As we know the Football League season is a long and gruelling 48 games, however, what would the table look like if it was based on what we’ve seen so far in 2023?
Well, worry not, as in this piece we’re going to take a look at the 2023 League Two table and compare its standings to the real thing.
For starters, let’s familiarise ourselves with what the current League Two table looks like.
https://twitter.com/SkyBetLeagueTwo/status/1639980425253646337
With just over a month of football still to play, the tables shaping up for a close battle in the promotion and relegation races. However, if we take a look at the League Two table so far in 2023, it paints an interesting picture to the real thing.
https://twitter.com/DeanMcMackin/status/1640679473669369858
Gillingham’s Rebound
First things first, what pops out will be Gillingham sitting at the top. The Gills had a horrid start to the season, but a solid January transfer window after American Brad Galinson acquired a majority shareholding in the club back in December 2022, has sparked a new light inside them.
To give other teams the benefit of the doubt, Gillingham has played the most games during this timespan, however with nine wins, this run of form has taken them out of a relegation fight for the season.
The Top Teams
The next interesting statistic in this table is the placing of the three automation promotion teams. Current leaders Leyton Orient and third-place Stevenage can be both found outside of the playoff places, with the two teams also narrowly avoiding a negative goal difference.
With both teams having identical strong starts to the season, their beginning of 2023 has been less than ideal, as they must be careful to not let their hard work slip and be caught down by…
The Chasers
With the top three teams having shaky starts to the year, they won’t be glad to hear that all four current playoff teams are having fantastic runs in 2023.
In particular Carlisle, Stockport and Salford all boost eight wins so far in the year, as they chase down the automatic promotion places. With six points separating third to seventh, no position is safe down the final stretch.
On another note, Salford has been a team full of action this year, with 50 goal involvements during their 15 games. The Ammies have scored more goals than anybody in this time, while also tied for third in goals conceded.
A Year to Forget For the Robins
With new management in place, Jody Morris and his men have potentially taken themselves out of the chance for promotion, as they sit 20th in the 2023 table. For whatever reason, Scott Lindsey escaped Swindon while sitting in the play-off places and with just three wins during this year, he clearly knew something we didn’t.
At the end of the day, this poor run of form may have wasted Swindon’s season. However, if they can adjust some things in the Summer and keep Morris in town, maybe they can get themselves back up the leagues.
The Fight For Survival
When in a relegation fight, any point is helpful for survival, so seeing the current form helps paint the picture of what might happen. As things stand, Rochdale and Hartlepool sit in the bottom two places, but in the 2023 table, AFC Wimbledon is the basement team.
While Colchester and Harrogate currently round out the safety spots in the league, both teams have had reasonable starts to 2023. This may bode unwell for the current bottom two, with the Pools and Dale needing to beat the statistics and turn around their form if they want to remain in the Football League.