Macclesfield Town - Last season 15th - Bookies 125/1 23rd - Gary Simpson mocked last season's relegation tag by quietly easing his bargain-basement side into a safe mid-table place. The Moss Rose outfit are never expected to be in the promotion frame, and the bookies expect - again - for the Silkmen to be relegated. Simpson is likely to prove them wrong again unless they pick up a serious injury crisis.
Morecambe - Last season 20th - Bookies 80/1 20th= - Rookie boss Jim Bentley goes into the unknown after Sammy McIlroy's departure, with the bookies expecting him to repeat his former chief's finish from last term. While never seriously in trouble the Shrimps weren't safe until the final week. Bentley hasn't made much improvement to the squad, and any hopes of staying clear of danger will probably rely on striker Phil Jevons retaining his fitness throughout the season and forming a partnership with new arrival Lewis Alessandra.
Northampton Town - Last season 16th - Bookies 20/1 7th= - Chairman Dennis Cardoza believes Gary Johnson's squad will be promoted, despite the former Yeovil boss having a fairly awful record with the Cobblers last term. Heavy spending has seen the prolific Jake Robinson paired with the gigantic Adebayo Akinfenwa up front. If they can fire from the start they should be in contention, but they are likely to be looking at the play-offs at best.
Oxford United - Last season 12th - Bookies 12/1 4th - A steady stream of people appear to have been walking up to the bookmakers to back Chris Wilder's men. They opened at 25/1 and are now fourth favourites after a string of notable summer signings. Michael Duberry and Tony Capaldi add experience at the back, while if Jon-Paul Pittman can hit it off with the dangerous James Constable there should be goals aplenty to push the U's right into contention.
Plymouth Argyle - Last season L1 23rd(R) - Bookies 25/1 10th= - Pilgrims fans were, not so long ago, eyeing the Premier League. Now they're in the basement for the first time since they romped to the title with 102 points ten years ago. They still don't quite know whether they'll start the season in Administration and boss Peter Reid is yet to fully assemble a squad. A season of consolidation, rebuilding off the field, would probably be nice. But there is always that sinking feeling that the latest crisis club may slide right out the League like Stockport did.
Port Vale - Last season 11th - Bookies 25/1 10th= - With the fans still in open revolt against the boardroom, Micky Adams has struggled to keep his players focused on earning promotion. His low-key transfer dealings may be related to the 'starve em out' campaign to restrict club income and force the board to depart, and is likely to mean another disappointing season for Valiants fans on the pitch.
Text at top (next game etc)
Next Game: Away At Scunthorpe In The League On Saturday 21st December At 3.00pm