Good morning and welcome to another edition of A Look at the Lower Leagues, where hoddle headquarters takes a look at the goings-on across the other tiers in the English football pyramid. I think now’s a perfect time to do a short round-up with the international break having come and gone.
Let’s take a quick look.
League One:
One year after being a game away from the Championship, Leyton Orient are in a relegation. The East London club came back from a goal down to defeat Exeter City this weekend, putting
them five points clear of the drop zone.
Meanwhile, it’s getting very crowded at the top – and very confusing too. It’s the time of year when there are too many clubs not playing the same number of matches, so it’s hard to gauge who’s got the inside track. I’m still thinking it’s Cardiff City, even if they dropped their last two games.
Luton Town are also steadily climbing back up the table after a disastrous start to the season.
Top six:
- Stockport County (28 Pts, +5 GD, 18 MP)
- Lincoln City (28 Pts, +5 GD, 16 MP)
- Bradford (27 Pts, +6 GD, 15 MP)
- Bolton (26 Pts, +8 GD, 15 MP)
- Cardiff (26 Pts, +8 GD, 14 MP)
- Stevenage (26 Pts, +7 GD, 13 MP)
Bottom four:
- Blackpool (15 Pts, -8 GD, 16 MP)
- Port Vale (14 Pts, -8GD, 16 MP)
- Peterborough (13 Pts, -7 GD, 14 MP)
- Plymouth Argyle (13 Pts, -10 GD, 15 MP)
League Two:
Well, I wish I’ve been paying more attention to this one because I have no idea how Swindon Town got to the top of the table, but here they are. And it’s pretty exciting. I “managed” Swindon Town for a couple seasons during Fifa a long time ago and – I don’t mean to brag – but I got them from League Two to League One. Could the same happen this year?
Top seven:
- Swindon Town (30 Pts, +6 GD)
- Walsall (29 Pts, +6 GD)
- MK Dons (28 Pts, +14 GD)
- Notts (28 Pts, +11 GD)
- Bromley (27 Pts, +6 GD)
- Chesterfield (27 Pts, +4 GD)
- Gillingham (26 Pts, +6 GD)
Bottom two:
- Cheltenham (14 Pts, -17 GD)
- Newport county (11 Pts, -12 GD)
National League:
We have another competitive race in the National League. Of course, only the top club gets the automatic spot. That’s currently Forest Green. But they’re only one point ahead of Rochdale, who have two games in hand.
Top one:
- Forest Green (41 Pts, +17 GD, 19 MP)
Others in the mix: Rochdale, Carlisle, York, Boreham Wood
Fitzie’s track of the day: The Ballad of the Kingsmen, by Todd Snider
And now for your links:
BBC: “Bournemouth’s Semenyo has £65m January release clause”
The Guardian: “Scotland approach one-game World Cup shootout with excitement and focus”
ESPN: “Pochettino prepares U.S. to ‘suffer’ against ‘hero’ Bielsa”
