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Our League Two Predictions 22/23 - Part Two

Our League Two predictions continue with the next six teams alphabetically and how we think they’ll get on this season. Part Two online now.

*Disclaimer* - This is nothing more than two Dale fans’ opinions based on probably not a great deal. Anyone kicking off with these will be ignored, and probably laughed at.

CREWE ALEXANDRA

Chaff — 19th

Our opening day opponents don’t seem to be in a great place currently having been relegated last season. They went down with just 29 points and having conceded 83 goals. Their defensive recruitment doesn’t seem to have improved them much. They no longer have the likes of Harry Pickering, Owen Dale or Charlie Kirk and they have an inexperienced manager in charge as well. I don’t think they’ll go down but it doesn’t look like a good season at Gresty Road.

AtThePeake — 21st

Crewe strike me as a team in a bit of a downward spiral following the desperate nature of their relegation from League One last term. Mikael Mandron and Luke Murphy were mainstays over the last couple of seasons but have moved on now and Conor Thomas aside, their recruitment this summer doesn't look particularly impressive. Alex Morris is an unknown manager and while it's a young squad at Gresty Road as you might expect, none of the current crop have really made a name for themselves at first-team level as yet.

DONCASTER ROVERS

Chaff — 15th

Another difficult one to predict I think because although they’ve gone down, I don’t think Gary McSheffrey’s recruitment has been that bad on paper. The likes of Luke Molyneux, George Miller and Lee Tomlin are good players at this level, and I think they’ll be able to get more out of Josh Andrews than we did. But League Two is a very different beast to League One as we found out last season and I predict a similar kind of season as we had for Donny.

AtThePeake — 17th

Doncaster feel like a team that could really push for the play-offs if things click next season, as they've acquired some interesting names for this level including Luke Molyneux, George Miller and Lee Tomlin. However, the squad has needed a few overhauls at this point as they've relied heavily on the loan market in recent years and while Gary McSheffrey managed to improve form slightly last term, he wasn't able to prevent relegation, and this will be his first full season in management. You feel the experience of Adam Clayton and Tommy Rowe will prove pivotal to where they end up this year.

GILLINGHAM

Chaff — 16th

A large number of changes have occurred in playing personnel following the Gills relegation from League One. A big rebuild with Neil Harris in charge and signings that look steady if not spectacular in the likes of Scott Kashket and Mikael Mandron up front, and the likes of Cheye Alexander and the vastly experienced Shaun Williams at the other end so I think it will be a big of a nothing season for them.

AtThePeake — 13th

I do think Gills are the strongest of the relegated teams on paper but having lost first-choice players like Ryan Jackson, Vadaine Oliver and Jack Tucker this summer, you do wonder if it will take some time for them to settle at League Two level, particularly as the fanbase still seem to have issues with long-serving chairman Paul Scally. I do rate Neil Harris is a manager, which is why I have them comfortably in mid-table, but if he grows tired of Scally's involvement then it may end up being a difficult season for the Kent club.

GRIMSBY TOWN

Chaff — 18th

Riding high after winning the National League playoffs against Solihull, Grimsby won’t have huge expectations this season I don’t think. They won the playoffs but still finished 10 points behind Solihull and 11 behind Wrexham who both faltered in the playoffs. They’ve brought in Niall Maher from Halifax who was heavily linked with us and the likes of Kieran Green, also from Halifax, Anthony Glennon from Burnley and Otis Khan from Leyton Orient. I don’t expect them to go down, or pull up any trees.

AtThePeake — 12th

It's not often I'll predict both promoted teams to finish above all four relegated teams, but I see Grimsby as a club with plenty of momentum at the moment and with the fanbase they have, momentum can be a really precious thing there. The likes of Otis Khan, Bryn Morris and reported Dale target Niall Maher look like solid to additions to a squad that already has plenty of EFL quality and in Paul Hurst, the Mariners have a manager who has a record of success at this level. I think they'll be tough to beat, particularly at Blundell Park.

HARROGATE TOWN

Chaff — 23rd (Relegated)

Sorry Harrogate fans, I think the brief stay in the football league may end this season. Another club who’s had a revolving door in terms of squad building but the main recruitment play looks to be to go and get youngsters from Huddersfield on loan. Kyle Ferguson comes in from Altrincham as a highly rated defender, but this is a big step up for him. Can’t see Harrogate having enough to stay up unfortunately.

AtThePeake — 24th (Relegated)

Harrogate's drop-off towards the back-end of last season was pretty dramatic as they lost nine of their last 13 League Two matches and you just wonder whether the league may prove too strong for them this time around. Jack Diamond, last season's top scorer, has returned to Sunderland and I'm not sure that Miles Welch-Hayes or the inexperienced Kyle Ferguson are the kind of additions that can tighten up what was a very leaky defence last term.

HARTLEPOOL UNITED

Chaff — 24th (Relegated)

I had Hartlepool to go down last season and I’m going with it again for this season. The players they’ve lost are more eye-opening than the players they’ve brought in for me. The likes of Luke Molyneux, Omar Bogle and Timi Odusina have gone elsewhere in League Two whereas the incomings look inexperienced and uninspiring.

AtThePeake — 22nd

Timi Odusina, Luke Molyneux and Neill Byrne will all be big misses next season for Hartlepool and while new boss Paul Hartley has called upon his Scottish contacts to fill out the squad ahead of this season, there are a few players in there that are unknown at this level. Pools finished last season in pretty woeful form and with a big turnaround of players I think it'll take them a while to get going this season, which could leave them struggling to break away from the relegation battle.

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