Well that’s almost a quarter of the season out of the way already and it hardly seems like five minutes since it was pre-season friendly time.
A couple of defeats in a row for the Blues but I’m sure we’d all have taken ninth with 17 points from 11 games at this stage. It’s not all about promotion for us this season in my view, it’s about having a season of mid-table stability in this division and kicking on from there next year for a promotion push. Expectations were raised by the team going second in the table after a good win at Cheltenham but those last two reverses for United need to be put into perspective bearing in mind the quality of opposition.
There have a been a few surprises already at the top and bottom of the league with Boston and Macclesfield languishing at one end and Chester flying high at the other with 11 games gone for all the teams.
Grimsby lead the way with 23 points on the back of some excellent form from summer signing and DR Congo international Jean-Paul Kalala, ex-Sunderland striker Michael Reddy has also been performing well for Town after missing the majority of last season through injury. The Mariners will be hoping to keep their run going after finishing a disappointing 18th placed finish last term following relegation.
Nathan Tyson’s goals have pushed Wycombe into second place in the table, 11 league goals from the ex-Reading front-man have attracted interest from Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship who have had three bids for Tyson turned down so far with Wanderers apparently holding out even when the offer reached £500,000. Cardiff City are also keen to sign the striker with Tyson himself saying, "If I have the chance to join Cardiff, I'd have no problems with that. Cardiff's fans are the sort I would be very comfortable playing in front of."
United’s conquerors on Tuesday, Chester City, occupy the final promotion spot with 20 points, six of those goals coming from that man Gregg Blundell and five from Liverpool-born striker Ryan Lowe helping their cause. With their excellent home form and quality on set-pieces City could well be up there all season.
Leyton Orient, Rochdale, Northampton and Cheltenham are the four teams currently in the play-off spots. Orient looked a very well organised side at Brunton Park and four wins from five away games has seen them go fourth in the table. Rochdale come next with nine of their 20 league goals coming from the boot of Carlisle-born Grant Holt although you wonder if on current form he will still be there come the end of the next transfer window.
Northampton are another side who perform better on the road and an unbeaten away record of three wins and three draws is superb, but only one win at Sixfields has cost them so far and if they can improve on that then the promotion places look a good bet for the Cobblers. Cheltenham have won their last two since losing at home to United and certainly look a solid enough outfit to challenge for a play-off spot in May.
It’s turning out to be a very competitive league this year with only four points separating fifth place and 21st and a lot of teams in the mid-table log jam seem to be struggling for consistency. Having said that, the teams in the play-offs will have all on to make sure they remain in those spots come the end of the season in such a tight looking division.
The teams looking in on those play-off spots from 8th down to 12th are Oxford, Carlisle, Notts County, Shrewsbury and Lincoln. Oxford have had a good run of late having won their last three games after a poor start by the U's whilst United will be looking to get back to winning ways at home to Bristol Rovers on Saturday after two straight defeats.
Notts County were early season pacesetters when they won four of their first six but a run of five games without a win has seen them drop to tenth, three red cards in their last four games hasn't helped their cause though. Shrewsbury have had a relatively consistent start to the season with Colin McMenamin, a summer signing from Livingston, bagging five league goals for the Salopians.
Lincoln are another side being held back by their own disciplinary problems. Three red cards in their recent match at Torquay means plenty of suspensions looming for the Imps who manager Keith Alexander will be hoping to guide to the play-offs for the fourth season in a row.
The four teams who occupy 13th to 16th would have been hoping for better by now after they were all tipped to do well before the start of the season. Darlington start us off in the bottom half of the table and the Quakers will be disappointed to sit there when they have a squad which contains quite a few players to have played at a higher level than League Two.
Peterborough come next and it’s not hard to see why a side who has scored two goals at home this season is languishing in the bottom half, they looked very toothless at Brunton Park and like United will be looking to find a goalscorer as soon as possible. Last season’s Conference champions Barnet have found life a lot harder in League Two and their win away to Carlisle is only one of three so far as their youthful side have struggled to adjust to a higher level of football.
