So, we're half way through a long, but exciting, npower League One season. On Twitter and Facebook I asked a fan from each of the 24 League One clubs (excluding Crawley) for an overview of their clubs' season so far and what they expect from their club come what May.
AFC Bournemouth
Had an awful start due to awful management under which none of the players looked like they wanted to work, or that is what the performances seemed to show. Since (Paul) Groves was sacked after a 3-1 defeat to Crawley, Eddie Howe returned and it has improved massively, so far going 16 games unbeaten. The squad is playing a lot better and, looking happier, we have pushed on from what looked like a relegation battle to promotion hopefuls. Hopefully we can continue doing well and be looking to break into the top six by May.
By @DanCarterAFCB on Twitter.
Brentford
I think if you ask any Bees fan at the moment they would tell our season is going better the expected. Unbeaten in 12 games in the league, fourth in the table and four points off top spot with a game in hand is way above the expectations, although we could easily be top of the league if it wasn't for our bad start to the season. Other than that, there is absolutely nothing to complain about as our target for the season was playoffs, which is fully achievable with the team we have. Minimum expectations for the season have to be the playoffs. Automatic promotion is also still on the cards for us so I wouldn't rule that out just yet.
By @NicoCampbell on Twitter
Bury
Plans for a successful for Bury were scuppered as manager Richie Barker upped sticks to fill the vacant managers' post at Crawley just days before the start of the season. The situation at Gigg Lane didn't improve as current manager Kevin Blackwell's appointment wasn't announced until 10 games into the season, and when lowly Bury only managed their first league win of the season on the 23rd October. There was no surprise that The Shakers found themselves in the relegation zone. Results slightly improved at the start of Blackwell's reign but a run of 10 games without a win and a transfer embargo enforced by the Football League looks to have put halt to any form and motivation Blackwell was looking for. Realistically, the only target Bury have this season is to avoid the drop zone, as many critics and fans alike are already condemning the North West strugglers to League Two football next season.
By @JimmyBFCDicko on Twitter.
Carlisle United
Carlisle had a patchy start to the season, with 5 win in their first 10 league games, although 3 of these were defeats. October was a forgettable month for the Cumbrians as two wins were cancelled out by two heavy home defeats by Notts County and Bournemouth. In November, Carlisle scored and conceded in every game, managing one league win in five, however they convincingly beat Ebbsfleet 4-2 in the FA Cup. United ended the year well, rounding off a fairly disappointing year with two home victory's over lowly Bury and Hartlepool. With the U's currently sitting in 20th place in January the transfer window could be key to be determining whether they face a relegation battle or a middle of the pack finish. Most fans expect the latter, although things will have to improve for this to happen.
Written by myself as no Carlisle fans were willing.
Colchester United
To say that Colchester United fans are enduring a
testing time is something of an understatement right now. The New Year's
Day defeat at Crawley saw those that had made the short trip witness the U's
seventh straight defeat in a run which as seen the Essex side pick up maximum
points just once in 12 games, and that was at home to lowly Bury. Things had all started so well for young manager, Joe Dunne. Fans
had been calling for a change in management for a long time before John Ward
was finally shown the door and it looked as though they were right when the U's
went on to win five out of six of Dunne's first games in charge. The team
were playing vibrant, attacking football, with loanees Sanchez Watt and Craig
Eastmond a revelation. A 1-0 win at high flyers, Swindon, really had us
hoping that we'd got things right. Even a surprise defeat at Yeovil and
being dumped out of the JPT by Northampton couldn't dampen our spirits.
After so long in the doldrums under Ward, playing dour football and
listening to even more dour post-match interviews, this was a real breath of
fresh air. Then it all went wrong. Victories against Stevenage, Carlisle and away to Leyton Orient, all
without conceding a goal were to prolong the false dawn until one dark day in
Shropshire. 2-0 up away to Shrewsbury and cruising to a sixth win in
seven, substitute defender, Asa Hall, scored twice in four minutes to rock the
U's. A week later we were out of the FA Cup to local rivals, non league
Chelmsford City. Another couple of weeks and the two exciting loanees,
who had been so instrumental in our excellent run, were both injured and back
at Arsenal. The first knives for Joe Dunne could be heard being
sharpened. The expected three points at home to Bury was to be the only win since
October as the U's hurtle toward the trapdoor into League Two. Chairman
Robbie Cowling has long been bankrolling the club but can not be expected to do
so forever. His initial aim was to make the club a sustainable force in
the Championship and, despite spending millions of his own money, he has a team
facing up to the very stark reality of life in League Two. Joe Dunne will be given time by the fans to turn things around.
