The fight to stay in League Two is truly alive. With four sides currently scrapping for their place in the fourth tier of English football. There are still plenty of fixtures between the quartet that could proved decisive for the final outcome.
With Doncaster Rovers securing 11 points out of the last available 18, Grant McCann’s side appear to have distanced themselves from any relegation fears going into their final 11 fixtures. Sat six points behind the South Yorkshire outfit are David Artell’s Grimsby Town.
The Mariners recently secured their first victory of 2024 – where Harvey Rodgers’ effort was enough to claim victory over their relegation rivals Forest Green Rovers. That win, as well as Grimsby’s recent point at Wimbledon has moved the North Lincolnshire outfit seven points ahead of Steve Cotterill’s side.
Despite this, it has been a dismal 2024 at Blundell Park.
Having conceded more than five goals on home soil on three separate occasions since the turn of the year as well as leaving it until March to find their first victory, fears of another relegation to the fifth tier have certainly crossed the minds of many Mariners.
Since their 5-1 loss to Doncaster Rovers, head coach David Artell has been vocal about having had an open discussion with the players and coaching staff. Since this heavy defeat, his side appear to have solidified: conceding only one goal in their last three while also keeping consecutive clean sheets in their last two.
Vital to this has been a change in both approach and formation. A large part of Grimsby’s woes has been down to the expansive, possession-based approach David Artell immediately tried to implement despite worries of players not being suited towards his preferred style.
Grimsby have resorted to basics in their last three – reverting to a 5-3-2 formation with focus on pressing from the front. This has helped the club to their first clean consecutive clean sheets in over a year while also gaining five points in the process.
Saturday will see Artell’s men travel to Sutton United, who sit at the foot of the table at the time of writing. Grimsby are also due to play Colchester in the closing stages of the season, who sit narrowly below them.
Mariners fans will be very attentive to these fixtures; however, with MK Dons, Gillingham, Wrexham and Barrow all due after their trip to South London, this could be a very testing period for their survival credentials – adding further importance to their fixture against Sutton United.
With the play-off race remaining very open, it is difficult to determine what fixtures will be meaningful for the opposition at the time of writing. Grimsby are set to host Swindon Town, Bradford City and Newport County while also making the journeys to Harrogate Town, Crawley Town and Crewe Alexandra.
It is very possible that all of these fixtures aside from Crewe could very much be out of play-off contention by that time, which could serve in David Artell’s favour.
On the other hand, Forest Green Rovers appear to have the harshest of run-ins.
With appeared improvement alongside the appointment of Steve Cotterill, Rovers claimed victory over Tranmere and promotion-chasing Barrow, while also unlucky to not take all three points against Wrexham after Paul Mullin equalised at the death.
If losing to their relegation rivals from Lincolnshire last weekend was not already disheartening enough, fans will be weary of their remaining fixtures in which a majority of their opposition are part of the promotion-chasing pack.
With relegation rivals Sutton United still to play, Doncaster Rovers will also be attentive to their fixture with Forest Green to waive away any fears of a relegation scrap.
The Gloucestershire outfit are yet to play all five of the automatic promotion chasing clubs – Stockport County, MK Dons, Crewe Alexandra, Mansfield Town and Wrexham. On top of this, their next fixture sees the club host Walsall, who currently occupy sixth place after winning their last five league outings.
The importance of their last two fixtures in terms of the opposition is hard to determine, facing Morecambe and Notts County who both remain in the conversation for play-offs at the time of writing.
Overall, Forest Green Rovers have a very frightening set of fixtures but recent home form has shown Cotterill’s men are capable of putting out results.
After reaching high-after-high in recent years, Sutton have never quite got going this season.
Occupying the relegation zone for a large majority of the season, club legend Matt Gray departed the club leaving former Cardiff City coach Steve Morrison to pick up the pieces and strive a bid to stay for a fourth season in the Football League.
Since Morrison’s appointment in January, Sutton have only won one league fixture but have also pulled out some handy draws against the likes of Mansfield, Barrow and Walsall.
One notable theme with Sutton is that Morrison’s side rarely lose by more than one goal which would suggest that the South London side are not necessarily far away from being able to get a result; however, with 20 league defeats, it is fair to say that Sutton are where they are for a reason.
Their fixtures appear steady in terms of difficulty of opposition, but in terms of final day fixtures they possibly have the most to be worried about out of the four.
With Mike Williamson’s MK Dons team due to host Sutton United on the final day, with the automatic promotion race as close as it is – it is extremely feasible that MK Dons could be playing against Morrison’s side with the prospect of promotion to League One on the line.
Alongside this, Sutton will face two of their direct rivals in Grimsby Town and Forest Green Rovers while also welcoming automatic-chasing Stockport County to Gander Green Lane. Outside of these fixtures, the U’s have a run of fixtures against Accrington, Swindon and Salford who appear to be playing for pride in the closing stages of the campaign – which could work in their favour.
On the whole, Sutton’s fixtures look preferable but the final day could prove a tall order if it is to come down to that. In addition to this, a six point gap could be a big mountain to climb for a side that has remained in the relegation zone for long periods of the season.
Since the Cowley’s appointment, many neutrals expected more from Colchester with their tenure with the U’s being simply solid but unspectacular.
With one win, six draws and one loss since the brothers’ appointment, it is hard to determine Colchester’s survival credentials in the closing stages of the fourth tier.
The Essex club are set to play Stockport, Wrexham, Crewe, Mansfield, Walsall and Barrow out of the promotion pack – as well as Notts and Crawley who are still within reach of the League Two play-offs.
Similar to Sutton, Colchester’s final day could hold consequences at both ends of the table, with Crewe Alexandra making the trip to the Jobserve Community Stadium on the cloing day. That fixture could very much claim promotion against Cowley’s men.
With every fixture currently vital for all clubs at the foot of the table, Colchester will be turning attentions to their fixtures against Doncaster Rovers and Tranmere Rovers, the latter now look to have done enough to secure safety and Doncaster possibly could view this as an opportunity to scave any remaining relegation fears at the expense of the U’s.
While five points clear of Forest Green, their goal difference similarly looks unreachable from a Forest Green or Sutton perspective. The Essex outfit boasting a goal difference 13 goals greater than their rivals.
It is fair to say that statistically, performances have looked better on the whole since Cowley’s appointment. but frailties can be suggested in both the attacking and defensive compartments throughout their drawn fixtures.
With a vital game in the closing stages of the season against Grimsby Town, it is fair to say that similar to Sutton, Danny Cowley will want to avoid his side being in the relegation conversation on the final day with the pending visit of Crewe Alexandra.
While Grimsby and Colchester look very favourable to ensure survival with high point gaps over Forest Green and Sutton at the time of writing, there are still plenty of fixtures between the quartet to change that.
The final day could be difficult for all involved if it is to come down to it, with Sutton and Colchester’s fixtures posing the possibility of consequences at either end of the table.
Colchester must start winning games soon, the draws can hold positives but since Forest Green’s recent resurgence and Grimsby Town’s three-game upturn seeing The Mariners overtake them, the pressure to begin winning games is ever-growing.
There is little room for error with all clubs posing their own different sets of fixtures, strengths and weaknesses.Forest Green and Sutton look to have a huge mountain to climb, but a few wins could truly upset the apple cart in the closing stages of the season.
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