2026-27 League Two Runners & Riders

Yep. We're back for another runners and riders post. Every year once a season is fully over and we know the full line up for the league the Alex are in for the following season, I like to put out an initial breakdown of which teams I think will be in the conversation for promotion, which teams will probably struggle and which teams are potentially heading for a season of mid-table medicority. So, that's what we are back to do for the 26-27 season.

Once again as a quick disclaimer, these positions don't reflect where I think teams will finish in the table, it's just which section of the table I think they might end up in 11 months time. So, here we go:

Contenders(1st-8th)

Port Vale(22nd in League One)

Back so soon? Yep, 12 months after their promotion to L1, they are back in L2 after another horrendous attempt to find their footing in the 3rd tier. 25-26 was a bizarre season for the Valiants, where they were woeful in the league pretty much the whole time, but they had 2 great cup runs, playing the likes of Arsenal, Sunderland and Chelsea along the way.

Now, will owner Carol Shanahan dip deep into her pockets to fund promotion once again for Jon Brady? They lost £6.1m in their last attempt to do so and whilst I know she has cash on the hip, doing so again will be a big ask. Their recruitment will tell us a lot about whether they are planning on going for it once again, but for now, I'll stick them in this group.

Bristol Rovers(14th in League Two)

It's not hard to put them amongst the contenders, although we all thought that 12 months ago and look how it turned out. Still, their form to end 25-26 was incredible and Steve Evans is back doing Steve Evans things. His football isn't great to watch, but it gets results, so who am I to question it. If they aren't in the top 8 come next May, I'll be shocked.

Salford City(4th in League Two)

They got so close, but it ultimately wasn't enough as they fell at the final hurdle by losing to Notts County at Wembley. They had a great season and have renewed backing from the Class of 92. They'll almost certainly be back in the mix once again after another strong summer of spending.

Grimsby Town(7th in League Two)

They had a great season, recording their highest pyramid finish since 2006. But now the really difficult bit begins, which is trying to at the very least emulate what they achieved in 25-26, which won't be easy. The pressure and expectations have been raised and whilst I think they'll challenge again, they have had their cards marked and will be a side to beat next season.

Chesterfield(6th in League Two)

Based on stats, 25-26 was better than 24-25. 7th and 70 points to 6th and 79 points. But given their hefty budget and likely expectations of getting promotion, to fall well short in the play-offs for the 2nd season in a row is going to really sting. I'm still a big believer in Paul Cook and his style of football, but after 2 seasons of coming up short and showing the same flaws, he really needs to get them over the line in 26-27.

York City(1st in the National League)

Welcome back York City I suppose. It'll be nice for the league to have a fresh ground to go I suppose, as most will only remember them playing at Bootham Crescent. They spent incredibly hard to get out of the National League and it worked. Signing Mark Shelton is a good start to their transfer business, but they are potentially about to lose some top talent in Ollie Pearce and Malachi Fagan-Walcott, so they could see their promotion side broken up. Still, they have cash on the hip and an owner willing to spend, so putting them in this top group isn't too difficult.

Barnet(8th in League Two)

I was too down on Barnet in 25-26. They were actually a decent team, finishing on 75 points, so can feel slightly hard done to that it wasn't enough to finish in the play-offs. I don't think it's a sure thing that they kick on in 26-27 now that their card is marked and the word is out that they are a decent side. Adding to that doubt is the fact they are losing some big talent. Anthony Hartigan, Callum Stead and Mark Shelton have all departed, leaving some fairly big holes to fill. Still, they have a good style of play, a top manager and a solid core. They should be back in the mix for a promotion spot.

Swindon Town(9th in League Two)

Nobody will look at it this way, but Swindon actually improved in 25-26 compared to 24-25. Obviously that's not the prevailing view, as they collapsed from automatic contention to miss out on the play-offs entirely. But I still think they have a solid core of players and of course, the divisions leading goalscorer in Aaron Drinan, to build around. It could be worse. The suspect owner and volatile manager give me pause, but for now I'll put them back in the challenging group.

