Today is the turn of the Sky Bet League Two. With this division we have four sides moving up a division, three automatically with the other coming from a play off round. At the bottom we have two dropping out, playing next season in the Vanarama National League.
Relegation:
Dagenham and Redbridge head into the weekend eleven points from safety with only fifteen left available to them. A certainty for relegation they would have to almost double their whole seasons win record to even have a chance of staying in the Division next season. Away to Leyton Orient tomorrow, who themselves still have playoff ambitions, could see them confirmed as relegated. A loss for Dagenham combined with a point (or more thanks to a much better goal difference) for Stevenage will see the mathematical chance erased.
Speaking of Stevenage, they are a spot above the relegation zone, but in good shape nine points above 23rd. York City, who currently occupy that, are all but down also, but they will not have that confirmed until, at the earliest, Tuesday. The fact that the two teams directly above them, Stevenage and Newport, play each other means both cannot get three points, and a draw will see York still able to theoretically overtake Stevenage even if it is far from a reality.
Promotion:
Northampton are a side who have already secured the automatic promotion and, twelve points ahead of second place, could secure the title away the Exeter tomorrow. Even if not, they are still going to secure it soon, and what better way than on Tuesday on your own ground.
The other sides vying for promotion include almost half the rest of the division at this time, such is the spread of points, with Luton in 14th only 6 points behind the last playoff position! Because of this I will deal with the automatic promotion sides first.
Oxford United, Accrington, Bristol Rovers and Plymouth are all within five points of each other while Portsmouth, five points off the automatic spots, have a game in hand over the rest. Oxford could all but end Luton’s ambitions of a playoff place, while putting them closer to an automatic promotion place with a win on Saturday.
With so many sides still actively chasing promotion there will be plenty of fixtures pitting two such teams against each other. Tomorrow you have two such matches as two sides on the outside looking in, Cambridge and Carlisle face off, while Portsmouth host Plymouth and the home side able to leap frog the visitors with a win.
After the results on Tuesday I can see Oxford also having secured their automatic promotion spot. For the other sides, tougher or easier, Plymouth’s next two games are against sides around them which will make things very interesting. Further down the line I think Accrington and Bristol Rovers will fight it out for the other automatic spot, with the other having to try through the play offs.
Speaking of the playoffs I think they will line up like this:
Accrington against Plymouth over two legs and Portsmouth lining up against Wycombe. With the final pitting Plymouth against Portsmouth with Portsmouth winning through.
So again relegated sides will be York and Dagenham.
Promoted sides Northampton, Oxford United, Bristol Rovers and Portsmouth.
Jason is a Freelance Soccer Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @PACityboy and www.facebook.com/jasonbardwell1979
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