By the end of this weekend, every team except for Swindon, Barrow, Morecambe and Colchester will have played ten EFL League Two games. With a full schedule on Saturday at 3pm, we look at the games coming up, recent form, and which teams’ fans will be more than aware that the passing of their tenth game means questions need to be asked.
With last week’s showpiece games seeing Doncaster Rovers defeat Gillingham, and Stockport County beat Wrexham 5-0, we can expect somewhat less drama this weekend, but then this is League Two, and this is the 23-24 campaign. Gillingham will be looking to bounce back from last week’s shock defeat and end Mansfield’s unbeaten run of form, Forest Green Rovers and Morecambe meet for the first time in League Two, and Nigel Adkins’ Tranmere will be looking for their third win in a row away to AFC Wimbledon.
Meanwhile Doncaster travel to Barrow hoping to replicate last week’s success, and Salford’s game at home to Newport County is surely in ‘must win’ territory after their loss to Harrogate last weekend and a 4-0 League Cup defeat to Burnley on Tuesday night. Salford go into their tie as the only team in the league not to take any points from their last five games, and Neil Wood’s position must be at risk.
Accrington Stanley v Stockport County
The two teams haven’t met since Stockport’s ill-fated 2011 season when they dropped out of the Football League. They do so on Saturday at the Wham! Stadium for the first time, having previously met at the Crown Ground. Despite a slow start to the season, Stockport are hitting form, and despite still suffering from the tail end of an injury crisis, have taken ten points from their last four games. By contrast, Accrington Stanley have only won one from their last four, with losses to Barrow, Mansfield, and Notts County. Stockport’s Louie Barry will be looking for his seventh goal in seven games, and confidence will be high after last week’s shock result against Wrexham.
Colchester United v Notts County
Notts County will be looking to extend their two-point lead at the top of the table with a win over Colchester United this weekend. Colchester’s record this season makes for interesting reading, with a 3-0 win over Gillingham (currently Notts County’s closest rivals), so they should not be underestimated. That said, they have the best form in the league across all nine games, with just one loss on the opening day of the season, and two draws, which were both against League One relegated teams Morecambe and MK Dons.
Gillingham v Mansfield Town
Gillingham will be keen for a return to form this weekend after last week’s loss to Doncaster, but will face tough competition as they go up against an unbeaten Mansfield who sit one point behind them in the league on 17 points. Over their last four games both teams have won two, but whilst Gillingham lost to Doncaster and Grimsby, Mansfield took one point against both Colchester and Bradford.