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League Two has not disappointed, with a promotion race that looks set to go down to the wire for both the three automatic spots and the play-off race. With most sides having played roughly half of their 46 games, we thought it would be the perfect time to revisit our League Two experts’ outright tips from the start of the season.
As you’ve come to expect at this point in the season, we’re continuing to be all over the EFL, with our usual selection of EFL accumulator tips and EFL bet builder tips for every round of fixtures. We go beyond just English football here at Andy’s Bet Club too, with a range of football betting tips & predictions on the site every day.
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We have reviewed some of the highlights of our pre-season outright picks and have even included fresh ones for you to back and cheer on for the remainder of the campaign.
League Two promotion odds
Wrexham automatic promotion
A selection that is looking promising now, but it didn’t start that way. They were ninth after 10 matches having conceded 23 goals, and they lost a home match, for just the second time since Phil Parkinson took over as manager in 2021, on the opening day.
They have since settled, with the noise dying down somewhat and everybody getting used to a new division.
After 26 matches, they sit third, a point clear of Barrow in fourth, with a game in hand, and have lost just four matches. They have been tremendous at home since too, winning 10 of their last 12 and each of their last seven – including a 4-1 hammering of promotion rivals Barrow.
Most importantly, they have stopped conceding goals. They have conceded one or fewer in 11 of their last 15, which has helped them pick up points on a more consistent basis. Impressive considering some of the issues they have had fielding a consistent back five.
The management team and squad have plenty of promotion-winning experience and Parkinson is likely to receive backing in January to further boost his squad. And with the firepower of Paul Mullin, Steven Fletcher and Elliott Lee on hand, they’ll never be short of a goal or two.
The price has come in from 1.83 to 1.29 since we tipped it in pre-season, there is not enough juice left in those odds for us to recommend getting on at this point if you haven’t already.
Stockport automatic promotion
Stockport County found themselves third-favourites for a top three finish in the summer behind newly-promoted Wrexham and Notts County. It felt odd at the time and is proving that way now.
Dave Challinor had Stockport performing beyond anybody for the final two-thirds of last season and they have continued that, leading them to a record-equalling 12 consecutive victories to storm to the top of the division.
Performances have been excellent too, with their xGD running at over half a goal in their favour across the campaign, showing how strong they are at both ends of the pitch.
That has remained the case even now, during a more difficult run of form. They have won two, drawn four and lost two of their last eight at the time of writing but have conceded more than 1 xG in just one of those matches. Injuries have been unhelpful but January provides opportunity to further boost the squad.
Well backed, big support, an excellent owner and structure underneath. Stockport are ready for the next step and the main question isn’t whether they win promotion but whether they do so as champions.
This bet has come in to 1.20 from the 2.25 we tipped up in pre-season, which reflects the excellent value found by our League Two experts.
League Two Top 7 Finish
MK Dons Top 7 Finish
This has been a dicey selection that looks to be paying off.
The quality of the squad has never been in doubt. Despite some notable losses, this is a squad that reached the League One play-offs in 2021-22 and is full of third tier ability.
That showed early doors as they belied performance data to reach the summit in August under Graham Alexander. However, results soon turned and an eight-match winless run led to the club opting for a change while languishing in the bottom half.
Mike Williamson took the reins. The ex-Newcastle United centre back had turned Gateshead from National League North no-hopers to National League title challengers in three and a half seasons while playing a bold and brave style of football that excited fans.
He has quickly established those qualities at MK, implementing his 3-4-3 system, dominating the ball and letting players express themselves. They are already running at 0.6 xGD per 90 across his opening 11 matches, winning seven to push themselves back into the play-off fixture.
Additions have already been made in the form of Stephen Wearne and Kyran Lofthouse, who starred for Gateshead, adding to an already strong group. The bigger question is whether MK can trouble those chasing the top three.
The 2.25 price we took on this bet in the summer is looking smart with Sky Bet now deeming a top 7 finish for MK a heavily odds-on shot.
⬇️ MK Dons Top 7 Finish
League Two relegation odds
Sutton in deep trouble
The bottom of League Two has welcomed a lot of new managers recently.
Karl Robinson (Salford City), Danny Cowley (Colchester United), Troy Deeney (Forest Green Rovers) and Steve Morison (Sutton United). Deeney and Morison especially have their work cut out for them, starting six points from safety, although with games in hand on the sides directly above the drop zone.
Robinson and Cowley are vastly experienced managers who will be backed by decent budgets during the January window to ensure their sides’ survival. Deeney has quickly shown an ability to get something from his squad and will also get backing from an owner with money available to improve their standing in the league table.
That leaves Morison and Sutton United. The financial investment of the others around them makes it difficult to improve things during the window. They are a squad whose identity and culture has been forged by Matt Gray and Jason Goodliffe and changing that mid-season won’t be easy. And it’s a squad that have been unreliable as far as injuries are concerned, meaning it will take time for him to select a reliable XI while bodies come in and out.
Morison did excellent work with Hornchurch but it’s worth noting that their budget is a strong one for the level – an almost entirely different task to this one. It’s a tough task and leaves them looking the most likely to fall into non-league.
⬇️ Sutton relegation
League Two Top Goalscorer odds
Macaulay Langstaff Top Goalscorer
A selection that is looking strong for a myriad of reasons at the halfway (-ish) stage of the campaign. Originally backed at odds of 7.0, Langstaff is now the odds-on favourite to finish as the top goalscorer in League Two.
Langstaff leads the goalscoring chart with 19 goals, three clear of any other player, finding the net every 119 minutes played. He remains the main man in the Notts County attack and spends his time finding space in the area for an uber-creative team to find him.
The primary concern is that Luke Williams has now departed for Swansea City. However, Notts County are very data-led with a clear structure and identity that is headed up by their ownership. You would expect that the good work will continue under the new manager. Langstaff has also scored for fun for different managers in different leagues, so he should continue his good form regardless of off-field changes.
We also have to look at who may catch him and the outlook is promising. Jake Young (16) and Dan Kemp (14) have left Swindon Town after fruitful loan spells while Michael Mellon (13) has left Morecambe for a League One move. Matt Smith (15) has a new manager. Will Evans (15), Elliot Lee (13) and Davis Keillor-Dunn (14) aren’t out-and-out strikers. Ali Al-Hamadi (13) could be on the move this window.
Langstaff has lived up to his billing as a pre-season favourite and needs just 11 goals in Notts’ 20 remaining fixtures to reach 30, a total no player has reached in the fourth tier since 2020/21. It will take a phenomenal effort to beat that.
⬇️ Macaulay Langstaff Top Goalscorer
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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