Wrexham are one side in the bottom half of the table who perhaps occupy a false position and they could make a charge for the play-offs later in the year. The Red Dragons have been decimated by injuries in a squad made small because of their off-field financial problems. Boss Denis Smith will be hoping to move the Welshmen up the table when he gets some more of his experienced players back from the treatment table.
Bristol Rovers, Rushden and Diamonds, Stockport and Boston are the sides looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation trapdoor as they sit between 17th and 20th in the table.
The Pirates visit Brunton Park on Saturday eight days after sacking ex-United manager Ian Atkins. Rovers caretaker boss Paul Trollope will be hoping to improve the form of his team after speaking out against Atkins saying, "it wasn't a happy camp and the man-management of the players has been the biggest problem at the club."
Rushden have carried on their struggles from last year, Max Griggs handed ownership of the club over to a supporters trust in June along with a £750,000 golden handshake but manager Barry Hunter has struggled to turn things round on the pitch. Stockport were relegated from the old Divison Two and current League One last season and having to run a very tight financial ship has restricted the Hatters in the transfer market. The Cheshire side have had a glut of draws so far with seven out of their eleven games ending all square and only one unlikely victory away to league leaders Grimsby to show from their other four matches.
Boston are the real surprise package this term but at the wrong end of the table to the one the pundits expected. The Lincolnshire outfit have made plenty of signings since May bringing in Julian Joachim, Ben Futcher, Lawrie Dudfield and Lee Canoville but the team has failed to gel under the tutelage of manager Steve Evans. There have also been big problems at York Street behind the scenes where Evans and general manager John Blackwell face fraud charges for conspiracy to defraud the public revenue.
The bottom four will already be living in fear of the dreaded drop and two of them have seen a change to the man at the helm already. The nervous clubs down the far end of the table at the moment are Macclesfield, Bury, Torquay and Mansfield.
The Silkmen made the play-offs last season but this year they are languishing in 21st. Defence is where they are struggling this time around, last term Macc’ only conceded 49 goals in the campaign but they have already shipped 19 goals in only 11 games. Bury are another club who are struggling financially and a threadbare squad with no money to spend has left the Shakers hamstrung. Add to that the early season form that saw boss Graham Barrow sacked 11 days ago to be replaced on a temporary basis by ex-Burnley manager Chris Casper and it’s no surprise to see the Lancastrians teetering on the edge in the final safe spot above the bottom two.
Torquay are the first of the potential "relegationees", they are already reminding me of the United side in 1999 that escaped the drop in the Jimmy Glass season. Relegated from the division above last season they are struggling at the bottom due to a severe lack of goals and terrible away form. Only eight goals with 19 shipped at the other end means the Gulls have only managed two wins so far and it looks like being a long, hard winter for the Devon club's boss Leroy Rosenior.
Mansfield are the wooden spoon holders as it stands and have already seen their man in charge leave the club. Stags manager and ex-England international Carlton Palmer resigned his post two weeks ago citing abuse from the Town fans as his reason for going, Peter Shirtliff has taken over the task of steering the Nottinghamshire outfit away from the drop-zone on a temporary basis.
It remains to be seen who can last the pace and who will wobble as the season progresses. Wycombe look a good choice for the title although the probable loss of Nathan Tyson may hamper the Choirboys unless they strengthen with the big money his transfer will bring. Grimsby and Northampton both look to have good defences and that could be key in the latter stages of the year.
Chester and Orient both seem able to score goals at will and the home form of the former and the away form of the latter will help them stay around the play-off spots. Rochdale are also bagging plenty, mainly through that man Grant Holt who a few clubs could be looking at when the transfer window re-opens. Oxford seem to be pretty consistent and hard to beat so I’ll take them to make the final play-off spot come May.
Bury looked an awful at Gigg Lane when we played them and although Chris Casper should help add some experience to the managerial side a severe lack of finances will see the club unable to bring in any quality. A recipe of lack of goals and poor away form is never a good one, so I fancy Torquay to take the drop as well.
For the current League Two table : Click hereTashkent’s terrible tips
Champions – Wycombe
Automatic promotion – Grimsby, Northampton
Play-offs – Rochdale, Leyton Orient, Chester, Oxford
Relegation – Carlisle Bury, Torquay