With Mark Kinsella at his side, the U's have two firm fans' favourites at
the helm. The home crowd are sure to be more forgiving, given the
personnel, and the Chairman has a history of backing his managers and giving
them time, which is a rarity in this day and age.
After Saturday's away day at Doncaster, which is sure to be another
challenge too far, the U's face fellow strugglers Scunthorpe, Hartlepool,
Walsall and Portsmouth. It is absolutely vital we get at least six points
from these encounters. The Monkey Hangers are as good as down and Pompey
still have their minus ten to come into play. That leave just two berths
for the relegation spots. All U's fans are crossing everything they have
that we are not occupying one of them come May.
By @PhilLuckee on Twitter
Coventry City
Coventry's season started off just as they ended their Championship campaign the season previous. They did not achieve maximum points in a league game until 29th September and many fans put this down to instability in the boardroom, with no new manager put in place. Eventually, Mark Robins was installed as new manager as results gradually improved. November and December brought a run of 10 wins in 13 games in all competitions, including a 4-1 away victory at Doncaster, and they slowly made their way up the table. Most fans would believe that a play off place is not unrealistic, but I would say the main focus would be on a mid table finish with a view to a return to the Championship next season.
Written by myself as no Coventry fan was willing.
Crewe Alexandra
2012 has been a successful year for CAFC; our 20 game unbeaten run got us promoted via the playoffs, an unbelievable Wembley day out and witnessing the best ever goal at the new Wembley Stadium by our very own Nick Powell. Our first game back in League One against Notts County brought us back down to earth with a bump! The physical and rough Notts team bullied our kids and they struggled to hold their own. Since then Davis has played about with the formation and with loan signings due to injuries from teams such as Notts has seen a young Crewe team more than hold our own in this league. Three points from the play offs at the half way point is more than acceptable and exceeds my expectations. After the sale of Nick Powell (to Manchester United) and Ashley Westwood (£2m to Aston Villa), which will see the club financially secure for the next 5-10 years, I must admit I was concerned we would struggle but the new breed of Crewe talent have come in and proved they belong in League One and in this Crewe team that can only get better. A top 10 finish is on the cards and even mid table would please Crewe fan, and then maybe build on that next season. As long as we do not lose any other of our kids; Luke Murphy, Max Clayton, Byron Moore, Ajay Leitch-Smith, Mathias Pogba, Matt Tootle and Kelvin Mellor, we will be OK and I don't see why a playoff push wouldn't be to unrealistic.
By Peter Bowden on Facebook.
Doncaster Rovers
The season so far for DRFC has been one of much change from last season, relegated from the Championship we have gone through a transformation adding talented, high quality such as; Rob Jones, David Cotterill and Billy Paynter. This drastic change has resulted in us raising a few eyebrows this season, currently sitting in third with the most win in League One, one of the meanest defences and most impressively the best away record in the country this term. Our style of play, management and players are of a completely different kind this year and so far has been good. Promotion could well beckon in 2013. This however will depend on a number of things such as injuries which, over two years, cost us our Championship status (18 injuries) at one point. With our small close knit squad this season, a spell of the same kind could hit us hard and see us begin to drop down the table, thus meaning transfers in January could be key. The most memorable part of the season so far is obviously our remarkable away form, only losing once, to Yeovil Town, who at the time were high flying. This form has no doubt been down to our formidable back four of Paul Quinn, Rob Jones, Jamie McCombe and Tommy Spurr, who in my opinion are a backline very capable of a level above. A more than impressive start to the season and a repeat of this in the conclusion should see a strong Rovers' return to the Championship.
By @superryandunphy on Twitter.
Hartlepool United
The season so far has been dreadful. Every Sunday morning is painful after a loss on a Saturday. The season looked promising after beating Sunderland 1-0 and we dreamt of promotion but then the 5-1 reverse against Newcastle (both in pre season) put our confidence down. We had a good start but then we started to concede late goals and started to lose games resulting in the lss of more confidence.I do expect us to get relegated but i'm hoping it will benefit the club, like relegation did for Newcastle a few seasons back. Hopefully we'll come back twice as strong. Sometimes you need to take one step back to take two forward so hopefully we put up a fight til' the end and come back up.
