3 days Ago By Betting Reporter
After going so close last season, MK Dons are one of the favourites to win the title and go up in the latest League Two promotion odds. It won’t be easy for Mike Williamson’s team. The four sides relegated from League One will be looking to make an instant return, and there will be plenty of other established fourth tier teams looking to go up as well.
According to online football bookmakers , there is no clear favourite in the fight to win the League Two title and automatic promotion to the third tier of English football. If they’re right, the current season could be one of the most open and exciting in recent years. Below we look at the teams expected to be in the fight to win promotion in more detail: The MK Dons are 10/1 to top League Two and 2/1 to be promoted.
Last season the Dons finished in 4th place on 78 points. They were 8 points away from the automatic promotion places, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The reason the Dons started the current season as one of the favourites is because of the impact Mike Williamson had on the team.
When the former Gateshead boss took over as manager in October 2023, the club were 16th in the division. Williamson then led the Dons to the brink of promotion, by claiming 62 points from his 33 matches in charge. Fans of the Dons can only wonder just what the club could have achieved had Williamson started the season as manager.
The summer months have seen the arrivals of Liam Kelly, Laurence Maguire and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans. The trio know this division very well and will only improve the Dons’ chances of sealing promotion this season. The one negative going into the new season was the crushing playoff defeat to Crawley Town.
The Dons went down 8-1 on aggregate in their semi-final. They will need to have that humiliating defeat out of their systems if they are to put the record straight this season. ⚽ Bet on MK Dons to get promoted at 2/1 with bet365 🥅 Grant McCann’s Doncaster Rovers finished 5th in League Two in the 2023/24 season on 71 points.
Like with the MK Dons, that doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, far from it. One defeat in their final 18 games saw Rovers climb from 20th place in March to 5th by the end of the season.
Injuries played a part in their early season poor form. But when McCann got the bulk of his players back, his team showed the rest of the league what they were capable of. Sadly for Rovers, their good form didn’t extend to the playoffs.
They lost their semi-final tie at home to Crewe on penalties, this, after starting the match with a 2-0 aggregate lead after the 1st leg away at Gresty Road. Strengthening the goalscoring department this season is the returning Billy Sharp. The 38-year-old veteran is targeting his sixth career promotion at the club he first played for in 2009.
Although, how much action Sharp will see is debatable. A ten-match winning streak saw the club make the playoffs at the end of last season. There isn’t much wrong with the team or system, and the well-travelled striker might struggle to get into the starting XI.
But even having Sharp on the bench will be a boost. His presence and eye for goal could be vital in tight matches and could be the difference that gets Rovers into the top three automatic promotion places this time around. ⚽ Bet on Doncaster to get promoted at 6/5 with Betfred 🥅 Another team starting the season at 6/1 to win the League Two title is Gillingham.
The 2024/25 season will be the Gills third successive in the division after they were relegated from League One on goal difference in 2021/22. The Gills started the 2023/24 campaign with Neil Harris in charge. But then Harris jumped ship, deciding to go back to his spiritual Millwall home in October.
After a brief Keith Millen caretaker spell, Stephen Clemence was given the job. Clemence couldn’t get the team going, and he was replaced by current boss Mark Bonner at the end of the season. Last season was disappointing.
There is no disputing that. The Gills finished 12th on 64 points, 22 off automatic promotion, but only six off the playoff spots. Scoring goals was the big problem.
In their 2023/24 campaign, they only managed a meagre 46 goals in 46 matches. Only bottom of the table Forest Green (44) scored less. On the flip side, the Gills have a solid foundation to build on.
They only conceded 57 goals. Only the top three, along with Barrow and Wimbledon, conceded fewer. To address the problem Mark Bonner has added wide men Jack Nolan and Aaron Rowe, along with goalscorer Elliott Nevitt, to his squad.
If the solid foundations at the back remain in place and the front trio can provide some spark at the top end of the field, expect the Gills to be in the hunt for top spot. ⚽ Bet on Gillingham to get promoted at 11/8 with Sky Bet 🥅 Chesterfield are back in the football league after a six-year absence. When the club finished bottom of League Two in 2018, they didn’t envisage such a long wait to make it back to the fourth tier of English football.
The Spireites are back with a bang as well. Under the leadership of Paul Cook, Chesterfield aren’t just expecting a season of consolidation. They are expecting to follow the lead of Wrexham and just spend one campaign in League Two.
The squad is made up of proven football league quality. The strength was already there. Will Grigg is a proven performer at this level and above.
He scored 25 goals last season. Expect him to score a similar amount. Joining Grigg at the SMH Group Stadium this season is Patrick Madden.
