The title race in Sky Bet League Two is wide open with a number of teams holding aspirations of finishing top. Sporting Life’s Tom Carnduff previews the latest round of games.
Consistency has been a feature of the Lincoln City side in recent weeks, unfortunately that has meant they’ve seen four draws in a row. The good news for the Imps is that they remain top of the League Two table. They sit two points ahead of second, alongside holding a game in-hand.
This week sees them take on a Morecambe side who have seen back-to-back victories. Both of those coming in away games at Port Vale and Oldham, enough to move them six points clear of the relegation zone.
In hot pursuit is the in-form Bury. Ryan Lowe’s side are currently enjoying an eleven-game unbeaten run in all competitions – which includes results against fellow promotion hopefuls Lincoln, MK Dons, Forest Green and Exeter.
Oldham are up next. Paul Scholes has had mixed fortunes in his short time in charge but they still sit within reaching distance of the play-offs.
Mansfield still occupy third, despite back-to-back defeats. Their home form has been one of many positives this season and they’ll hope it can continue against Forest Green. Rovers hold automatic promotion ambitions themselves and victory would put them one point behind Saturday’s opponents. A win for the hosts though would see a bit of a gap start to open up.
The one team in between Forest Green and Mansfield is MK Dons. They’ve recovered following a tough run of results and are moving back towards the top-three.
Paul Tisdale’s side have now won consecutive games, after losing the two games prior, and now sit less than a win away from the automatic spots. Milton Keynes welcome Newport this weekend. County captured the headlines with FA Cup heroics this season and are among a number of teams who will believe they can reach the top-seven.
Two of the division’s promotion-chasers meet as Colchester host Carlisle. A single point separates the duo heading into the encounter at the JobServe Community Stadium. United boast one of the best away records in England’s fourth tier. They’ve picked up points in ten of their 16 games on the road, only Forest Green and Lincoln can say they have more.
Both have been fairly similar in form over the past five games though which sets this up to be a game that could go either way.
Exeter will be looking to capitalise on the fact that both of the teams above them come up against each other when they face Crewe. Alex are the form side in the division at the moment though which will make it an incredibly difficult game. They’re now unbeaten in seven league games.
Tranmere are another one of those looking to capitalise and continue their quest for back-to-back promotions. Rovers take on bottom-club Notts County this week. Neal Ardley’s side saw their three-game unbeaten run come to an end last time out, but the points gained there have moved them to within touching distance of safety.
Macclesfield are another side looking for safety and this week takes them to Crawley, who are nine points ahead of them in the standings. Sol Campbell’s side have picked up points in their last two games and are now just a point away from moving out of the relegation zone.
Yeovil are the side that Macclesfield and Notts County are looking to overtake. They’ve lost their last six, although they did win consecutive games before that run. Cambridge are their next opponent and they were beaten last time out at Cheltenham. Town’s home form could be better this season, although we see a lot of teams start to pull out results at this point in the campaign.
Cheltenham will look to build on that win in their last game as they host Port Vale. Their home form has been good with three wins in a row. Vale can pick up points away though. Just three of their last ten away in all competitions have ended in defeat.
Stevenage could end the weekend a single point off the play-offs and Dino Maamria’s side take on Northampton on Saturday. Town have been posting a lot of draws this season. Their 15 is the highest in the division, although it’s a positive that they still pick up points in the majority of their games.
Grimsby and Swindon have been catching the eye with a number of positive results in recent weeks. Grimsby have won their last four, while Swindon have seen three of their last four end with all three points.
The two meet at the Energy Check County Ground in what promises to be a highly-entertaining game.
Swindon are the favourites with Sky Bet, but the form of both teams means that this one is going to be a contest that is too difficult to call.
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