We’re now five games into the new Sky Bet League One season and the league table is rapidly starting to take shape. Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town were amongst the antepost favourites to win the title in the third tier and both have got their respective campaigns off to a fairly decent start.
Sheffield Wednesday finished fourth last season before losing to Sunderland in the play-off semi-finals. The Owls have been one of the league’s lowest spenders this summer but have made a few shrewd acquisitions. Defenders, Michael Ihiekwe and Ben Heneghan, were drafted in from Rotherham and AFC Wimbledon respectively to shore up the defence, whilst David Stockdale has already established himself as first-choice goalkeeper. The addition of Welsh international midfielder Will Vaulks has left Owls boss Darren Moore with an embarrassment of riches in midfield. Vaulks, Barry Bannan and George Byers, arguably make up the league’s strongest central midfield.
Ipswich Town have got their season off to a flying start. Having started the campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Bolton Wanderers, the Tractor Boys have won all four subsequent matches to sit on top of the league with 13 points from a possible 15. Betfair have already halved the odds on an Ipswich Town title win from 5/1 to 5/2 in the space of three weeks.
Ipswich Town ended the 2021/22 season in eleventh position but there has been an air of optimism at Portman Road since the appointment of Kieran McKenna in December. The former Manchester United coach arrived in East Anglia with a big reputation and worked under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Ragnick in his time at Old Trafford.
Marcus Harness signed for Ipswich Town from fellow League One side, Portsmouth, earlier this summer and the transfer is already looking like a smart move for the title favourites. Harness has scored three goals in his first five matches for Ipswich Town.
Of the three sides relegated from the Sky Bet Championship, Peterborough United, look most likely to bounce straight back. Posh fans would’ve feared the worst as they fell 2-0 behind at Cheltenham in their opening fixture but Grant McCann’s side scored three second-half goals to claim a thrilling 3-2 win. Peterborough United currently sit just a point behind Ipswich Town in second place having won four of their five matches, the highlight of which was a 2-0 win over promotion rivals, Sheffield Wednesday.
Having finished third last season, MK Dons were expected to make a strong push for promotion in 2022/23. However, it was always felt that the loss of Scott Twine and Harry Darling could prove difficult to overcome. MK Dons title odds have drifted from 11/2 to 20/1 having won just one of their first five league games.
League One title odds
5/2: Ipswich Town
10/3: Sheffield Wednesday
6/1: Peterborough United
15/2: Derby County
10/1: Portsmouth
14/1: Bolton Wanderers
19/1: Barnsley, Plymouth Argyle
20/1: MK Dons
22/1: Charlton Athletic
25/1: Wycombe Wanderers
30/1: Oxford United
If you are looking to place an outright bet on League One, be sure to look for a bookmaker offering a free first bet.
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