By @Richardson1997 on Twitter.
Leyton Orient
The season started as usual drafting in free transfer players from teams
who have released them for not being good enough, Russell Slade kept with his
footballing policy of keeping the ball down and playing from the back, this
resulted in us being in the relegation zone start of the season. Results soon changed as we changed
to 4-4-2 and the return of the fitness of Kevin Lisbie our best player without
question, at 34 still as influential as ever. The talents of ex premier league players Martin
Rowlands and Lee Cook have been key as well, The highlight of the season so far
has to be Dean Cox’s goal from the half way line away at Walsall, I’m sure
you’ve seen it.With a chance of the trip to Wembley in the JPT on
the cards and the transfer window to hopefully draft in some players on loan
the second half of the season could be a fruitful one, But like most I’d be
happy with mid table finish.
By @morgy_lad on Twitter.
Milton Keynes Dons
Certainly a mixed bag so far this season. The expectation surrounding the club at the start was for automatics, although perhaps a slow start could be put down to a rush of red cards. The Dons soon got back on their feet and now certainly of capable of a top 6 finish with a strong team. The revelations this season have been Luke Chadwick and Stephen Gleeson who have both consistently perfomed amazingly well and pushed the team forward. The end of the year brought a sour FA Cup game to MK1 and the stadium:mk, and with the wonder goal from Gleeson and a flick from the foot of God (John Otsemobor), we beat a certain pub team (AFC Wimbledon) in a 2-1 victory. Back in the league with a poor end to the year with two home losses (2-4 and 2-3 to Walsall and Coventry respectively) and the loss of two great players. However, a win at Notts County looks to resurrect our bid for Championship football and the signing of Ryan Harley from Brighton and Izale McLeod have captured the fans imagination as the boys from MK push forward towards a place in the second tier. We never stop believing. Mr Robinson will get us there. As the immortal words ring from the tunnel, 'it's us against the world and the world doesn't stand a chance'....COME ON YOU DONS IN 2013! Final Thought: Keep Karl Robinson and the Dons will go far.
By Alex Hendy on Facebook.
Notts County
It all started off so well. The team had fallen into place and everyone was happy. Up until November it remained that way. All season the home form has been shocking. With around double the home losses than we have won, the away from was making up for it, but now they're all turning into draws. At the start of the season I expected playoffs but as each game is going on we are slipping away. A couple of ins and outs in January and I believe we can get ourselves back up the table.
By @Landy3Ncfc on Twitter.
Oldham Athletic
OAFC have had a shocking start to the season and should be much higher in the league with the team we have. We have recently lost Matt Derbyshire after his loan spell and could lose Jose Baxter in Reece Wabara in January, these being the only three players that can do anything for us. However, should Charlton sell Dale Stephens to Aston Villa for £2m we will get £200k of that, which should be used to pay their wages for the of the season. If we manage to keep them I think mid table is realistic and maybe a late push for playoffs too, but definitely no more than that.
By @Nathan_Garside on Twitter
Portsmouth
Portsmouth’s season so far has been diabolical to say the least. In the Capital One cup, The Football League tied both hands behind our backs, refusing our request to sign the squad who had played for the club during pre-season and forcing then manager Michael Appleton to play a team containing just two players over the age of 19, one of them Simon Eastwood, a goalkeeper who had never before played league football and assistant manager Ashley Westwood, who had been previously forced to retire due to injury. Inevitably Westwood was forced off just 10 minutes in, making Eastwood the only player over 19 for the blues. Pompey lost the game 3-0 with Plymouth adding two goals late on as the youngsters flowed forward in search of a goal.
Following the game Portsmouth signed the squad from pre-season in time for the opening game of the league season against local rivals Bournemouth, the game finished 1-1. Currently Portsmouth sit in the Relegation zone and with a 10 point deduction hanging over our heads the remainder of the season looks ominous. Big name departures like top scorer Izale Mcleod and experienced playmaker Akos Busaky haven't helped the cause. In My opinion the rest of the season is logically about building a squad to make a good challenge for promotion from League 2 next season, the only stumbling block with that is the situation concerning who will run the club. It looks like the PST (Pompey Supporters Trust) will eventually win the battle, the decision is set to be made in the high court on January 15th. My Player to watch at Pompey for the remainder of the season is attacking midfielder Jed Wallace who has just returned from a loan spell at Whitehawk, where he netted 11 times in 10 games. Play up Pompey!