He made the move from Stockport after scoring 17 goals in their title-winning campaign last season. Although Grigg and Madden are in their 30s. They are still young enough to do a job at this level.
In the 2023/24 season, the Spireites won the National League at a canter. They have momentum. As a result, they are one of our favourites to continue their run and follow in the footsteps of Wrexham.
⚽ Bet on Chesterfield to get promoted at 6/4 with Paddy Power 🥅 Darren Moore took over Port Vale in February, tasked with the job of saving the troubled Valiants from the drop from League One. Moore couldn’t turn results around and Vale were relegated with one match of the 2023/24 season remaining. The startling thing about Moore’s appointment at Vale Park was his five year contract.
The club clearly have a long term plan and feel Moore is the man to deliver it. The club's owners, Carol and Kevin Shanahan, have also backed Moore in the transfer market. Into the club has come Ruari Paton, Lorent Tolaj and Jayden Stockley.
As a result, Vale now has the firepower to significantly improve on last season’s paltry 41 goals. On the flip side, they will have to do without the emerging talent that is Baylee Dipepa. He signed for Southampton at the end of August.
It may take Moore a while to gel his new team together. The 5-year contract suggests he will be given that time. A finish in the top seven is possible, with a promotion push to follow next season at the very worst.
⚽ Bet on Port Vale to get promoted at 9/4 with talkSPORT BET 🥅 Bradford City are in their sixth season in the fourth tier of English football. The Bantams started last season with Mark Hughes in charge. After a couple of interim managers, they finally finished it with current boss Graham Alexander in the manager's hot seat.
After an inconsistent - at best - season, City only missed out on the playoffs by one point. So what are we to expect this time around? More of the same would probably be the answer. The summer transfer activity hasn’t given any indication of a major shift in policy.
There have been more departures than arrivals at Valley Parade. And with Graham Alexander, naturally a cautious manager who prefers not to lose, there could be discontent on the terraces that seeps through to the players should results take a turn for the worse. We expect Bradford to be in the playoffs at best.
But even that will be a push. ⚽ Bet on Bratford to get promoted at 2/1 with bet365 🥅 Notts County signed Spurs U21 skipper George Abbott on loan on transfer deadline day. County will be hoping that Abbott’s arrival will go some way to filling the void left by the departure of Macaulay Langstaff.
Defending seemed to be the major problem for County last season. Finishing 14th, they conceded a whopping 86 goals - the most in the division. Mind you, the attack was just as good as the defence was bad, with the Magpies scoring 89 times.
Balance is the obvious problem. The signings of Jacob Bedeau and Matthew Platt could go a long way to addressing that problem. And given their skills on the ball, neither should greatly dilute the attacking philosophies of the club.
Stuart Maynard starts the season as head coach. It will be his first full season in charge after landing the job in January. If things aren’t going well early on, don’t be surprised to see a change.
The club may well decide a more experienced head is required. But if Maynard, or any other coach, can get the balance of this time right, they are a great bet to be promoted at 2/1. ⚽ Bet on Notts County to get promoted at 2/1 with Sky Bet 🥅 Carlisle United had a disaster in League One last season.
The Cumbrians managed just a meagre seven wins from their 46 matches, finishing a distant bottom of the third tier of English football. Despite this, the club started their League Two campaign with Paul Simpson still in charge. That didn’t last long, with the club announcing Simpson’s departure after just four matches of the current season.
The whole situation is now a mess. The club's owners backed Simpson in the transfer market, bringing Aaron Hayden and Charlie Wyke back to the club. They also brought in fresh faces in Jude Smith, Archie Davies, Terell Thomas and Ethan Robson.
Whoever comes in to replace Simpson will have to work with someone else’s players. Owner and chairman Tom Piatak has high ambitions for Carlisle. He is not just going through the motions.
But with the club already looking for a new manager, a place in the playoffs looks a long way off. A season of consolidation could be as good as it gets for the Cumbrians. ⚽ Bet on Carlisle to get promoted at 15/2 with Paddy Power 🥅 AFC Wimbledon are now in their third successive season in League Two following their relegation from League One in the 2021/22 season.
The Wombles are currently managed by Jonnie Jackson. The former Spurs midfielder has been in charge since the club dropped down to the fourth tier of English football. In the 2022/23 season, Wimbledon came perilously close to dropping out of the football league, finishing 21st, just five points above the relegation zone.
