Assessing my 2025-26 League Two Table Predictions

I'm going to do something different and look back at my League Two table predictions that I made back in early August. I've been predicting the table for a couple of years, but this is the first time I've actually gone back and analysed my predictions to see how close(or far off) I was. I also decided to bring in the various pundits who made their own predictions to see how they compared.

Relegated

24th - Barrow

My prediction: 19th

Pundits Average: 16th

I'll be honest, I didn't have Barrow down as the biggest circus club in League Two this season. But a circus they were, as they finished the season having gone through 5 managers. Andy Whing, Neil McDonald, Paul Gallagher, Dino Maamria and Sam Foley all tried and failed to get a tune out of the Cumbrian side and they ended their run in the EFL after 6 seasons.

Their squad, which their hierarchy bizarrely felt was good, was utterly atrocious. It showed in their results as they leaked goals and couldn't score enough in reply. We all overestimated them and now it's likely the last we've seen of them in the EFL for a long time. I doubt they'll be back any time soon.

We were all guilty of overestimating them and down they go.

23rd - Harrogate Town(18th in League Two)

My Prediction: 22nd

Pundits Average: 21st

I had them to struggle, as did most people. In the end, their struggles proved too much for them and they dropped back into the National League. This season was a step too far for them as most of their veterans which had carried them to past success aged out and they were unable to find the quality to replace them.

I would be surprised if they found themselves back at this level any time soon.

Struggled

22nd - Crawley Town

My Prediction: 21st

Pundits Average: 16th

I was right to say they'd struggle, whereas the pundits went too high on them. They thought getting Scott Lindsey back and even reuniting him with the likes of Darcy, Orsi and Lolos in January would be the ticket for them to recapture the magic of 23-24. But as the old saying goes, never go back. It just wasn't the same for them, as they started slowly and never recovered. Lindsey was eventually sacked and the inexperienced Colin Kazim-Richards took the helm.

His overall record of 2-3-2, whilst unimpressive, was enough to keep the Red Devils up. Just. He know has a massive rebuilding job on his hands to ensure they don't flirt with relegation next season.

21st - Tranmere Rovers

My Prediction: 16th

Pundits Average: 16th

Myself and most other observers agreed on Tranmere back in August. We saw an improvement in them from last season. Well, up until December, that looked like a fair assessment. But then they entered an incredible tailspin and never recovered.

I backed Andy Crosby to get them moving after a positive start to last season and after 20 games, they seemed to be doing ok. Then the wheels fell off. And the engine exploded. And the steering wheel snapped in half. Their implosion just before Christmas was something to behold and nothing they tried seemed to get them moving in the right direction.

They just about managed to stay up thanks to the 3 teams below them being even worse, but you can't help but worry about their trajectory whilst Mark Palios remains the owner.

20th - Newport County

My Prediction: 24th

Pundits Average: 23rd

They were universally expected to struggle and struggle they did. David Hughes wasn't able to get a tune out of them and he was on his way. In came Christian Fuchs and whilst things remained a struggle with him, they were able to scrape together a few wins, enough in the end to avoid relegation, barely.

But as with a number of the other teams who avoided the drop this season, did they just delay the inevitable for another 12 months or can they kick on and push up the table in 26-27?

19th - Shrewsbury Town

My Prediction: 17th

Pundits Average: 18th

I was right to be sceptical of their recruitment last summer and I wasn't alone in doubting their potential this season. They were awful for the majority of the season, with only a short good run under new boss Gavin Cowan as the bright spot. With no takeover in sight, I'm not too confident on their potential to improve significantly next season either.

18th - Cheltenham Town

My Prediction: 20th

Pundits Average: 22nd

Cheltenham and starting season's poorly seems to go hand in hand doesn't it? They were bottom after 9 games, so out went Michael Flynn and in came former boss and legend Steve Cotterill. He got them a run of wins which lifted them off the bottom and into mid-table, but a run of just x wins in the 2nd half of the season meant they finished very close to where I thought they would end up.

They'll be hoping a full season of owner Mike Garlick and Cotterill as manager will see them rise to better things in 26-27, but I'm not so sure at this stage.

17th - Gillingham

My Prediction: 4th

Pundits Average: 10th

I should have listened to the averages, but I stupidly went with the Gills to finish high in the table for the 2nd straight year and got burned yet again. They once again failed to live up to even modest hype, finishing 18th. They were 1st after 10 games, but their form fell off a cliff. Are we finally seeing that Gareth Ainsworth is a pretty poor manager, given he's been good at Wycombe and nowhere else since?

