Gabriel Sutton’s League Two season predictions

MK Dons accrued 62 points from the 33 games Mike Williamson took charge of, after the former Gateshead boss took the reins in October.

Over a full season, that sort of return would land the Buckinghamshire outfit 86 points, which has sufficed for automatic promotion in each of the previous 16 League Two seasons.

As such, MK have a very clear template for promotion already, and it’s just been a case of defensive tweaks to make them tougher in big games, with Luke Offord, Laurence Maguire and Sam Sherring coming into the back-line with the intention of doing so.

Elsewhere, Tom Carroll will be the steady midfield head they maybe didn’t have last season, while Liam Kelly looks an excellent signing from Crawley.

It’s just about replacing Max Dean, then, after the top goalscorer went to Gent for £1.7M, with Callum Hendry poached from Salford to fill the void, competing with the likes of Ellis Harrison and Matt Dennis.

Elsewhere, Doncaster will be hoping to take their spring form into the new season, after hopping from 20th in March to 5th a stunning 10-game winning streak.

Boss Grant McCann still has to replace star loanees from January, after goalkeeper Timothee Lo Tutala, midfielder Matthew Craig and wide forward Hakeeb Adelakun made a stunningly transformative impact, but the correct respective stand-ins may have been found in Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Joe Sbarra and Ephraim Yeboah.

Jamie Sterry can rediscover his exceptional right-sided pairing with Luke Molyneux, Richard Wood will remain influential from the back, while Joe Ironside should continue to spearhead successfully after hitting 20 in the league last year.

Notts County certainly didn’t struggle for goals last season, scoring 89 of them, but still finished 14th due to defensive deficiencies.

Stuart Maynard’s side have been keen to fix those by signing defender Jacob Bedeau, who will bring pace, strength and ball-playing talent to the back-line, as well as aerially competent Matty Platt, Rod McDonald, and Robbie Cundy.

And, while they’ve lost top goalscorer Macaulay Langstaff at the other end, linked with replacements in Dajaune Brown and Will Evans, they’ve retained assist king Jodi Jones.

And, with attacking full-backs in Kellan Gordon and Nick Tsaroulla recruited, there’s a chance the Magpies can enjoy Jones’ brilliance further up the pitch, without suffering defensively.

That’s the idea, at least, and with better midfield depth to cover for another injury to key man Matty Palmer, thanks to the signings of Curtis Edwards and Jack Hinchy, Notts County could be a better-rounded package this time around.

From Nottinghamshire to Derbyshire, Chesterfield could be a threat after winning the National League title last season with a squad rich in pedigree.

Having since made statement signings in Chey Dunkley, Lewis Gordon and Paddy Madden, Paul Cook’s Spireites could carry a real threat.

Tranmere have been a top 10 side since Nigel Adkins got the permanent job in November, accruing 47 points from the subsequent 30 games, the form of a Play-Off contender.

And, having lost few first-team players from that squad, Rovers possess a blueprint that should allow them to be competitive.

In goalkeeper Luke McGee, right-backs Lee O’Connor and Cameron Norman, centre-backs Tom Davies and Jordan Turnbull, left-back Connor Wood, midfielders Brad Walker, Regan Hendry and Sam Finley, wide men Kieron Morris and Harvey Saunders, plus front-man Luke Norris, the Wirralians have a good group of consistent 7/10 performers.

It’s just a case of building on those foundations, therefore, and replacing star Blackpool loanee Rob Apter, who set the league alight last season from the right wing, with his ball-carrying brilliance and incisive final third play.

Find the right replacement, though, and Tranmere could be in the mix, but don’t sleep on Grimsby, Colchester nor Fleetwood either.

By shopping abroad, the Mariners have added the kind of quality their budget wouldn’t afford them domestically, in defender Cameron McJannet and wide man Jason Dadi Svanpórsson.

Town have had a full pre-season to absorb boss David Artell’s ideas in a more extended format, which could help them implement the style, and make significant progress from last season’s 21st-place finish.

After all, Crawley made the jump to 7th, and promoted via the Play-Offs, last season, after finishing 22nd the year before, and Colchester are hoping to make that same jump.

The U’s have arguably their best manager since the mid-noughties in Danny Cowley, and the hope would be that his meticulous management can elevate the quality of the squad, which they’ve also added to.

Goalkeeper Matt Macey, dependable full-back Rob Hunt and creator Jack Payne look the pick of the additions, while the Cowley brothers worked with incoming former Championship striker Lyle Taylor at the very start of their career at non-league Concord Rangers.

Having worked wonders at Concord, Braintree and Lincoln, before doing some decent work at higher levels with Huddersfield and Portsmouth, the managerial duo are out to show their potential once again.

Lorent Tolaj scored 25 goals last season, including a whopping 19 in the National League for Aldershot, and a further five in the FA Cup.

The 22-year-old, a Switzerland U19s international as recently as 2020, is out to show his eye for goal in League Two with Port Vale, who are among the promotion favourites after following relegation with a summer of intent.

Tolaj has a decent frame, has quick feet, being strong on either, and can find the corner from anywhere, so there’s every chance the former Brighton youngster can make the step up seamlessly and be one of the top goalscorers straight away.

Josh Kelly couldn’t make his own step up from the National League seamless, netting just twice in 17 appearances after joining AFC Wimbledon from Solihull Moors in January, having scored 13 goals in the first half of the season, after 15 and 11 league goal hauls for Maidenhead and Moors respectively in the previous two campaigns at that level.

It may have been a daunting challenge for Kelly to replace Ali Al-Hamadi, now a Premier League footballer with Ipswich, and he’s not as athletic as the Iraqi front-man.

What he is, though, is a willing runner with canny movement, who can finish when he’s picked out with quality service, as he showed when resuming his telepathic relationship with midfielder Callum Maycock in pre-season, after the midfielder, himself, signed from Moors this summer, producing a delightful 2-0 victory over Charlton.

Also stepping up from the National League is Michael Cheek, who was dubbed a lower league Harry Kane, having scored 151 goals in 366 games at the level below, and the 32-year-old will be out to fire Bromley to safety.

Will Grigg is an obvious pick, having scored 24 goals in the National League last season for Chesterfield, hitting 19 or more league goals in the fifth season of his career.

The Northern Irishman had the likes of Armando Dobra, Ryan Colclough and former Wigan teammate Michael Jacobs to feed off last season, for Paul Cook’s side, and now he has Paddy Madden to link up with too.

On the other hand, Luke Armstrong has hit double figures for league goals in five of his seven senior seasons, bearing in mind last season was an awkward one for the Durham-born target man, disrupted by his move from Harrogate, which didn’t go through in the summer window, and ended up being to a Carlisle side that became doomed in League One.

Armstrong can be a threat in the right circumstances, though, and could benefit from the likes of Cameron Harper, Ethan Robson, Callum Guy and Georgie Kelly providing the ammunition.

As more of a long shot, meanwhile, watch out for Bradley Ihionvien, who managed four league goals last season in six starts and 23 substitute appearances.

The 20-year-old is a year behind Samson Tovide on the conveyor belt but is believed to be Colchester’s best finisher and could catch fire this year.