• Replacing the four promoted and three relegated teams from last season are Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wigan Athletic, Swindon Town, Crewe Alexandra, Plymouth Argyle and Northampton Town.

 

• Pre-season managerial changes have occurred at Wigan Athletic.

 

 

Odds: (Coral)

 

Sunderland 13/2f

Portsmouth 8/1

Charlton Athletic 10/1

Oxford United 10/1

Peterborough United 10/1

Ipswich Town 11/1

Hull City 14/1

Fleetwood Town16/1

Wigan Athletic 16/1

Blackpool 20/1

Bristol Rovers 20/1

Doncaster Rovers 20/1

Burton Albion 25/1

Lincoln City 25/1

Swindon Town 25/1

Crewe Alexandra 33/1

Gillingham 33/1

MK Dons 33/1

Shrewsbury Town 33/1

Plymouth Argyle 40/1

Accrington Stanley 50/1

Northampton Town 50/1

AFC Wimbledon 80/1

Rochdale 100/1

 

 

Any early predicitons?

Opening Fixtures

 

Accrington Stanley v Peterborough United

Crewe Alexandra v Charlton Athletic

Doncaster Rovers v Milton Keynes Dons

Fleetwood Town v Burton Albion

Gillingham v Hull City

Ipswich Town v Wigan Athletic

Lincoln City v Oxford United

Northampton Town v AFC Wimbledon

Plymouth Argyle v Blackpool

Portsmouth v Shrewsbury Town

Sunderland v Bristol Rovers

Swindon Town v Rochdale

 

Haven't Sunderland fans been through enough these past years!

Wigan Athletic have been given verbal permission from the EFL to start the league season under administration.

 

The Latics were deducted 12 points by the English Football League when they were placed in administration in July, which saw them relegated to League One.

 

Administrators Begbies Traynor set a deadline of 31 August for the club to be sold but that has now passed.

 

Wigan, who are set to appoint John Sheridan as manager, start the season with a trip to Ipswich Town on Sunday.

Ten EFL Clubs will be permitted to admit spectators into Sky Bet League matches this weekend as part of the ongoing ‘return of fans’ pilot programme.

 

As per the current guidance, crowds will be capped at a capacity of 1,000 as discussions continue with the Government about return for supporters’ in greater numbers post October 1, 2020.

 

The move to extend the programme follows a successful pilot staged at Cambridge United last week when fans were in attendance at a professional football match for the first time since March.

 

The confirmed games for the weekend of 19/20 September, 2020 are as follows:

 

League One

Charlton Athletic v Doncaster Rovers

Blackpool v Swindon Town

Shrewsbury Town v Northampton Town

Ipswich Town take the lead to a own goal against Bristol Rovers, 1-0.

Plymouth pull back from 4-2 down to make it 4-4 against AFC Wimbledon.

Burton make it 2-1 to them against Accrington Stanley from a goal by John Brayford.

It looks like Wigan are on the verge of being taken over. The prospective owners have agreed to pay enough of the outstanding debts to avoid a further points deduction.

It's been 18 years since their formation but AFC Wimbledon will finally be playing a home game at Plough Lane tonight.

Sad that the fans won't be able to be there physically, I am sure many will be there in spirit and look forward to normality and able to attend the games.

Charlton's legal department have been issued with a notice to order owner Thomas Sandgaard to "leave the club".

 

In the latest twist in a complicated saga that has been ongoing for almost six months, Lex Dominus, the company owned by Manchester-based businessman Paul Elliott, has been granted ownership of East Street Investments, which had been the holding company for Charlton.

 

There has been confusion surrounding the sale of ESI to Elliott on 25 May, which has been the subject of a number of court cases.

 

Former ESI majority shareholder Tahnoon Nimer sold Charlton direct to Sandgaard on 25 September after Elliott had failed the EFL's Owners and Directors' Test.

 

However, Elliott has claimed this contravened a court injunction placed on Nimer that prohibited ESI's sale until his ownership status had been resolved. As Charlton was ESI's only asset at the time

John Sheridan has been appointed to Swindon as manager. He left Wigan Athletic to replace Richie Wellens who took over at Salford.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54930630

Ben Garner has been sacked by Bristol Rovers following yesterday's 4-1 defeat against Fleetwood Town.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54947377

Paul Tisdale has been appointed to succeed Ben Garner at Bristol Rovers.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54988926

Shrewsbury have sacked Sam Ricketts and assistant Dean Whitehead.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55073711

Edited November 25, 20204 yr by Flatcap

Steve Cotterill has been named as Shrewsbury boss.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55101053

Sunderland part company with Phil Parkinson.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55123992

 

Only two points off the play offs with a game in hand.

Sunderland have appointed Lee Johnson as head coach.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55191991

He’s a good manager imo, not sure how he’ll get on up there though far from home)!