Mid-Table Mediocrity(9th-16th)

Oldham Athletic(10th in League Two)

They had a good first season back in the EFL, but they will feel disappointed to have gone on the run they went on in the latter part of the season, only to then see it fizzle out and end up in mid-table. They could go either way in the summer, but I get the feeling they will end up in roughly the same position they finished this season in. Mid-table.

Colchester United(12th in League Two)

Like a number of other clubs at the moment, my opinion on them rests heavily on if potential investor talk comes to fruition. It seems likely that it will, but John Terry being front and centre of it would make me nervous if I was a Colchester fan given his antics at Chelsea.

They didn't kick on at all in 25-26 and I'm not sure, barring a massive influx of cash, what is likely to change next season. Will the Cowley's find a way to fix the goal scoring issues and get some much needed consistency to the group? If not, then they will be on the outside looking in once again.

Rotherham United(23rd in League One)

Yikes are they not in good shape. A hideous relegation, an unpopular owner who is seemingly still hanging on, losing their caretaker manager to NL side Hartlepool, appointing Steve McClaren of all people as DoF. Yeah, I'm not at all sold on them competing next season. Some strong summer signings could sway me, but for now they look miles off it.

Walsall(13th in League Two)

From missing out on automatic promotion on the final day and falling short at Wembley in 24-25 to the disaster that was 25-26, where they were out of the play-offs and out of all contention with 3 games to go. Mat Sadler is gone and in his place comes Lee Grant, who had a tough introduction to management at Huddersfield. Is he the guy to reinvent the Saddlers and see them finally achieve some success? I'm not so sure.

Crewe Alexandra(11th in League Two)

The Alex are in for a very interesting summer. They have the bulk of their squad already in place and are targeting only a handful of additions. But the question is, are the carry overs from last season good enough to see them close the gap on the teams above them in terms of consistency? Rumours are swirling about a takeover, there are question marks about the management. They aren't in as bad a place as they were 12 months ago squad building wise, but as it stands, I don't see them doing any more than maybe sneaking into the top half once again.

Gillingham(17th in League Two)

Maybe they should be in with the strugglers. I was right to be unconvinced about them in 25-26 as they started strongly but fell apart, even in spite of some heavy spending from owner Brad Gallinson.

Gareth Ainsworth is looking more and more like a 1 club man, as everywhere he's been since Wycombe has been a disaster. Will more spending fix their issues and have them challenging? I'm not sure at this point. I wouldn't be surprised to see them tipped to kick on but fail yet again. They are going for a big clear out and reset, but what signs are there that this time will be any different?

Rochdale(2nd in the National League)

What a return, will it ever be topped? The final day drama against York, the incredible come back at Wembley against Boreham Wood. They'll be riding the momentum and feel good factor from all that for quite a while you suspect. That being said, I don't think they are that well equipped for L2. A lot of their talent are National League level. I think they'll have a similar season to the one we saw Oldham have in 25-26. Solid, probably top half, but I doubt they truly trouble either end of the table.

Northampton(24th in League One)

Oh look, another side who's immediate future seems to rest on the possibility of investment. Again, I put them here based on their current situation, but should new money come in, then my opinion of them will change.

As it stands, I have to put them as a middle of the table team. That might be a bit surprising, especially given how quickly they usually respond following a drop into L2. After all, they were down for just 2 seasons in 18-19 and 19-20, getting promoted in the latter. Then they were back again in 21-22 and 22-23. They made the play-offs in the first season and went up in 3rd in the second. So that's 1st, 15th, 7th, 4th and 3rd place finishes in their last 5 L2 seasons.

