League Two Ante-Post Tips 2022/23

League Two is one of the more interesting English football leagues with several clubs in contention for the league title. Unlike the Premier League where certain teams dominate each season, the biggest price you’ll find on any League Two side to clinch the title this year is 66/1.

Along with looking at the potential candidates for the League Two title, I’ll also be browsing the odds for the leagues top scorers and teams to finish within the top 6 to see if I can find any value.

League Two Winner Prediction

League Two is wide open which means that you can have some confidence in backing a club that isn’t necessarily one of the bookies favourites. This league will also run throughout the season unlike the Premier League and Championship who will take a break for the 2022 World Cup and so there isn’t any player fatigue to consider. On that note, if you are thinking of betting on this year’s tournament, our World Cup Bookies page has a lot of information regarding the best bookies to bet with and the latest betting offers.

Northampton finished last season with the most points from the teams that were not promoted but they’re the fifth in the bookie’s pecking order for teams to finish top.

Instead, the favourite this season is last year’s National League winners Stockport as they look to be promoted for a second year running. That’s not hugely surprising given that newly promoted teams tend to do well in the English third-tier. Sutton are an example of just that having finished 8th and just a single point from a place-off spot after climbing up from the National League two seasons ago.

Salford City are another of the bookies’ favourites but the club, which is heavily backed by the likes of Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, have failed to finish any higher than 8th in previous seasons and so may not be there just yet.

Mansfield and Northampton, who met in the semi-finals of the play-offs last season with Mansfield progressing with a 1-0 victory only to lose 3-0 at the last hurdle to Port Vale, look decent value at 10/1 and 12/1 as they should be there or thereabouts in the later stages of the season.

Northampton finished level on points with Bristol Rovers who amazingly qualified for automatic promotion over the Cobblers following a 7-0 win against Scunthorpe on the last day of the season. It was an amazing end to the campaign but inflicted heartache for Northampton fans.

Having finished just 4 points adrift of the league leaders last season, there’s no reason why Northampton can’t do it again and Jon Brady’s side should take confidence in the fact that those 80 points would have seen them promoted automatically in any of the previous three seasons.

Prediction:

• Northampton @ 12/1 with SpreadEx
• Mansfield @ 10/1 with Bet365

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Top 7 Finish Prediction

Just seven points separated last season’s winners, Forest Green, and seventh placed Mansfield Town proving how competitive this league is.

Other than Northampton (13/8) and Mansfield (11/10) who I think will do well again this season, Swindon Town could flourish. Manager Ben Garner has left to join Charlton but Scott Lindsey has taken over as first-team head coach who has recruited several young players who if gel quickly, could help improve on the clubs 6th-placed finish last season.

Prediction:

• Northampton @ 13/8 with Quinnbet
• Swindon Town @ 2/1 with William Hill

Relegation Prediction

Although I would prefer not to back favourites in ante-post bets, Barrow seem like the obvious choice to finish in the bottom two this season.

In the two seasons that they’ve been in League Two, they’ve finished fourth and third bottom and there’s not much to convince me that they’ll improve much on that in the upcoming season.

Although barrow’s defence has been relatively solid for a team finishing in the places that they have, they have struggled for goals. The Bluebirds averaged just 0.96 goals per game last season and 1.15 the season before. To make matters worse, their top goal scorer last season, Ollie Banks who bagged nine throughout the 2021/22 campaign, has left to join Chesterfield. The club has also lost their manager Phil Brown who has been replaced by Pete Wild and so it’s yet to be seen what difference he’ll make. During the transfer window, Wild has mainly recruited free transfers from the National League although he has taken on midfielder Sam Foley from League Two Tranmere Rovers and George Ray from Exeter City in League One.

Although there are only two teams relegated from League Two and Barrow are the shortest odds of all of the teams to make the drop, they are my pre-season selection.

Prediction:

• Barrow @ 4/1 with William Hill

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Top Scorer Prediction

Many top scorers in leagues come from the teams that finish in the higher positions. However, that’s not always the case in the lower leagues which leaves the Golden Boot award wide open in League Two. 19th-placed Harrogate Town scored just a single goal less than 2nd-placed Exeter City last season and there are several more examples throughout the league.

Sticking with the theme of newly promoted sides flourishing in League Two, my selection for top goal scorer comes from Grimsby Town and is their number 10, John McAtee.

McAtee found the net 16 times in the National League last season despite missing a handful of games and was labelled as Grimsby’s player of the season. He’ll relish the chance to play in the league above and I’m confident that he’ll get on the scoresheet a number of times for his club.

Some bookies are offering odds of just 25/1 for McAtee to bag the most goals but if you head to Betfred, you’ll be able to get 50/1! A price I’d recommend jumping on quick before it goes.

I’m suggesting an Each Way bet which will pay out at 1/4 odds but for the top 4 places.

Prediction:

• John McAtee Each Way @ 50/1 with Bet365

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