League One 2024/25 Preview: Part Three
League One 2024/25 Preview: Part Three
Exeter, Huddersfield, Orient, Lincoln
The countdown continues. It’s now less than two weeks to go everyone! Welcome along then to part three of our League One 2024/25 Preview series, where we’re speaking to fellow podcasters from every club across the division to give U’s fans a brief introduction to our rivals’ hopes, dreams and expectations for the season.
Not sure if you’ve read anywhere, but apparently this is one of the strongest renewals of the third tier in recent memory, with new additions both from the league above and below giving themselves reasons to believe they can challenge right at the very top end of this one.
Today’s preview is a good indicator of how strong mid-table could look like this year. Huddersfield under Michael Duff will be hoping to bounce straight back up into the Champ, while Lincoln will want to continue their blistering end of season form that saw them fall just of creeping into the play-offs. But the other two, Exeter and Orient, will both be convincing themselves that after strong mid-table finishes last term, with a successful summer they can stay well away from danger and replicate or improve on that. Not the obvious relegation candidates you might hope for as United fans.
Thanks again to everyone who took part in this preview. Subscribe below to make sure all of our preview posts land directly in your inbox.
Note: these answers have been collated over the past few weeks, so in certain places they may be slightly out of date.
Exeter City
By Sam Parks
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season?
2023-24 was a rollercoaster for Exeter City. From top of the league in October, to mass injuries and flirting with relegation in December, we turned it around and finished well. Big performances from Reece Cole and loanee Vil Sinisalo were certainly a big part behind the turnaround.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
The Grecians have been strong in the market. Tying up Demetri Mitchell for another year has been huge, and complimenting that with an experienced striker in Josh Magennis makes up for shortcomings in attack last season. Ryan Woods and Ed Francis bolster the midfield, alongside Crystal Palace loanee goalkeeper Joe Whitworth making a great addition.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
A strong left sided centre back, after Zak Jules moved onto Rotherham and Alex Hartridge also left for Wycombe.
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
Demi Mitchell. A top player who propelled us to a great start last season, but an ACL injury sadly ended his season last November. I also hope Sonny Cox kicks on too alongside a seasoned pro in Josh Magennis up front.
What’s the general opinion on the manager?
Despite some criticism during our poor run of form last winter, Caldwell has overcome this and now has a strong backing from the fans. Shrewd summer business has also delighted fans and restored confidence.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
Another strong mid table performance should be aimed for, with any higher being a plus.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
12th. We have a well rounded squad with young, dynamic players mixed with some more experienced professionals who understand both the club and League One.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
Promotion = Birmingham, Rotherham and Charlton.
Relegation = Mansfield, Shrewsbury, Burton, and one other…
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
We have the biggest standing terrance in the whole of English football - the Big Bank.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
4 (3 at home, 1 away).
Huddersfield Town
By Matt from And He Takes That Chance
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season?
You're about to trigger my 2023/24 post football season PTSD...
It was rubbish from the first minute to the last with mistakes aplenty all over the place. We stayed up gloriously in 2023, hung onto Warnock too long, then sacked him too quickly before a disastrous appointment in Darren Moore. He went and then we tried to change too much and brought in German Andre Breitenreiter who had to put up with diabolical mutiny not seen since The Black Pearl incident of the Caribbean in 1720.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
It feels solid. I feel like we're trying to build some sort of League 1 All Stars team by picking off some of the better players at this level. There's a lot to do on both ins and outs still so it'll be chaotic up until the end of the window I suspect, especially as Birmingham seem to circle our every move at the moment.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
If Duffman is to play his favoured 352, then maybe a left-footed centre back and a striker or two. A lot will also depend on if anyone bites the bullet on signing the likes of Michal Helik, Sorba Thomas, Lee Nicholls and Radinio Balker from us.
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
Having being relegated, I swore back in May that “I don’t want to see any of these dick heads in a Huddersfield shirt again!”. Obviously, I renewed my season card and got affronted when we started to offload said Dick Heads as all fickle fans do. One thing that has driven me mad for years and also triggered my Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) is that we’ve not had a player who can pass the ball for what must be half a decade. Signing Herbie Kane and Antony Evans should be the perfect antidote to my behavioural issues and allow my yin and yang to balance out – unless they’re crap then it’ll be pure rage all season.
What’s the general opinion on the manager?
Michael Duff. He’s new but we know about him from his spell at Barnsley. He seems to fit us hand in glove and has spoken well so far. I’m quite excited to see what he can bring to the club.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
One where we win some games. The last 5 or 6 years has been utterly abject barring the 2021/22 season and we’re in the top 5 clubs in the 92 for the most losses over that period. A season where we win say 15-20 games minimum would lift the gloom a lot and put some smiles back on dour Yorkshire faces.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
There’s a lot to sort out still at the club and there has been a losing culture for too long. I don’t think you can fix this overnight but I expect us to finish 5th or 6th and maybe taste defeat in the playoffs. The year after could perhaps be our year providing we don’t do Huddersfield type things. We’ve not won automatic promotion in 41 years. The Pons-Brooks comet passed earth the other day for the first time in 70 odd years. It’d be nice if we could get an automatic promotion again before it comes back around.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
It’s really difficult to tell at this stage. There are some savvy operators at this level like Peterborough, Rotherham and Lincoln who I’m sure will all bother the top 6 at some stage. Birmingham and Bolton I would probably make favourites for the top 2 at this stage and maybe we’ll see a repeat of Steve Evans running down the touchline at Wembley with his kecks around his ankles. I’m struggling to predict the bottom 4 and these would be very lazy early guesses with absolutely no substance but I’ll throw in Burton, Mansfield, Crawley and let’s just say Shrewsbury for now. I reserve the right to change my mind once I’ve seen everyone play!