They kept throwing money at the team this season, but they were awful in most aspects and now they are heading back to the drawing board to try and find some traction next season. 16 released players shows the scale of the rebuild they have going into 26-27.

Mid-Table Mediocrity

16th - Accrington Stanley

My Prediction: 23rd

Pundits Average: 22nd

I thought relegation seemed nailed on and it wasn't because they were little old Accy either. They had been sliding for several years and I didn't see anything to suggest they could halt their downward momentum. But halt it they did. They didn't have an amazing season, but given the serious doubts I had over them, an excellent middle third of the season saw them finish well clear of the bottom 2.

Where they go from here is interesting. Will they stagnate as a mid-table club, slide again or kick on and compete for the play-offs? 26-27 is going to be very interesting for them.

15th - Fleetwood Town

My Prediction: 7th

Pundits Average: 9th

Another team I was way too high on and it won't be the last. I'm not sure what possessed me to have them as play-off challengers, as they were the very definition of mid-table mediocrity for the entire season. They had some moments where they showed consistency and quality, but the sale of Ryan Graydon and loaning Zac Medley to Bromley in January signalled they were a club more conscious of balancing the books and not going all out for the promotion. Easy to see why when you look at how much money they lose year on year and they don't have illicit funds being pumped anymore.

They relied heavily on their midfield to carry them to results and they did, but should the likes of Mark Helm and Elliott Bonds leave in the summer, then I do think a slide towards the bottom of the table is possible next season.

14th - Bristol Rovers

My Prediction: 2nd

Pundits Average: 4th

Who didn't have them having a good season back in August? Almost nobody is the answer. They were universally expected to challenge and fell well short of that. Yes, they will likely write off the poor 2025 and look at the fact they were far better under Steve Evans in 2026. They certainly carry a lot of momentum into 26-27, but now his job goes from fire fighter to expected contender, which we've seen a lot of clubs struggle with in the past.

13th - Walsall

My Prediction: 11th

Pundits Average: 11th

Walsall split opinions. Some had them back in the top 7. Some had them challenging but finishing in the 10. Others had them in the bottom half. In truth, they had a season where they did all 3. They started off strong, had their patented collapse, but this time they hadn't built up such a commanding lead at the top, so their fall was more dramatic. That fall led to Mat Sadler's departure. Interim manager Darren Byfield briefly looked to have them back in contention, but the issues within the squad meant they never truly threatened the top 7 and they finished not far off where I had them. It's not how I envisioned them finishing there, but it was a good shout by me all the same.

The ownership group feels under pressure to get the next managerial hire right, as there is a lot of discontent amongst Saddlers fans at the moment and they are desperate for success.

12th - Colchester United

My Prediction: 3rd

Pundits Average: 5th

Given Colchester were universally expected to challenge, is 25-26 not a massive disappointment for them? I know they finished strong and ended up in the top half, but given they were tipped to finish in the top 7 and even compete for the automatic spots, they finished well shy of that. In fact, they finished on 1 fewer points than they managed last season, so questions have to be asked about why they regressed, even slightly.

With key players leaving this summer and the uncertainty of a takeover bid by a consortium led by controversial character John Terry, the future is murky for the Essex club.

11th - Crewe Alexandra

My Prediction: 14th

Pundits Average: 17th

Thankfully the Alex did a lot better than most people, including myself, though. A few times it looked like they were heading into the bottom half, but they remained in the top half throughout the season and were more involved in the play-off picture than anyone gave them credit for. However, they lacked the consistency to ever truly crack the top 7 and after another fairly poor end to the season, there are more of the same questions being asked by fans. Can they ever break into the top 7 with a small budget and dwindling academy system. Is Lee Bell the right man to lead them to success?

10th - Oldham Athletic

My Prediction: 15th

Pundits Average: 16th

What a strange season Oldham had. On the one hand, they were comfortably mid-table at worst and had an excellent run in February and March which ignited hopes of a run for the top 7. But if you remove that one run, they were fairly average for large chunks of the season. It'll be interesting to see which way they go in the summer given expectations have been raised and their fans will be demanding a top 7 push next season.

Still, they outperformed expectations, which had them at well into the bottom half. I'm curious as to how they do in 26-27, as the bar has been raised and the fans will be looking for a real concerted top 7 push. Do they have it in them?

