Chaff and Dean's League Two predictions continue with our (no doubt rubbish) predictions of the bottom half to mid-table.
18th — Sutton United
A debut season in the football league having won the National League last season, finishing 4 points clear of second placed Torquay who lost to Hartlepool in the final of the playoffs. They will be hoping for the momentum to continue and having kept hold of the majority of their squad and adding to it, they’ll be hoping their debut season isn’t their last although they will be without last season’s top scorer Isaac Olaofe who was on loan from Millwall but will be hoping new signing Richie Bennett can fill that void.
17th — Walsall
It’s fair to say Walsall struggled last season and we’re not convinced this season will be much easier for the Saddlers. They lost top goalscorer Elijah Adebayo to Luton in the January transfer window but will be hoping for goals from new signing Conor Wilkinson while they’ve also added the highly rated Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth on loan who looks to be the pick of their summer signings on paper. It could be another similar bottom half finish for the Saddlers this season.
16th — Colchester United
Colchester limped into 20th last season having struggled but this summer has seen a lot of change for the ‘U’s’. They’ve pretty much raided Ipswich’s released list and brought in the likes of Freddie Sears, Alan Judge and Cole Skuse while also adding Plymouth striker Frank Nouble to their attack so on paper, they look like they could have a decent amount of goals in them. We’re expecting a slightly better season for Hayden Mullins’ men.
15th — Rochdale
Christ, where do we start? How do you possibly predict where we might finish? We’ve got a hostile takeover attempt, a new manager in Robbie Stockdale, seemingly very little money and we’ve lost Stephen Humphrys, Matt Lund and seemingly Ollie Rathbone who looks like he’s about to be confirmed as a Rotherham player this week. That said, we do have some good players left at the club who only missed out on staying up by one-point last season. Eoghan O’Connell and Swiss Army Jimmy Keohane have stayed, and we’ve added Sam Graham and George Broadbent in from Sheffield United and Max Taylor from Manchester United. We’re light on numbers obviously, but the likes of Conor Grant, Jake Beesley and Aaron Morley should hopefully shine in League Two so we’re hopeful of a bottom half finish at this point though anything can happen to change that.
14th — Harrogate Town
Don’t get me started of Harrogate who look like they’re set to play the first game of the season without us away fans being allowed to go, which is embarrassing to be quite frank. On the pitch however, they consolidated in League Two last season in their first year in the league under manager Simon Weaver and they’ve added defenders Lewis Page and former Daley Rory McArdle to their back line and former Fleetwood midfielder Nathan Sheron plus a couple of others. They have a big goal threat in the form of another Daley, Jack Muldoon who scored 15 goals last season for the Sulphurites. Hopefully they get off to a poor start, whether we’re allowed to watch it or not!
13th — Oldham Athletic
The seem to be a lot of folks tip for relegation this season but I just don’t see it. I think their recruitment has been solid and if we’re being honest, Keith Curle has brought in some signings that Dale fans would have liked to have seen rock up at Spotland in former Dale players Sam Hart (Southend) and Harrison McGahey (Scunthorpe) while also adding former bucket Hallam Hope to their attack, full back Jordan Clarke from Scunthorpe, and former Blackburn goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler. Their centre of midfield is lacking but if they can sort that out, I think they could surprise a few people this season.