad looks good and we think an instant return to League One is on the cards; they are our tip for the title.

2 Bradford City

The Bantams have had a pretty torrid 18 months, never really recovering from the disappointment of the 2016-17 season. however, dropping down a division may be the best thing that could have happened short term.  They look set to bounce back at the first attempt.

Their season could hinge on the performance of new striking duo Clayton Donaldson & James Vaughan who have both played at much higher levels. Neither of the new strikers has been overly prolific, and our assessment of their chances is more based on them stiffening their defense. Here they have added  Paudie O’Connor (their likely captain) from Leeds – who impressed towards the end of last season while on loan.

They also picked up former Dunfermline Left-Back who managed four league goals making him one of the clubs highest scorers in 2018-19 (they only hit 33 league goals). The fee has not been disclosed but given there was considerable interest in the player from other English clubs he could turn out to be a bargain.

3 Mansfield Town

The Stags missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of last season in a winner takes all clash with the MK Dons in front of a massive 20,718 crowd. More heartbreak was to follow as they lost in the playoff semi-finals 5-3 on penalties to Newport. The failure to turn chances into goals cost them, dear, when the pressure was on in those last 4 games, however, they have taken steps to address this and as well as keeping the core of the squad intact they have added a couple of prolific forwards in Nicky Maynard and Andy Cook. They should go one better this season if everyone stays fit.

League Two Playoff Candidates

4 Scunthorpe United

Scunthorpe looked to be heading for mid-table obscurity last season and after they beat Southend 4-1 on the 12th March they looked pretty much safe in League One for another season. However, this was followed by a precipitous collapse and they only gained two more points by season end leaving them second bottom with 46 points.

They have added a new manager in Paul Hurst and have added a couple of loan signings from Premier League Sheffield United. If you forget that horrible ending to the season you could make a case for them being favourites for the division and we think they will be in the playoffs if not quite sneaking automatic promotion.

5 Salford City

Salford City made it four promotions in five seasons thanks to a Wembley win over AFC Fylde in the Conference Playoff final last year and given they have five fairy godfathers (all members of Manchester United’s ‘Class of 92’), they are many peoples favourites for the title.

Given that in League 1 and League 2, a wealthy owner can theoretically fund a club by spending in a way that is not permitted in other divisions they could potentially buy their way to promotion. So far they appear to have resisted the temptation having only added a few free transfers, however Richie Towell, who played for Championship Rotherham last season does stand out. It will be interesting to see what they do in January if they are pushing to automatic promotion.

6 Northampton Town

Keith Curle is a proven manager at this level having previously turned CarlisleUnited around and he has wasted no time in putting his stamp on this Northampton side, bringing in 11 new players.  Losing Grenada international defender Aaron Pierre will be a blow but the transfer fee will add to the coffers and the signing of Alan McCormack looks a good one. There is a bit of a buzz around Sixfields and they should be in the playoffs.

7 Swindon Town

When Richie Wellens took over in 2019 Swindon looked a much better team. Giving Wellens time could be the key to success and it may be a little too early for Swindon fans to expect to compete for automatic promotion, however, if he can find a striker or two in the January transfer window then you never know.

On The Fringes

A few teams will hang in there, but lack of resources will probably see them fall short:

8 Exeter City

Have come close to promotion in both the last two seasons but might fall back a bit this year. They have made wholesale changes to the squad which is a worry, but have added a bit of quality in Nicky Ajose.

9 Colchester United

Colchester missed out on a playoff place by a point last season but have lost a couple of key players. Should be pushing but may just fall short again.

10 Leyton Orient

Deserved Conference Champions last year, Orient will be hard to beat, however, it’s difficult to gauge how the untimely death of manager Justin Edinburgh will affect the team. Consolidation is probably the goal for this year.

Best of the Rest

The following could push for the playoffs with a little good fortune, and shouldn’t have to worry about relegation:

11 Newport

Unlucky last year but not prolific scorers. Looked to have overachieved last season and a mid-table finish looks likely.

12 Walsall

Relegated last season so will expect to challenge, however, will probably need this year to consolidate before pushing for promotion again.

13 Forest Green Rovers

Possibly overachieved last season finishing fifth. Still, they will be fairly happy to continue to consolidate their league status.

14 Stevenage Borough

Hard to tell how the Borough will do this year, a young squad and a decent manager in Tunisian Dino Maamria. If Jason Cowley, signed from non-league Bromsgrove Sporting, can make the adjustment to League Football then they could be the surprise team of the season. He scored 102 goals in 127 appearances for Bromsgrove – but its a big step up in class from the Southern League Division One Central which he played in last season.

Watch Jason Cowley’s wonder strike below.

Can Jason Cowley Make The Leap To League Two Now with Stevenage Borough https://t.co/HJCWw0tiP7 via @bbcsport

— Craig Taylor (@tuppencenfl) August 5, 2019

League Two Also Rans

The following should be safe but we don’t think they will be challenging for a playoff place:

15 Crewe Alexandria

Hard to beat at home but don’t look to have improved in the close season.

16 Carlisle United

Took a small step back under Steven Pressley and have had a mass turnover of players in the close season. Will need some time to gel.

17 Oldham Athletic

The Latics signed 16 players in the transfer window and they look like taking a season to sort themselves out.

18 Port Vale

Another team with a newish manager (John Askey took the post in February) and a big squad turnover. Hard to see them improving dramatically on last season.

19 Grimsby Town

Grimsby has finished 14th, 18th & 17th in their three seasons back in the Football League and we don’t really see any improvement in the squad this year. We don’t see them struggling but expect them to finish nearer the bottom than the top in 2019-20.

League Two relegation candidates

It could be a long cold winter for some of these:

20 Cheltenham Town

Cheltenham are usually hard to beat at home but don’t have a big squad. Will need to pick up points away to stay clear of the bottom two.

21 Morecambe

Jim Bentley is the longest-serving manager in England and a master of getting just enough of his meagre resources to avoid relegation. They should stay up.

22 Cambridge United

Cambridge had a horrible end to the season winning two of their final 15 league games and nearly got sucked into the relegation struggle. Lack of goals was the issue and they don’t seem to have done much to address this.

23 Crawley

Someone has to go down and after a nice stint in the league, it may be time for them to return to the Conference.

24 Macclesfield

Sol Campbell worked miracles last year keeping them in League Two can’t see him pulling it off again with no money and their best players are gone.