Claire Gibson gives her views on what has been a remarkable League One season with only the Play-Off Final waiting to be decided.
There is a famous adage that ‘Football is a funny old game’ and for the past nine months League One has proved no exception. Who would have thought that Norwich City would go on to be league champions after a 7-1 drubbing at home on the opening day of the season? Or that former Premiership giants Leeds United would squander a 15 point lead at the top of the table, only to secure automatic promotion on the final day of the season.
Huddersfield Town have also finally started to fulfil their potential boasting an impressive home record of just a solitary defeat and notching up 100 goals in all competitions for the season.
Southampton have fought back from the brink of despair and had it not been for the 10 point penalty they incurred for entering administration they would have been battling it out in the play-offs.
Perhaps the disappointment of the division would have to be MK Dons. The return of former manger Paul Ince promised so much, but a disastrous end to the season has seen them finish a whopping 20 points of the play-off places.
In the bottom half of the table Exeter City half-arguably punched above their weight to preserve their League One status, whilst Tranmere Rovers have had a remarkable turnaround of their season ensuring survival after a disastrous run of results in the early stages of the season under former manger and ex-Liverpool ace John Barnes.
Gillingham will no doubt consider themselves extremely unfortunate to be relegated with a number of results going against them on the final day of the season to condemn them to life in League 2. However, losing their final match against already relegated Wycombe Wanderers suggests they can have few complaints.
Meanwhile, Stockport County will be no doubt glad the season is finally over after enduring a miserable time both on and off the pitch.
In terms of individual performances, Ricky Lambert and Jermaine Beckford have once again proved themselves to be consistent scorers at this level. Unproven youngster Jordan Rhodes has made his mark, whilst the experienced Billy Paynter has undoubtedly had his best season to date.
However, there have also been noticeable contributions from three former non-league strikers. Charlie Austin of Swindon, Steve Morrison of Millwall and Lee Novak of Huddersfield have all found the net on a regular basis for their promotion-chasing sides, and could yet play a crucial role in determining who will be promoted via the play-offs.
Whilst the likes of Norwich and Leeds have gained promotion, the relegation of Sheffield Wednesday from the Championship will ensure that the rest of League One have at least one big-name fixture to look forward to next season.