Gab Sutton weekly: Wombles and Spireites look good for League Two play-off spots

In his latest exclusive column for Odds Now, English Football League expert Gab Sutton (@GabSutton) takes a closer look at the League Two play-off landscape.

We’re almost a third of the way through the League Two season and the table is finally beginning to take shape.

As always, though, the play-off scramble promises to be a hugely captivating facet of the division which should involve a wide array of teams right until the finale.

For now, I’m going to class Port Vale, Walsall, Notts County, Doncaster and MK Dons as part of the automatic promotion race instead, and I expect the latter three to pull clear — in which case, Vale and the Saddlers might have to settle for Play-Off spots.

In that scenario, there would be two remaining spaces in that top seven up for grabs, and I feel Crewe, Grimsby, Gillingham, Chesterfield, Wimbledon and Fleetwood will be in that conversation.

Technically, you’d have to include Bradford in the mix for now, but they currently look so imbalanced: Graham Alexander’s side had four or five players out of position in last weekend’s 1-0 loss at Fleetwood.

When the Bantams got to the Play-Offs in 2022-23, they were a midtable side between both boxes but had an incredible shot-stopper in Harry Lewis, as well as a prolific front-man in Andy Cook.

This time, however, I think Sam Walker is a good goalkeeper but not as good as Lewis was, while Cook — now 34 — is a couple of years older and it might be getting harder for him to carry this team in quite the same way.

So, it wouldn’t surprise me if Bradford actually finished in the bottom half, along with Barrow and Salford.

Bradford don't seem to possess the same quality in their ranks as seen in years gone by. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

After a summer of strong recruitment, Grimsby have done extremely well to find themselves in the top seven, despite having had a host of injuries, especially in midfield. Yet based on performance levels, I’d probably regard them as a top 10 side rather than top seven.

Boss David Artell’s former club, Crewe, are going well under Lee Bell, basing their second promotion tilt on a sturdy defensive trio of Jamie Knight-Lebel, Mickey Demetriou and Zac Williams, who are ably supported by wing-backs Ryan Cooney and Max Conway.

I’m not sure the Alex create quite enough chances to get into the top seven, though, and while I’ve been very impressed with the form of speedy forward Shilow Tracey, I don’t know how much they can rely on him based on a patchy fitness record.

Outside the five teams I mentioned at the top, I’m probably most confident that Chesterfield will make the top seven, despite last weekend’s shock 3-0 home defeat to Accrington Stanley.

The Spireites have dropped silly points at home this season, often in games they’ve dominated, which will be a real frustration for boss Paul Cook.

It’s partly because of absentees they have in key defensive areas. With the right additions in January, the quality they boast in attacking positions should shine through.

Gillingham boast similar quality on paper but it hasn’t shown on the pitch just yet, with Mark Bonner’s side having scored a meagre 16 goals in 15 league games, with their xG For closely aligned at 16.05.

I’d like to see the Gills show a little bit more attacking initiative, but it’ll help when they have something more closely resembling their best XI fit for a large period.

Chesterfield look strong despite a disappointing result last time out. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Wimbledon are down in 14^th, but it’s easy to forget that Johnnie Jackson’s side have at least two games in hand on every other side in the division — and three on most.

The Dons have enjoyed excellent home form so far this season, albeit having lost 1-0 to Grimsby in their previous Plough Lane outing, while recent away performances suggest they’re not far off eradicating their troubles on the road — they’re borderline top seven, too, on PPG.

And then there’s Fleetwood, an exciting, vibrant side who are in a decent position, considering they’ve had a youthful defence for much of the season so far due to the absence of Brendan Wiredu, Zech Medley and Rhys Bennett.

I think the Trawlermen have the potential to come into that top 10 and make a decent bid for the Play-Offs.

Ultimately, though, I would go with Chesterfield and Wimbledon to round off the top seven this season, with Fleetwood, Grimsby, Gillingham and Crewe just missing out.

Gab's recommended bets

Wimbledon to finish in the top seven – 4/6 (Bet365)
Chesterfield to finish in the top seven – 10/11 (general)