Shrewsbury Town, Cambridge United, Bristol Rovers and Crawley Town have all returned to League Two once again following relegation last campaign.
It’s going to be a really exciting division and all four of the recently relegated sides are going to experience different things in 2025 and 2026.
Bristol Rovers
The Gas managed to remain in League One for three successive seasons after a dramatic last day promotion in 2022, but they have once again fallen back into England’s Fourth Tier.
However, despite relegation, the South West side haven’t shed away and already making moves that seem to be gearing them up for a promotion push.
Bristol Rovers have navigated this division before, but with recent additions of Alfie Kilgour and Macauley Southam-Hales to name a few, Darrell Clarke’s side really do seem early promotion contenders this year.
The Gas aren’t going to find it smooth sailing all the way through, however, as they will face challenging teams on their travels.
Early transfer business does seem to be setting them up correctly for not only an instant League One return, though, but also future planning to maybe push Bristol Rovers further up the standings if they are to gain promotion this campaign.
They have got to be in and around the automatic spots next year with the signings they’ve made and also the experience within their ranks, or else it could well be considered a failure of a season.
Cambridge United
The return back to League Two has been pending for the last two or three years in Cambridge’s case.
They haven’t had the right set-up and approach to push on in League One, and somehow managed to escape relegation despite being destined to fall short two years straight. However, they’re back in League Two, but how do The Amber Army approach 2025/26?
Cambridge haven’t had the worst start to the transfer window as other teams across the division have thus far. The U’s have lost goalkeeper Stevens to Reading, which has been addressed through the transfer of Ben Hughes to replace the departing Stevens.
They have managed to sign Dominic Ball in a shrewd piece of business that will add massively to the quality in the middle, alongside the acquisition of Ben Knight to hopefully bolster their attack, as well as bringing other players with plenty of EFL experience in at The Abbey Stadium so far this summer.
However, with their recent defensive record not being majorly addressed, Cambridge may find it more challenging than they think with the level of competition running very high nowadays in League Two.
But, the belief is that The U’s will carry enough strength in their team to again rally for promotion, and automatic promotion at that. The peak of the table is where the United Army should be aiming for this year.
Crawley Town
Crawley endured a season of struggle last year, despite having some fresh, young energy in their ranks. At times it seemed as if they were going to remain in League One, but a tricky period condemned them to relegation in the end. After their relegation, though, how can Scott Lindsay prepare his team to be ready for next year?
The Reds have done vital work to secure players already in their ranks on longer contracts, however signings haven’t been on the frequent side.
Exciting goalkeeper Harvey Davies has signed on loan from Liverpool, and the intriguing deal for Danny Cashman may bring attacking succes for Crawley. They’ve also secured Jay Williams to brighten up their defensive quality.
However, Crawley may need further additions, as manager Lindsay has stated publicly, before The Reds are truly ready to give it a true crack and earn themselves a place back in the League One roster.
It’s going to be a tougher campaign for Crawley as they look to ready up for what feels like a play-off push in a bid to build on the experiences learnt from League One difficulty but also their prior experience of play-off success which got The Reds up into the promised land last time around.
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury had a dreadful, dreadful campaign last year. They ended up being the first of the four sides to have relegation confirmed, which was surprising as they carried a squad full of experience that should’ve kept them in League One last campaign.
However, where can Michael Appleton, who has plenty of promotion success, take The Shrews now they are back in League Two.
The statement addition of Will Boyle from Wrexham feels like it brings a rock into the defensive structure alongside former Bradford defender Sam Stubbs arriving at Shrewsbury, whilst the capture of versatile midfielder Tom Sang seems to be a move that adds some younger legs but also some real creativity into The Salop Side.
Dominic Gape has moved onto League Two rivals Colchester in what feels like a massive blow, but still it feels like The Shrews already have a side, plus further signings, that could well be league winners.
Appleton has tasted promotion success many times before across his wonderful managerial career. Can he hit another masterstroke with Shrewsbury and take them straight back up as league winners this season?
The feeling is the Salop should definitely have sights on top spot with the sheer class that they now possess.
Can These Sides Succeed In EFL League Two Next Season?
All four sides hold players of quality and experience, and there’s no doubt that we will most likely see these teams up at the top end of the League Two Table.
However, who do you think is going to have the best season following on from relegation back into the fourth tier?
Let us know in the comments.
