League Two Lineup 2016/2017 Complete

Last updated : 30 May 2016 By Jim Bonner

AFC Wimbledon's victory over Plymouth Argyle in the League Two play-off final has now confirmed the 24 teams set to play in the fourth tier of English football for the 2016/2017 season, but how strong will Portsmouth's opposition be as the club vies for promotion at the fourth time of asking?

Plymouth may have just lost on their big day out (and many Pompey fans are taking delight in their misery after their fans' behaviour after the play-off semi-finals) but they will be one of the favourites to win League Two next season.

The Pilgrims have already tied prized possession Graham Carey down to a new contract and should be able to keep most of their squad together, as well as some additions. They could well be Pompey's main promotion rivals next season.

As for the teams already in the division that might make an impression next season, Notts County and Leyton Orient could be a threat given that the former will have John Sheridan (someone who knows League Two very well) at the helm and the latter have one of the best squads in the division. However, the ownership issues at both of these clubs isn't crystal clear by any means and they would have to resolve them if they were to seriously challenge at the top.

Overachievers Accrington Stanley would be hard pressed to repeat their success next season now they've been deprived of key players, namely Josh Windass. On the other hand, Cambridge and Luton underachieved this season and will be expected to come back stronger in 2016/2017. Wycombe should also mount a challenge as they always do.

As for the teams coming down from League One, Crewe Alexandra and Colchester United were woeful last season and given that the gap between the bottom two divisions isn't that large, they can't be expected to do too much next season. Yeovil and Crawley are evidence of that if this campaign is anything to go by.

Blackpool are still an absolute basket case given what the Oyston's have done to them. Pompey fans can totally relate to what has happened to such a famous club in the past few years and as football fans we can only hope the Tangerine Knights can buy that club and get it back on its feet. As it stands, they are more likely to suffer a third straight relegation.

Doncaster Rovers are a team that really shouldn't have gone down given their resources and their squad. Darren Ferguson remains in charge for now but even if he starts badly, they should be able to attract a quality replacement as well as some good League Two players over the summer. Out of the four teams that have been relegated, Donny should be the biggest threat.

However, the greater threats could come from the two teams that have just been promoted from the National League. Bristol Rovers have shown what momentume can do for a team and Cheltenham also have an astute manager in Gary Johnson to go with their non-league championship. Grimsby are also a household Football League name and will be tipped to do quite well.

The other teams in the division seem to be also-rans but these are the teams that may well cause Pompey the biggest problems judging by the evidence of this season. Paul Cook simply must improve the squad in the attacking areas to break these teams down.

The bottom line, though, is that there are no other clubs in League Two that are anywhere near the size of Portsmouth and now that the manager has a team in place and foundations to build on, there are simply no excuses for not getting promoted in May 2017.

League Two Teams 2016/2017

Accrington Stanley

Barnet

Blackpool

Cambridge United

Carlisle United

Cheltenham Town

Colchester United

Crawley Town

Crewe Alexandra

Doncaster Rovers

Exeter City

Grimsby Town

Hartlepool United

Leyton Orient

Luton Town

Mansfield Town

Morecambe

Newport County

Notts County

Plymouth Argyle

Portsmouth

Stevenage

Wycombe Wanderers

Yeovil Town