The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
The state of play at promotion contenders
Local journalists covering clubs in the race for automatic promotion from League One got together to discuss hopes, concerns and the eventual outcome.
NEIL ALLEN PORTSMOUTH NEWS What’s left (7): Wycombe (A),
Derby (H), Shrewsbury (H), Bolton (A), Barnsley (H), Wigan (H), Lincoln (A).
How it started: Certainly Pompey expected a play-off challenge, but stopped short of publicly targeting the automatics, yet since September 19, they have occupied League One’s top spot for all but one week.
How it’s going: Since the home loss to Orient on January 13, the Blues have bounced back with an unbeaten 12-match run, consisting of nine wins and three draws. No League One side has picked up as many points during that period, while 18 clean sheets in total reflects the best defensive record in the division.
The 1-0 victory at Peterborough is, without question, regarded as the season’s pivotal result so far as Pompey are now nine points clear of third place and, after seven seasons at this level, the Blues are on the verge of returning to the Championship for the first time since 2012.
Star and saviour: Marlon Park is on the brink of a dream season. A former Pompey season-ticket holder who was released by the club at the age of 19, he has returned to skipper the side.
Worry lines: It has to be injuries! When Pompey won at Peterborough, they did so without 14 players through illness and injury. It is truly remarkable Pompey continue to lead the table considering they have suffered so many injury setbacks throughout the campaign.
LEIGH CURTIS DERBY TELEGRAPH What’s left (6):
Blackpool (H), Portsmouth (A), Wycombe (A), Leyton Orient (H), Cambridge Utd (A), Carlisle (H).
How it started: The defeat to Stevenage in October was undoubtedly the nadir, but since then they haven't looked back, although a fourgame winning streak came to an end at Northampton last weekend.
How it’s going: Derby have not been vintage in terms of their quality, but they have been consistent and very difficult to score against. As the old adage goes, good attacks win you games, good defences win you titles.
I don't see any team winning all their remaining games, but Derby, bar Portsmouth away, have a decent run in. They've not given up
on the title, but a lot of things would need to go right for them.
Star and saviour: The centre-backs Eiran Cashin
and Curtis Nelson are both serious contenders for the players of the season. And, for me, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (now injured) is the best winger
in the league.
Worry lines: Injuries. Losing Dwight Gayle has been a huge blow. It has left them with two strikers in Martyn Waghorn and Conor Washington and they've only just come back from injury. And Derby do have the oldest squad in the league.
BOLTON NEWS MARC ILES
What’s left (7): Stevenage (A), Reading (H), Bristol R (A), Portsmouth (H), Shrewsbury (H), Port Vale (H), Peterborough (A).
How it started: Wanderers made no secret of wanting automatic promotion this time around and they appeared to recruit well. All the notes are there, it seems,
they just need to be played in the correct order.
How it’s going: Bolton have been there or thereabouts all season and were very handily placed at the turn of the year, tucked in behind Pompey with games in hand. They have had some stinking luck with injuries and a relentless schedule, but they now find themselves chasing a daunting gap to Derby in second and simply haven’t taken enough points in the high-pressure games.
If Wanderers can get top scorer Dion Charles and keeper Nathan Baxter back fit and firing, they can keep pressure on Derby. If they are destined for the play-offs then I’d back them against anyone at Wembley.
Star and saviour: Wales international Josh Sheehan has risen to the fore as Bolton’s chief playmaker and he’s a gorgeous player to watch.
Worry lines: Results have been patchy in 2024 and Bolton haven’t won enough games against the teams around them to make folk feel easy about the run-in. When they are at it, they are sublime, but there is still an air of inconsistency which makes them a hard team to read.
ALAN SWANN P’BORO TELEGRAPH
What’s left (8): Carlisle (H), Orient (A), Port Vale (H), Oxford (A), Fleetwood (H), Bristol R (A), Cheltenham (A), Bolton (H).
How it started: For the first time in recent memory, I tipped us to finish outside the top six in a League One season. The club were quietly (unusually for our chairman) confident of a good season, but they weren't shouting from the rooftops. I expect they have been pleasantly surprised by what they've seen so far.
How it’s going: It's been an exceptional season so far, as much for the style of play as the results. I've been watching them for 50 years and can't remember ever seeing such easy-on-the-eye, enterprising football. A 12-game unbeaten run had us dreaming of a top two finish and five wins in a row (after four straight defeats) raised optimism levels again until losing to Pompey last time out. We played well in that game, so form remains strong.
I suspect we will finish third behind Pompey and Derby. I can see us winning many of our last 8 games, but we might need to win them all to get into the top two and we've only ever done that twice in our 64 year Football League history. We do have the bottom four to play so you never know, but we have a lot of games in April.
Star and saviour: Top scorer Ephron Mason-Clark to leave with a bang before he formally joins Coventry City in the summer.
Worry lines: The lack of a natural goal-scoring centre forward to complement two exciting wingers. If we could combine the speed, pressing ability and workrate of RickyJade Jones with the finishing of Jonson Clarke-Harris we would be top two now!
JACK TOLSON BARNSLEY CHRONICLE What’s left (8):
Cambridge (H), Burton (A), Charlton (A), Stevenage (A), Reading (H), Portsmouth (A), Blackpool (A), Northampton (H).
How it started: The aim for the club was automatic promotion, but after head coach Michael Duff left for Swansea, followed by the entirety of the starting back three to either Luton or Coventry, most fans would have accepted going up via the play-offs.
How it’s going: New boss Neill Collins couldn’t have asked for a better start than the 7-0 thumping of Port Vale on opening day, but since then the home form has been generally mediocre in contrast to an excellent away record.
At one point in recent weeks they looked front runners for the top two, but a disappointing 5-1 defeat against in-form Lincoln City and a 0-0 draw against Cheltenham has dampened spirits.
Unfortunately a top two finish looks out of reach. The Cheltenham game last time out was the perfect chance for the Reds to pounce with the top four facing each other, but they blew it.
Star and saviour: Luca Connell missed the first few months of the season through injury. He’s a top player capable of chipping in with both goals and assists.
Worry lines: Barnsley have the best away form in the league, losing only once to Derby in November. Fortunately, five of the last eight games are away from Oakwell.
The defence, which started the season well, has become quite leaky recently and top-scorer Devante Cole also hasn’t scored since February 2, two facts that need to change pronto.