By @StephenQPFC on Twitter.
Preston North End
After a major clear-out at Deepdale in the summer it was interesting to see how we would do. For Preston it's been an up and down start to the season. At the start of the campaign we were scoring regularly and producing some good, convincing wins. However, after injuries to our two main full-backs we started to struggle and the goals and good performance have dried up. This wasn't help by the loss of Akpo Sodje after he rejected the offer of a month by month contract as he was one of the main strikers getting us the goals. The constant squad rotation by the manager hasn't helped us either as the team is settled. For the remainder of the season I expect us to get a decent striker, a LB and RB in the transfer market. I would expect us to at least finish mid table ready to make a push on for nect season.
By @kimramshead on Twitter.
Scunthorpe United
2012/13 has been a disappointing season for Scunthorpe. The players are not performing and are more than underachieving. With the departure of Alan Knill after a 3-0 defeat to MK Dons, in came Brian Laws and there has been much improvement but not much, although it is something to build on. For the rest of the season our aim is to secure safety and improve our dreadful home record.
By @TomWalkenden on Twitter
Sheffield United
The Blades have done everything expected of
them. Our expectations are obviously to get 1st or 2nd spot and we currently
sit 2nd with 47 points. Our best player was bought from Blackburn, Nick
Blackman, who has developed well and is our top goalscorer recently. Shaun
Miller got injured while he was in tip top form with 8 goals and the news got
worse as Neil Collins, a commanding defender at the back helping Harry Maguire
develop, got injured as well. We've drawn too many at home including the Oldham
game (2-2) where the away side equalized in the 98th minute. They
have performed consistently away at times away such as winning Crawley with two
Tony McMahon free kicks. All in all the Blades have exceeded. United fans will be looking for us to push on and go
up and ,with signing of Scotland under 21 international Jamie Murphy , who looks
a promising prospect and the experienced defender Danny Higginbotham, we look like
we have a strong squad so iI think we will be up there. As I write this
developing keeper George Long and Harry are still here but if Harry and Long go
we will struggle to be a top 2 team. We will have to wait and see what happens
over the next couple of months.
By @Max_Goddard9 on Twitter.
Shrewsbury Town
After gaining promotion from League Two last season, many fans would be hopeful of a mid table finish, and after the first few games that is where the Shrews sat. In September there was a 4-1 win over Coventry, but after that the goals looked to have dried up, scoring just three times in six games and Town won just once in October. November also saw Shrewsbury win just once, against Crewe. A defeat by Conference side and local rivals Hereford in the FA Cup had fans worried. Going into the New Year, Town are unbeaten in six games, although five have been draws. Relegation looks a prospect for Shrewsbury this year and activity in the transfer market and maintaining their unbeaten run will determine their fate for the end of the season.
Written by myself as no Shrewsbury fan was willing.
Stevenage
This year has been a rocky road. The season started so well with the away from doing us proud. The away win at Coventry City just about summing us up. However, home form has been dreadful and Gary Smith has always wanted to put that right after 3 straight losses. January has become an important month for Boro' with Doncaster and Brentford to play. Stevenage now sit 12th in League One and are drifting away from the playoffs. Midtable looks more of realistic target whilst becoming tangled in the relegation scrap is not out of the equation either.
By @FinlayRowden on Twitter.
Swindon Town
It's been a frustrating time at the County Ground during the season. Going out of the FA Cup in the first round to non-league opposition (Macclesfield) being one and inconsistent form at home being another. Despite this, we find oursleves in the play off posistions and are hitting a good run of form to aid the promotion push. With several injured players returning to fitness, a play off place looks like a realistic target.
By @MattDavied25 on Twitter.
