First, a caveat: I am by no means an expert on League Two. I know nothing about what tactics the ten teams are likely to use, nor which unheralded youngsters are going to make a breakthrough. About all I can count on is a good idea of team budgets, a list of the transfer moves made by the clubs, and awareness of which sides appear to be starting the season in crisis.
Thankfully, that should get us a fairly long way.
Let's start with the crisis clubs first. Berwick Rangers sacked their chairman this weekend. They lost all four League Cup group games without scoring a goal. Only a few decent results in the spring saved them from slipping into last season's relegation battle. And only one of their new signings has come from the senior leagues rather than the juniors. That ain't good.
You'd think Albion Rovers, relegated from League One, would be challenging at the top end...but they've had a complete reboot in the summertime. New manager John Brogan has had some success in the past - the nineteen-eighties to be exact. His recent record in junior football is not impressive, but he's gone back to those ranks for most of the seventeen new players they've brought in. And they were rubbish in the League Cup too. Could they be in danger of successive demotions?
After finishing bottom twice in succession Cowdenbeath are more likely than not to struggle again but there are signs that Gary Bollan has instilled improvement. Crucially they've retained Jordyn Sheerin after the striker excelled on loan in the spring and Jason Talbot and Martin Scott add experience. They should steer clear of the drop this time.
As for budgets, it's no secret that Peterhead, led by plumber-by-weekday-goalscorer-by-weekend Rory McAllister, are ahead of the game in this league. Having somehow missed out on promotion last year, Jim McInally is rather fortunate to get another shot at it. They should be deducted points for fielding a player with squad number 99 (Derek Lyle) though.
Clyde may well be their nearest challengers, if Danny Lennon can continue their upward trajectory from the second half of last season. The addition of the experienced John Rankin will do no harm, and a strike force of David Goodwillie and David Hopkin should be feared at this level.
Budget-wise, Queen's Park are at completely the other end of the scale - being amateurs after all - but with the astute Gus MacPherson overseeing operations they should find their feet again after relegation last season. Whilst as always there have been plenty of comings and goings the addition of Josh Peters and Adam Martin up front, Jamie McKernon in midfield and Jordan Hart in goal should do them well and they'll fancy their chances of a playoff spot.
The playoffs will also be the minimum target for Stirling Albion who reached that stage last season and have themselves a decent frontline in Mark Stewart, Peter MacDonald and Neil McLaughlin. If manager Dave Mackay has aspirations to go higher in the game then he really needs to get Stirling out of this tier at his third attempt.
Elgin City have come up just short of the playoffs in recent years but will find the task harder this year after Thomas Reilly left. A series of long-term injuries has weakened a squad that will be heavily dependent on Shane Sutherland for inspiration, though Craig Beattie counts as one of the more intriguing signings of the offseason.
Annan Athletic are another side who were close to the top four last season and they may fancy they can scale that peak this time around. Midfielder David Wilson and winger Chris Johnston will give their forwards enviable ammunition and Ross Fergusson could thrive at this level.
That just leaves Edinburgh City, yet to flourish in senior football but who were further from the drop than their ninth place last year suggested. They have continued to invest heavily in their squad; Conrad Balatoni and Danny Handling should be playing at a far higher level than this. The question is whether James McDonaugh can mould them into a side that can gatecrash the top half of the table.
Speaking of tables, this is how I think it'll end up:
1. PETERHEAD
2. CLYDE
3. STIRLING ALBION
4. QUEEN'S PARK
5. ANNAN ATHLETIC
6. EDINBURGH CITY
7. ELGIN CITY
8. COWDENBEATH
9. ALBION ROVERS
10. BERWICK RANGERS
Of course, if I were you I'd take this all with a pinch of salt...
Lawrie Spence has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007. He has a life outside this blog. Honestly.
No comments:
Post a Comment