SKY BET LEAGUE ONE 2021 - 22
ACCRINGTON STANLEY
LAST SEASON
LEAGUE ONE 11th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Dion Charles (20)
FAN FILE
ADAM SCARBOROUGH
Last season was great overall. We were in contention for the play-offs before a fixture pile-up cost us. Last season was our highest finish since our Football League return in 2006.
The big talking point among the fans is our ground developments, with a new clubhouse being built behind the main stand.
Instead of going to the football last season I sorted through a load of old match programmes from our non-league days. Trips to Leigh RMI and Grays Athletic among many.
I won’t be happy unless I’m eating a pie with lashings of gravy at our first home match.
Our most underrated player is Seamus Conneely. Some supporters in the main stand don’t like him…
Look out for defender Harry Perritt [below], 20 – about to break through but broke his leg last pre-season.
The pantomime villain will be Steve Evans, now that Joey Barton is in the league below.
The one change I’d make would be putting a roof on the away end.
Save the date for Morecambe away on September 25. It’s good to be playing them again... especially as we have a good record.
The best thing about matchday at Stanley is the atmosphere created on the Clayton End terrace.
The ground I’m most looking forward to visiting is Hillsborough. A new one for many Stanley fans.
The best Stanley social media account is our owner, @andyhholt – he’s very open and honest.
Other clubs’ fans don’t know that we still haven’t played at Wembley. We’ve had a few good runs in the Football League Trophy, though, so maybe our time will come soon.
Our key player will be Dion Charles, who scored plenty of goals last term and has been called up for Northern Ireland. If we keep hold of him...
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is as high as always: John Coleman produces miracles year in, year out. When he first arrived back in 1999, we were down in the seventh tier, UniBond Division One!
We’ll finish 6th.
FFT VERDICT
18TH
John Coleman is hard to please, but the Liverpudlian perfectionist has never been so excited about his squad, which includes bright loanees like Man City goalkeeper James Trafford. Even the bookies aren’t convinced about Stanley’s impending doom this season...
BOLTON WANDERERS
LAST SEASON
LEAGUE TWO 3rd FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Eoin Doyle (19)
FAN FILE
TOM JENKINS
Last season was a rollercoaster! At the end of January, I’d have taken survival after a disastrous start, but a good window and the change to a back four took us from 20th to automatic promotion.
The big talking point among the fans is whether we can build and go for back-to-back promotions. Our style of football should cause problems, but there are question marks over whether we’re good enough to really compete.
I won’t be happy unless we make a play-off challenge. It may seem daft having barely gone up, but I want to see us near the top. We should be confident and ambitious.
Our most underrated player is Dapo Afolayan. The former West Ham winger is highly rated within the club, but will surprise a lot of League One fans this campaign.
The player I’d happily drive to another club is Brandon Comley. He’d be very useful in a team that played a different style, but there’s no future for him at Bolton.
The pantomime villain will be any Wigan player. It’ll be nice to have a proper derby instead of the bland one provided by Tranmere last year.
The one change I’d make would be the name of our stadium. Bolton’s owners have done little wrong since taking charge, but a return to ‘the Reebok’ would ice the cake.
Save the date for both Wigan games and Sheffield Wednesday. They shouldn’t be in this league.
The ground I’m most looking forward to visiting is Wimbledon’s new-look Plough Lane.
Our key player will be Ricardo Santos [below]. An absolute colossus who wins everything in the air, is quick and has long-range passing a midfielder would be proud of.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that Ian Evatt [above] is a brilliant manager who wants to play good football. Arrogant to some, he’s just a winner, which has been infectious since January. The most exciting manager we’ve had in a decade.
We’ll finish 6th... and promotion via the play-offs.
FFT VERDICT
10TH
The signing of playmaker Josh Sheehan confirms that Bolton unsurprisingly arrive with loftier aims than their fellow risers. Ian Evatt has the tactical flexibility to succeed, but his ambitions for a dream double promotion may have to wait a little longer.
BURTON ALBION
LAST SEASON
LEAGUE ONE 16th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Kane Hemmings (15)
FAN FILE
JACK STOUT @BrewersTV
Last season was torrid for the first five months under inexperienced boss Jake Buxton, followed by our turnaround of the highest quality after the reappointment of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and his assistant Dino Maamria. We even produced a six-match winning streak – the longest in our League history – and finished well clear of the drop.
This season will be different to last because we have a group of exciting players joining. We’ve been guilty of signing ageing players late in windows in the past, but this term the club had nine new arrivals before pre-season even started – including Carlisle’s promising Omari Patrick, Louis Moult from Preston and Conor Shaughnessy staying permanently.
I won’t be happy unless we build on the blocks we laid last season. We’ve shown intent since January, and it felt like we’d discovered the ideal blend between going forward and being solid at the back.
Michael Mancienne. He
