The new League Two season begins on Saturday afternoon with some big sides aiming to gain promotion into League One and with the size of some of the teams in the division it looks set to be a hugely competitive league once again.
Big clubs like Portsmouth, Luton and Oxford reside in this league but there are some other dark horses in clubs like Notts County, Northampton, Leyton Orient, Plymouth and Bristol Rovers who will all feel they are a league below where they belong.
Portsmouth begin the season as the 4/1 favourites to win the league but in order for them to do that they are going to need to show significant improvement having failed to finish in the top half of the table in the last two seasons. Paul Cook got Chesterfield out of this division and he’s taken over in the hotseat but even he seems to be playing down their chances and while Pompey have recruited well in places other sides look better.
Oxford have been second favourites for much of pre-season. They’ve drifted a bit in the weight of money that’s come for Luton but I was never truly convinced by them anyway. Admittedly they can hold their own defensively and to a large extent that gets you far in this division especially when you think Burton won the title last year without anyone scoring double figures for them but I’m far from convinced by Michael Appleton and like Portsmouth, Oxford will have needed significant improvement.
The four relegated sides will all want to go up at the earliest opportunity but Leyton Orient have lost a lot of key talent and have suddenly lost their profile as a club so they might need a season to consolidate. Crawley look to have their share of problems with Izale McLeod wanting out and that’s not ideal either.
I think Notts County are good value for the title. If we think back to last season Shrewsbury were relegated and lobbed some cash at it and went straight back up and the Magpies appear to be doing the same thing. They have brought in Scott Loach, Jon Stead, Adam Campbell and a couple of overseas imports without losing too many of those they wanted to keep so if their Dutch manager can get a grasp of the division early Notts County look to have spent their way past most in this league.
They’re a good each way bet but I can’t ignore Luton for the title itself. Their price has collapse since the outright market opened but with the calibre of signings they have made it isn’t hard to see why. The likes of Craig Mackail-Smith, Paddy McCourt, Danny Green and Josh McQuoid have all plied their trade in the Championship with good success while Scott Cuthbert, Magnus Okuonghae, Cameron McGeehan and Jack Marriott have all come from higher leagues too.
Of all the sides left in the division from last season Luton didn’t have to improve too much to get right among the mix this season. They were actually top for a time last season but injuries and suspensions took their toll but with the level of signings they have made to strengthen that squad you would think they will cope with injuries better this season. Luton haven’t hidden their ambition to climb the leagues and to my eye they are the most likely winners of this division.
Two West Country sides look to be underrated in the markets this season. Yeovil have recruited a good manager at this level in Paul Sturrock and they were relegated early enough last season that they’ve had time to prepare for this season. They look to have signed ok with the likes of Ryan Bird, Alex Lacey, Ben Tozer all having experience in this division and they look a bigger price to make the top seven than they should be.
Exeter are definitely a bigger price than they should be. Had Hartlepool not made the great escape last season then behind Wycombe, Exeter would have been the team of the season for me. They started the season with a transfer embargo which immediately handicapped them from the rest but they finished tenth in the table and it was only in late April that a playoff bid faded.
They have signed a couple of appealing players in Bobby Olejnik and Will Hoskins and they are signings that give off the impression that they mean business this season. They are well worth backing to finish in the playoffs or better this season at a more than attractive price.
Back Luton to win League 2 for a 2/10 stake at 7.50 with Betway
Back Notts County to win League 2 (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Skybet (1/4 1-4)
Back Yeovil Top 7 Finish for a 2/10 stake at 4.00 with Coral
Back Exeter Top 7 Finish for a 2/10 stake at 6.00 with Bet365