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere fans have had to endure three seasons as relegation candidates, firstly under the leadership of a hapless John Barnes, then under the guidance of club physio Les Parry. Parry was removed last season after the club went on its longest run without a win, 1 in 21. To most fans surprise, ex manager Ronnie Moore tooks the reigns again on a temporary basis, this despite him being controversially sacked in his last stint. This season understandably had most Tranmere fans with modest expectations. Many were hoping for a top half finish and were looking to get to the magical 50 point mark as early as possible in order to keep away any fears of relegation. As i'm sure many can understand, i'm over the moon with our current league posistion, considering we have one of the lowest budgets in League One. The acquisistion of James Wallace, Jean Louis Akpa Akpro and Abdoulai Bell-Baggie have been shrewd signings in the bargain basement, coupled with good loan signings such as Liam Palmer and Jake Cassidy have seen Rovers hitting the summit for most of the season. This despite a terrible run of injuries for most of the season, the three players mentioned above being injured for a couple of months. Even loan signings Ben Gibson and Nathan Ecclestone picked up long term injuries. Tranmere have been forced to continually rely on youngsters and short term loans to continue their promotion challenge. Our season is likely to hinge on events in January when a number of loan players return to their clubs, leaving Rovers threadbare. Ronnie will have to work his magic again in the transfer window and cross his fingers his injuries clear up soon, if not the momentum to maintain could grind to a halt. Whatever the outcome at the end of the season, this campaign has exceeded everyone's expectations and has made watching Tranmere enjoyable again.
It's been a dream of a season for us. Back in March
after a 1-0 defeat by Chesterfield made it 1 win in 20 games and left us
hurtling towards relegation from League One, owner Peter Johnson finally
relieved ex-physio Les Parry from his position. Back came Ronnie Moore, harshly
sacked in 2009 after being minutes away from a playoff place when Scunthorpe
equalised against us. He brought the pride back with a strong run-in and
secured a top half finish. For this season we expected a top half finish with
some fun and excitement in the cup competitions. And we sit here on January 3
top of the table thinking about a title challenge, all on a budget of £1.4m-
small resources by this division's standards. We started like a train slamming
in goals and racking up the points. The 5-2 at Crawley was a turning point as the
fixture list had been quite kind before that one. Winning at Notts County was
another landmark result and evidence we were the real deal, but we lost the
crafty, pacey forward Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro for three months that day, which
has been a big blow and a key reason our goals have dried up a little. James
Wallace, our captain and a player linked with Championship clubs, has also been
out injured, and we went through a period of struggle with several draws and a
couple of losses including a 5-0 defeat at Swindon. But by bringing youngster
Max Power into the midfield, we look to have refound the ability to grind out
victories, bouncing back from that defeat with three straight wins. We are now
primed for a promotion push with those two key players set to return in the
next couple of weeks and rumours we may be replacing Jake Cassidy, whose 11
goals have been crucial to our success so far, with Leicester frontman Jamie
Vardy, which would be an adequate replacement. In the cups, we had fun at Villa
Park despite going down 3-0, our reserves lost at Port Vale in the JPT and we
face Derby away on Saturday in a pressure-free sort of game, with the league
challenge on hold, but a win would be a huge bonus and allow us to add another
player or two with the prize money. As for where will we finish, we still don't
have the squad depth for the automatics in my opinion. A great first eleven but
if we want to beat sides like Brentford away and Swindon at home who we face
very soon, we need our full team out. I'll say a playoff place, which is what
we would have all snapped our hands off for at the start of the campaign.
By Jon Bear Grylls Lear on Facebook and @theonejoeyd on Twitter.
Walsall
Our season so far has been eventful, losing on the first day and I thought it was going to be another relegation battle but we put a few decent wins together and before you knew it we were 5th in the league. An impressive September saw us in the promotion places and it could only get better, or could it? We then went on a 17 game winless streak stretching to the 22nd December, also losing in the JPT on penalties' to Port Vale and getting dumped out the FA Cup by non-league outfit Lincoln City. It got worse, losing 4-1 at home to Scunthorpe and a few weeks later getting thumped 5-1 away at Coventry. Fans called for the manager to be sacked, but then a few impressive displays have turned into points and since the dismal Coventry performance we've only lost once in five and were starting to rise up the table again, including a 4-2 victory at the stadium:mk. I expect us to stay away from the relegation zone and play some attractive football that we played earlier in the season, which will hopefully see us settle for a comfortable mid table finish.
By @WFCBagnall on Twitter.
Yeovil Town
I think we've had a good steady season so far. We started off exceptionally well and are now battling in mid table so I can't really complain. We've shown some class football and some abysmal football this season. I think the next two months are crucial as to where we finish. I believe we will finish around 10th at the end of the season which i'd have happily taken at the start of the season.
By @charliemorgs17 on Twitter.