However, they came down with 35 points, going 1-5-20 in their final 26 games. That's not the sort of run you see teams quickly bounce back from. Teams that have been relegated with 35 points or fewer in the past few seasons have been Shrewsbury(18th in L2 the following season), Carlisle(dropped again), Forest Green(dropped again) and Crewe(13th). Maybe Northampton will buck the trend, but with a lot of their cornerstone players past their peaks and a totally untested new manager in Chris Hogg in charge, this rebuild could take far longer than previous attempts.

Tough Times Ahead(17th-24th)

Fleetwood Town(14th in L2)

They had a solid season in 25-26, but the fact is, they had a very average team and finished 14th. I did originally have them as being in the bottom 8, but a few others just about made the cut ahead(or behind) of them. They've retained the core of their squad from this season, but should the fire sale which started in January continue with the departures of Helm and Bonds amongst others, then they could slide down the table.

Exeter City(21st in League One)

They are a club that for so long was the picture of financial stability. But mismanagement in recent years has seen that image shattered and they now come into L2 with an uncertain future. A number of key pros have left as free agents and they might be about to lose top scorer Jayden Wareham, with the money generated from his sale potentially going to fill a financial black hole rather than be reinvested into the playing squad. A decimated squad, relying on youth and keeping the unpopular Matt Taylor in charge. I think they are low key set for a tough season in 26-27 where they could really struggle.

Tranmere Rovers(21st in League Two)

Twice now they've danced with relegation and just about emerged safe. But what signs are there that they are going to kick on in the coming seasons? They have a crumbling stadium, an ownership group in conflict with the fans and looking to sell and, when all is said and done, a pretty poor group of players. Darrell Clarke's appointment moves the needle a little bit, but then his terrible stint at Bristol Rovers gives me pause.

Unless a takeover happens soon and serious money is pumped in, I just don't see a scenario where they suddenly have a great transfer window and put together a squad that is capable of finishing even in the top half, let alone compete for promotion.

Shrewsbury Town(18th in League Two)

I thought putting them down to struggle 12 months ago was a risky shout, but in the end it was spot on. There is continued talk that they are close to a takeover, but until that actually happens and we know what the intentions and means any new owner has, I'm going to once again put them down to struggle. Gavin Cowan did a good job to get them clear of danger in 25-26, but I'm not convinced they'll do much more than finish in the bottom 3rd of the league in 26-27 once again.

Cheltenham Town(19th in League Two)

Steve Cotterill did a fantastic job in turning things around after the disaster that was Michael Flynn. But it's fair to ask what he can now do with them as his role goes from firefighter to builder. With a full summer and season under new owner Mike Garlick, they could be looking to surprise people and kick on to even challenge for the top 7, but as we saw with Huw Jenkins at Newport, a new owner doesn't always mean a side will kick on.

Their form in 2026, 6-7-10, was not terrible but it wasn't great either. Unless they shock us, I think they are in for another bottom 8 finish, sorry.

Crawley Town(22nd in League One)

They narrowly avoided relegation, but the fact is they survived with just 40 points, the lowest total that any 22nd placed team has ever managed, so it was more down to Barrow and Harrogate's incompetence that they are even still an EFL team. They will know how close they came to the drop, but I just don't see them doing more than battling against relegation once again. And maybe this time, going down.

Newport County(20th in League Two)

They got the vital wins at the end of the season to avoid going down. But their last few years has seen a steady decline and I'm yet to see any evidence that they can arrest the slide. Like Crawley in 22nd, they posted the lowest ever points total for a side finishing 20th, so I don't see much of a path towards getting out of the doldrums in 26-27. Expect a lot of pundits having them as a relegation candidate yet again.

Accrington Stanley(16th in League Two)

They had a good season in 25-26, bettering their points total from 24-25 and putting up a better finishing position as well. But whilst they were never in any relegation danger as I thought they might be, I don't see them managing more than a bottom 8 finish once again in 26-27. Getting some key veterans back is important, but you get the sense they are battling the inevitable and one day, their number will be up. I won't say it'll be next season. But it will happen eventually.