Then in 2023/24, things picked up, with Jackson leading the club to a respectable 10th place, just five points outside the playoff zone. Although a massive improvement from the season before, 10th place did feel like a disappointment, as the Dons were on course for the playoffs until Ali Al-Hamadi left for Ipswich in the January transfer window. Joe Pigott has returned on loan for this season.
But he has struggled for goals in recent years, and unless something drastically changes he will be no replacement for Al-Hamadi. The team looks solid throughout. We just feel they lack that something extra needed to push for promotion.
Don't be surprised to see Jackson shown the door if the team struggles again this season. ⚽ Bet on AFC Wimbledon to get promoted at 11/4 with Betfair 🥅 Karl Robinson was named Salford boss in January this year. His immediate job was to get a grip of a season that was spiralling out of control.
Robinson joined the club when they sat in 21st place. They finished the season in 20th place. When he was appointed, Robinson’s remit probably wasn’t to ensure another season in League Two, it was surely to take the club towards the playoff zone, and promotion to League One - although privately, the club’s owners must have been nervously looking over their shoulders at the drop zone.
Robinson is a manager who has bigger aspirations than League Two. Salford City’s owners are the same. The big question is who will grow impatient first.
There is a strong squad at Moor Lane. And the club is backed by well known owners who are prepared to spend. Arrivals in the summer include Cole Stockton.
He scored seven in 17 appearances for Barrow on loan last season. Whether he can score enough goals alongside the less than prolific Conor McAleny (six from 36 last season) remains to be seen. Furthermore, the club has lost the services of Callum Hendry.
He scored 21 times in 66 games across two seasons. Ben Woodburn is a good addition to the squad, but overall things seem to have stalled in recent years at what was once the celebrity lower league club. It’s hard to see much changing in the coming season and we don’t see the Ammies being in the promotion battle.
We also see Robinson coming under pressure to keep his job. ⚽ Back Salford to get promoted at 5/1 with talkSPORT BET 🥅 The Saddlers are now in their sixth successive season in League Two. They are managed by Mat Sadler.
He initially took over from Michael Flynn on an interim basis, but was given the role permanently in the summer of 2023. Last season they finished in 11th place on 65 points, just five outside the playoff places. The mid table finish was a huge improvement on the 16th place they managed the year before.
On that occasion, they were a massive 20 points outside the playoff zone. The club lost the services of Isaac Hutchinson in the summer. He scored 12 goals from midfield last season, and those goals will be greatly missed.
Incoming transfers include Connor Barrett. He will offer the team a bit of right sided balance, and looks the perfect foil for the talented Jack Earing. But overall it just doesn’t look enough.
An improvement on last season is possible. But don’t be shocked to see the Saddlers finish mid table again this season. ⚽ Bet on Walsall to get promoted at 11/4 with Betfair 🥅 Cheltenham have been on a remarkable journey in recent years.
Anybody old enough to remember the days of Steve Cotterill will know what a fairytale story this club has been on. Relegation from League One was confirmed on the final day of last season, ending a three year stint in English football’s third tier. Darrell Clarke quit the club to join Barnsley in the summer, while nearly 30 players have also left the club as well.
Taking over with a blank sheet of paper is Michael Flynn. He will be assisted by new Director of Football Gary Johnson. They will have their work cut out making a promotion challenge this season.
Consolidation could be the buzz word in board meetings at Whaddon Road over the next few months. ⚽ Bet on Cheltenham to get promoted at 33/1 with talkSPORT BET 🥅 AFC Barrow are starting their fifth season in League Two after gaining promotion to the football league by winning the National League in 2019/20. Last season the club finished 8th, just one point outside the playoffs.
The season before they finished ninth, but a massive 13 points outside of the top seven. Despite doing a decent job, Pete Wild was replaced as manager at the end of last season by Stephen Clemence. The Riversiders were in the playoff positions at times, and the club hierarchy seem to have come to the conclusion that finishing eighth was a failure, rather than an overachievement.
The pressure will be on Clemence, who has already been shown the door by Gillingham in his short managerial career. Clemence has been backed in the transfer market with signings of the calibre of Connor Mahoney, Sam Barnes, Theo Vassell and Andrew Dallas. The problem is, the jury is still out on Clemence.
It will be an interesting watch to see how the season progresses. ⚽ Back Barrow to get promoted at 7/2 with bet365 🥅 The summer transfer window is now shut and the teams can focus on matters on the pitch. Check out the League Two table here to see which teams are in the running to be promoted to the third tier of English football, and who is most at risk of dropping out of the football league.
Promotion from League Two differs slightly from the rest of the top four divisions in the English football system. In the Championship and League One, three teams are promoted every season. Whereas in League Two, four teams are promoted.
