With only one real objector, League 2 clubs decided pretty early that they didn’t want to try and complete their season.
Table of Contents
Unsurprisingly, the club holding up matters was the one that is likely likely to suffer most from an early termination. Under a points-per-game system, Stevenage will be relegated to the National Conference unless a later hearing decides to inflict a further points penalty on Macclesfield Town for non-payment of wages. Barrow will likely be promoted from the National League if their administrators can reach agreement with the NFL.
Swindon Town are promoted as champions and promoted to League 1 alongside Crewe Alexandra and Plymouth Argyle.
Finishing the season early was the only financial option for most clubs in the EFL’s lowest tier but it doesn’t guarantee any security. Several clubs are still in real danger of going out of existence if they can’t play in front of spectators next season and those fears are not restricted to League 2.
It’s clear that the government thinks that football needs to fund itself but that probably won’t be possible unless the Premier League provides a bigger short-term handout to the footballing pyramid. Already, there is the prospect of hundreds of players finding themselves without a club after the summer and some of the less well-paid being forced to take a pay cut.
League 2 Play-Off Semi-Final Line-up
Colchester United v Exeter City
Northampton Town v Cheltenham Town
League 2 Play-Offs Outright Betting
 |
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter City | 9/4 | 9/4 | 9/4 |
| Cheltenham Town | 11/4 | 5/2 | 11/4 |
| Colchester United | 3/1 | 11/4 | 11/4 |
| Northampton Town | 5/2 | 3/1 | 3/1 |
(Betting Odds were taken from Betvictor, Unibet & Betway on June 10, 2020 at 14:30)
League 2 Play-Off Contenders
Exeter are non strangers to the play-offs.
The Grecians (a general 9/4) have lost in the final in two of the last three years and will be confident of making it through to Wembley again.
They were in fourth place when Covid-19 halted play in March but ceded that spot to Cheltenham having played a game more.
Like the other three teams, Matt Taylor’s team have been back in training since the start of June but it can’t be ideal to play such an important few matches without real preparation. They will looks to top scorer Ryan Bowman for inspiration and will be hoping to make it third-time lucky at Wembley at the end of the month if they get that far.
Cheltenham looked to be going nowhere fast halfway through the season but the January signing of Alfie May helped kick-start their campaign.
The diminutive former non-league striker struggled with the physicality of League 1 when with Doncaster but he’s found League 2 very much to his taste.
With Ryan Broom chipping in, the Robins have been much more potent, especially at Whaddon Road, and were probably the in-form team in the league before the pandemic struck. They can be backed at 11/4 with Betway.
It’s been a stop-start year for Colchester United (3/1 with Betvictor) but they must conquer their inconsistency if they are to win the play-offs.
The much-travelled Theo Robinson has been a shining light for John McGreal’s U’s, another surprise team in the play-offs.
Robinson is another of those strikers who has found his feet again in League 2 having struggled in the league above but Colchester’s morale may be fragile. They’ve already announced they are releasing captain Luke Prosser and leading striker Frank Nouble as well as several others among their first-team squad and are making their first appearance in the play-offs since 1998.
The Cobblers will be hoping that the experience of Andy Williams and Sam Hoskins helps propel them to League 1 but they are another side who have their bad days as well as good.
That said, there are usually goals in their matches and Keith Curle’s squad and staff have shown a level of unity in giving up their play-off bonuses to help the club’s long-term survival.
Northampton (a general 3/1) are making their fifth appearance in the play-offs in 22 years but don’t have a great record and were the lowest-placed team of the quartet which, in theory, has given them the toughest draw.
League 2 Play-Off Prediction
CHELTENHAM were all singing from the same hymn-sheet before the regular season was halted and now have a cutting edge.
Michael Duff is still learning his trade as a manager but he is Cheltenham through and through and they look a good bet to win the play-offs and make up for missing out on automatic promotion if they can match the physical attributes of their semi-final opponents.
SPORTS NEW CUSTOMER OFFER – Get up to £30 in Free Bets with Betway
Usage Terms
1. To activate the Free Bet:
a) a customer MUST place bets totalling the value of their 1st deposit (up to £30).
b) to count towards the play-through requirement:
single bets – must be placed at odds of 1.75 (3/4) or over
each-way bets – the place part of the bet must be placed at odds of 1.40 (2/5) or over
system bets – each selection must be placed at odds of 1.40 (2/5) or over
2. Upon qualification, a Free Bet to the value of the 1st deposit (up to £30) will be instantly made available on the customer’s Sports Account.
3. The Free Bet will be activated upon placement of qualifying bet/bets that reach the Free Bet value.
4. The Free Bet will expire 7 days after the 1st deposit is made on the Sports Account, irrespective of it being activated or not.
General Terms
1. The Free Bet offer is only permitted once per person, household, family, household address, email address, debit card number or shared computer environment (example: a library, workplace, fraternity, university or school). Betway Sports reserves the right to void all winnings and play should this term be disregarded.
2. The Free Bet offer is only valid to the person who registers the Sports Account and applies only to Sports bets. It cannot be redeemed and is not transferable to any other product offered by Betway (Casino, Poker, Bingo or Vegas).
3. The Free Bet offer may not be claimed in conjunction with ANY other promotions currently offered by Betway Sports and is subject to on-going review. Betway Sports reserves the right to amend this offer and its terms at any time, including the cancellation of the promotion.
4. Before any withdrawals are processed, your play will be reviewed for any breach of our terms and conditions and irregular playing patterns. If any terms of an offer/ promotion are breached or if there is evidence of bets/wagers placed by a customer or group of customers (for example, betting patterns on the same events/markets that are identified across multiple accounts), which due to a Free Bet, Bonus, enhanced payment, our Cash Out feature or any other offer/promotion results in guaranteed customer returns regardless of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, Betway reserves the right, at our sole discretion, to void Free Bet or Bonus stakes or void any stakes funded by the use of previously awarded Free Bets or Bonuses and withhold any withdrawals and/or confiscate all winning from such voided bets. Betway also reserves the right to reclaim the Free Bet or Bonus awarded from such offers and confiscate them.
5. Should your qualifying bet/bets be void, push or a non-runner, you must stake the returns on another qualifying bet/bets before a withdrawal will be granted.
6. Betway Sports considers all the above Terms to be fair and by your participation in the Free Bet offer you consent to abide by them. Should you require any clarification or advice regarding these Terms, please contact Customer Support