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
It’s alright. It’s set against a nice woodland backdrop on one side and then some rough industrial gas works on the other. It’s a steady walk from the train station although it does have some decent pubs up there so it’s probably more of a stagger. The away end is now split between home and away fans and you’ll get an allocation of around 2200. Like at every ground there are some scrotes close to the barriers who think they’d fancy their chances with Oleksander Usyk until the barrier comes down, but overall Huddersfield fans are quite friendly, self-deprecating and jovial. If you’re ok, we’re ok.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
No idea tbh. I don’t know a lot about your side apart from that we all absolutely love Elias “aint nobody… Like” Kachunga and that your away kit is PHENOMENAL. If you’re in the bottom 6 as the bookies have you pegged then we need to target 6 points if we want to be serious this term. However, if you’re half decent then I don’t think 4 would be a bad return either. Hoping to make my first appearance to your ground to tick it off the list, I think the last time I had the opportunity to go you had Lionel Perez in goal. What a guy he was.
Leyton Orient
By Steve from Orient Outlook
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season?
The season was beyond our expectations in that it was a very comfortable season - I’d even go as far to say we were a little disappointed with the 11th placed finish, however our injury list was like nothing we’ve ever seen before, so taking that into consideration it was a very good season.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
It’s been a little slower than what we’d like, but it’s about quality and not quantity and we still have plenty of time. The return of Charlie Kelman on loan from QPR is a welcome addition, alongside another loan forward signing in ex-youth player Teddy Perkins from Leeds United. In addition to this, Wellens has brought in one of his ex-players at Swindon, Jaiyesimi, on a 2 year deal who has looked good and we have brought in 21-year-old midfielder Lewis Warrington on a 2 year deal from Everton who made his Premier League debut last season.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
Undoubtedly a goalkeeper, we’re in urgent need of one. Lots of hope that former keeper Lawrence Vigouroux will return from Burnley, but we just can’t see it happening.
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
Really looking forward to seeing Dan Agyei and Jordan Graham having full seasons for us this year after having last season ruined by injury. Ollie O’Neil came in in January and looked fantastic, a very exciting player, and recent signing Lewis Warrington could be huge in addition to Ethan Galbraith who was our player of the season last year.
What’s the general opinion on the manager?
Everyone at the O’s loves Super Richie Wellens.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
The fanbase are split on this one. Some are expecting a bigger promotion push than last season, some think we could get dragged into a relegation battle. Looking at the clubs who have come into the division alongside the clubs who didn’t go up last season, League One is looking very tough.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
I think we’ll finish 10th, building on last season, but only just.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
All 3 clubs who came down look capable of a push for promotion, and I think you’d have to seriously look at yourself if you don’t think Wrexham will be challenging. In terms of relegation Crawley stand out, but other than that absolutely no idea, but that’s the beauty of football.
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
We have flats on every corner of the ground.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
Given we took 6 points off Cambridge last season I’d like to think we could do the same again, but bear in mind both performances last season against the U’s saw two of our strongest performances.
Lincoln City
By Gary from The Stacey West Blog
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season
It was transitional. We started really well, but in early September, we lost three of our four strikers to injury – the only one we had left was a teenager who had made a single appearance on loan at Brackley the season before.
Then our manager started making some controversial statements post-game, including hanging Danny Mandroiu out to dry after a red card. Kennedy was sacked, the first manager dismissed by Lincoln since 2014.
After that, we were bloody awesome. As Cambridge fans know too well, we went on a three-game run where we won 5-1, 6-0 and 5-0. We climbed from nowhere into the top six, and only missed out on a place there on the final day, when Pompey beat us.
We had an amazing moment during that game. Pompey went 2-0 up with minutes to spare, and the entire Imps support started applauding the team. It was spine-tingling, the appreciation of effort and coming so close. That moment will stay with me forever.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
Solid. We still have a bit to do at the back, but we’re signing permanent players, and some with good experience. I like the captures of Tom Bayliss and JJ McKiernan, both have the qualities to succeed at this level. Conor McGrandles is a great midfielder for L1 so it’s nice to have him back.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
Probably centre backs. We let one go, TJ Eyoma, and missed out on signing former loanee Alex Mitchell. If we’re playing three at the back, we definitely need two more.
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
Ben House. He’s a top striker for the level, he works hard and can grab goals, but his season was ruined by injury. It’ll be nice to see him back with a full pre-season behind him.
What’s the general opinion of the manager?
If I came home and found him in bed with the wife, I’d make him a sandwich for when he’d finished. Bacon too. Even using the last of the bacon.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
I think we have to be realistic – the teams we’ve lost are not as good as the teams we’ve gained. All three of those coming down should challenge, two of those coming up will do the same. There’s a host of clubs that will be better than last season, including Reading, Charlton and Wigan. I’d love us to be seventh again, but top ten would be a big success.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
11th, because I class top ten as a success and this summer, I've been wrong about pretty much everything else. In fairness, I think 11th because a lot of clubs are spending big. Now we have a solid government, the regulator will come in and wages will be restricted over the coming seasons. This is boom or bust for a lot of clubs, and any League One side that lives sustainably will be a success by finishing 20th or higher.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
It’s too early to be sure, but I’ve got Crawley, Mansfield, Stevenage and Shrewsbury to go down. Up top, it’s hard to see beyond Bolton and Birmingham. In the play-offs? It’s going to be a dogfight, but Peterborough, Huddersfield, Charlton and Rotherham get my vote.
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
The away stand is named The Stacey West stand, after the two Lincoln supporters who passed away in the Bradford Fire.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
I’m afraid if I expect Lincoln to finish tenth, then it has to be six. However, my expectation is four – always draw away and win at home.