The top three go up automatically, with the four teams who finish 4th - 7th going into the playoffs. The winner of the playoffs takes the fourth promotion place. The battle to win promotion to League One is wide open this season.
The MK Dons and Doncaster Rovers will be looking to get the job done after coming so close last season. But they will have to contend with relegated teams - Cheltenham, Fleetwood, Port Vale and Carlisle - who will all be determined to bounce back at the first time of asking. Below are our betting tips for the current season: Mike Williamson took the MK Dons on an extraordinary run last season.
When he took over the reins at the club, the Dons were in the bottom half of the table. So to take the team to fourth place was a remarkable achievement, and was also proof that the players are good enough to win promotion. The summer signing of Callum Hendry is a major plus point.
The former Salford forward has already settled in nicely, and if he can maintain his impressive start and score at a similar rate to what he did at Salford, he will only make the team stronger and improve its chances of winning the title. 🏆 Bet on MK Dons to win League Two at 10/1 with bet365 🏆 Billy Sharp has an excellent goal scoring record in lower league football, averaging well over a goal every two games in Leagues One and Two. In recent years the goals have dried up for him, but all of that time was spent playing in the Premier League with Sheffield United, with the rest in the Championship and the MLS in America.
Sharp is now plying his trade in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. He is also back at Doncaster Rovers, a club he has flourished at in the past and feels comfortable playing for. Playing at a lower level makes Sharp a greater threat.
He may have drawn a blank in his eleven appearances for Hull City in the latter half of last season. But as recently as 2023, Sharp scored six times in 12 appearances for the LA Galaxy in the MLS. There may be better footballers in League Two.
But there aren't many better finishers than Sharp, and we say he is worth backing to be the league's top scorer at 25/1. 🏆 Bet on Billy Sharp to be the top scorer at 25/1 at talkSPORT BET 🏆 The 2023/24 League Two season was one like no other. Hollywood came to the football league in the shape of Wrexham .
The Welsh side took the division by storm and looked set to seal back-to-back championships having won the National League in 2022/23. But Stockport County had other ideas. And it was The Hatters who won the title, with Wrexham having to settle for the runners-up position.
Nigel Clough’s persistence was rewarded as he led Mansfield Town to third place and the final automatic promotion place. They were joined in League One by Crawley Town who sneaked into the playoffs by finishing in seventh place. The Red Devils then demolished the MK Dons in the playoff semi-final and sealed promotion by defeating Crewe 2-0 at Wembley in the final.
League Two was introduced in the 2004/05 season after a rebrand of the English football league. It is the fourth tier of English football and has previously been known as the Football League Fourth Division, and the Football League Third Division. The changes were brought about by the beginning of the Premier League in the early 1990s.
Since the 2004/05 rebrand, Northampton Town is the team who have been promoted to the third tier the most. The Cobblers have been promoted four times, with the last achieved in the 2022/23 season. A list of the most promoted teams during this period is below: The 2024/25 season promises to be action packed.
Doncaster Rovers, Gillingham and the MK Dons will all have aspirations to be promoted. But with the four relegated teams also looking to bounce back, and Chesterfield looking to gain back-to-back promotions, it’s set to be a wide open promotion battle. Below we have put together some questions and answers on some of the key aspects of the current League Two season: Karl Robinson at Salford City is the manager most likely to get the sack if he doesn’t keep the club in the promotion zone .
Robinson got the job in January after Salford sacked Neil Wood in December 2023. Salford has form for sacking managers, they’ve had four since 2020. So if Robinson isn’t getting the best out of the team, they are likely to make a change.
Billy Sharp at Doncaster Rovers is the player most likely to get his team to League One . At 38 years of age, Sharp might not be a regular starter for Rovers throughout the season. But from the bench his contributions could be invaluable.
And if he can chip in with enough goals, Sharp could be the missing ingredient that gets Rovers back to League One. Wrexham were very successful in the 2023/24 season, they finished second in League Two and gained automatic promotion to League One at the first attempt . The Red Dragons were expected to be competitive.
But not many expected them to breeze through the fourth tier of English football at the first time of asking. The Hollywood club finished the season with 88 points. That would have been enough points to have won the league title in two of the previous three seasons.
Morecambe and Accrington Stanley are the two teams most likely to be relegated from League Two . Morecambe are 11/10 favourites with bet365, and Accrington Stanley are 5/2. Both teams have made poor starts to the 2024/25 season.
Dean Etheridge Dean Etheridge is an experienced freelance sports betting writer who specialises in football. He predominantly covers the Premier League and Champions League but can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn ( @deanetheridge ) Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT.
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