Tom Hill’s outright tips for League Two include Gillingham to secure a promotion place and Fleetwood to earn a play-off spot.
National League champions Chesterfield get the 2024/25 League Two season started with a Friday night showdown against Swindon on August 9.
And if the prices are your guide, then it’s the first game on the way to Paul Cook’s league returnees being crowned fourth-tier champions.
Playoff flops Doncaster and MK Dons, plus a galaxy of other talented outfits, including Bradford, Gillingham, and Port Vale, will have other ideas.
It does look wide open, should be really entertaining and we have sifted through the runners and riders to come up with a trio of top bets for the campaign.
Best bets
Gillingham to win promotion
15/8
Fleetwood Town top seven finish
3/1
Accrington Stanley to be relegated
11/2
Gills breathing easier with striking options
Gillingham were a decent goalscorer away from being a title challenger last season and having looked to address that deficiency this summer, Mark Bonner’s men are taken to go well.
The Gills scored just 46 goals last term, negating their excellent defensive record and ultimately trailing home in 12th.
However, they only have six points to find to make the playoffs at minimum, and having recruited Crewe’s top scorer last term, Elliott Nevitt, and Accrington’s top scorer, Jack Nolan, you have to think the missing pieces in the jigsaw have arrived.
Certainly Bonner, a man who won promotion from this section as a manager with Cambridge, is highly regarded.
Chesterfield, as National League champs, deserve respect and it’s hard to see the likes of MK Dons or Doncaster being far away. But Gillingham are one of the big clubs in this division and now have the firepower to contend.
Cod Army can make a splash
Charlie Adam failed to keep Fleetwood Town in League One despite winning three of their last four matches.
The Cod Army went down on 43 points but look well-equipped to bounce back by making the playoffs at the very least.
Pre-season has gone supremely well for Adam, whose side drew 2-2 with St Mirren before beating SPL rivals Hearts 3-0.
James Bolton looks a solid defensive addition from St Mirren, and Mackenzie Hunt, a youngster who warmed the Everton bench many times in 2023/24, should improve midfield.
Ronan Coughlan was prolific in the League of Ireland with Waterford and has been finding the net in pre-season which augurs well. It will be a scrap for the top seven but Fleetwood look a bit of value to squeeze in at 3/1.
Stanley set for a fall from grace
Accrington Stanley finished 17th last term after relegation and the slide may not have finished just yet.
John Doolan’s men were never in any danger of being relegated last season despite finishing the campaign with nine losses in their final 13 fixtures.
Pre-season has been hard work with a small squad with Doolan trying to find a formula in attack minus Nolan and Tommy Leigh, their top scorer in the last two seasons who have both headed away from the Wham Stadium this summer.
It’s their rivals Morecambe, who are 9/4 favourites to be relegated, but Stanley appeal more at 11/2.
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