9th - Swindon Town

My Prediction: 9th

Pundits Average: 9th

Well, we all knew implosion was a distinct possibility with a poorly regarded owner and a headcase as manager that an implosion was possible. Who knew it would happen quite so spectacularly. How does this rank compared to Walsall last season? They were sat 3rd in mid-February with 13 games to go, but a run of 3 wins from that final stretch meant they dropped outside the top 7.

Quite where they go from here, with a real air of toxicity surrounding the County Ground, who honestly knows. But picking up the pieces of what went wrong this season will take some doing.

8th - Barnet

My Prediction: 13th

Pundits Average: 9th

Barnet like a few clubs split the opinions heading into the season. Some had them finishing 17th, others had them going as high as 3rd. So when you see them finishing outside the play-offs but gaining 76 points as a newly promoted side, that is an excellent achievement and one that surely will leave them primed to kick on and go again next season.

Play-Offs

7th - Grimsby Town

My Prediction: 6th

Pundits Average: 7th

Their slow but steady rise under Dave Artell continues. A year after a 9th placed finish, they timed a good run well to surge into the top 7 and have a play-off spot locked down with a game to spare. They've had a fantastic campaign when you combine the league finish with 2 strong cup runs. Now they'll be looking to make it one of their best by winning promotion.

6th - Chesterfield

My Prediction: 1st

Pundits Average: 2nd

Everyone had them as a top 3 challenger and even title contender. But whilst last season, sneaking into the play-offs on the final day was decent, they didn't really kick on as much as some expected them to this season. They lacked consistency, their home form wasn't great and they had similar issues to last season. Back to back play-off spots and 79 points is a decent achievement, but for the Spireites, it felt a little lacklustre given where they were expected to finish, by pundits and their own fans. Bizarre I know.

5th - Notts County

My Prediction: 10th

Pundits Average: 13th

I had them down to slide after key departures, unproven arrivals including at manager and a bizarre managerial structure and some poor form to end last season. But to their credit, their recruitment paid off and not once did the structure become a talking point. After just about getting into the play-offs last season, they kicked on and found new levels which I didn't think they had. It still feels like their fans aren't entirely satisfied, which probably has something to do with a number of heavy defeats in promotion 6 pointers. But back to back play-off appearances is a good achievement given the player and manager turnover.

4th - Salford City

My Prediction: 8th

Pundits Average: 8th

They were expected to challenge but fall short, as they so often have in recent years. This season however they got over a slow start to fight their way into the top 7 and lock down a play-off spot, their 2nd in 4 seasons. They'll now have another crack at getting into L1 after falling short against Stockport in 22-23.

Automatic Promotion

3rd - Cambridge United

My Prediction: 12th

Pundits Average: 12th

Perhaps no side split opinion quite like Cambridge did. Some had them struggling, others had them competing for the automatics, but most, including myself, had them finishing safely in mid-table but not troubling the promotion race. So in that respect, they far exceeded expectations. They had a sluggish start, but surged up the table and into the top 3 from around Christmas time and never looked back. They were built on a rock solid defence and incredible home form. What let them down was their inability to kill games off and conceding late goals to drop points in games they really should have won.

Still, Neil Harris did a fantastic job and in my mind, had assembled a squad that was better than the sum of its parts. They didn't need to spend big or rely on superstar talent.

2nd - MK

My Prediction: 5th

Pundits Average: 2nd

I'd been scarred by predicting big things from them in 24-25 and they flopped badly. So when they once again went big in the transfer market last summer, I was hesitant to put them right into the top 3. Well, they did improve as much as most expected and went up automatically.

Still, they will be left with a slightly bitter taste in their mouth, knowing the title was there for them on the final day but they let it slip to Bromley. I'm sure games against Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday will cheer them up.

Title Winners

1st - Bromley

My prediction: 18th

Pundits Average: 14th

Damn. Who saw this one coming? Nobody is the answer. The highest any pundit put them was 8th and the majority had them in the bottom half. I had them down to struggle with 2nd season syndrome. But they didn't and in fact went hard in the opposite direction. They've belied their status as 2nd year EFL newcomers, their modest budget and small fan base to rise to the 3rd tier for the first time in their history. From Solihull to Sheff Wed in the space of less than 3 years. Incredible.

They did slide a little end towards the end of the season, but a win on the final day saw them grab the title. Theirs has been a fantastic season, I do wonder how long they'll last in the 3rd tier with their rudimentary playing style and likely minuscule budget, but their rise and title win should serve as an example for other smaller L2 teams in future seasons.