WE asked Mark O’Haire (@MarkOHaire) and Ben Levene (@BenLevene96) to enter their bulging stats bibles to deliver us the best ante-post stats and trends ahead of the new League Two season.
WLB Season Preview 2018/19 | League Two: Stats & Trends
League Winners (since 2005/06)
- Average price – 15/1.
- Average position finished year previously – 9th (two were relegated clubs, one was promoted).
- 6 (46%) were priced up at 16/1 or bigger.
- Only 5/18 (28%) winners this century were priced up at single-figure odds with 6 (33%) chalked up at 20/1 or bigger.
Favourites (since 2005/06)
- Average finishing position – 6th.
- 4 (31%) finished outside the top-seven.
- Portsmouth (2016/17) and Notts County (2009/10) are the only winning favourites this century.
- 9 (50%) of the last 18 favourites this century have won promotion with 7 (39%) achieving automatic promotion although 2 (11%) finished in the bottom-half.
Latest Podcast: Gambla Podcast 174 - WeLoveBetting Weekend Preview
Relegated Clubs (since 2005/06)
- Relegated clubs have won the League Two twice (15%) in 13 seasons.
- 10 (19%) clubs won promotion straight back to League One though only 12 (23%) teams finished in the top-seven.
- Half (50%) of the relegated teams finished in the bottom-half with 3 (6%) suffering back-to-back relegations.
- Average finishing position of a relegated club – 12th.
Promoted Clubs (since 2005/06)
- Average finishing position of a promoted club – 13th.
- Only 1 promoted clubs has won League Two in their first campaign back in the Football League although 5 (19%) have won promotion.
- Both promoted clubs have survived in every League Two season in the modern era.
- Promoted sides have made the top-seven on 6 (23%) occasions with 10 (38%) finishing in the top-half.
Unsuccessful Play-Off Campaigns (since 2005/06)
- The average finish of a losing play-off finalist is 9th – 2 (15%) won automatic promotion (once as champions) although 3 of the last 4 reached the top-seven again.
- The average finishing position of a side involved in an unsuccessful play-off campaign is 9th.
- 3 (23%) titles were won by a side involved in an unsuccessful play-off campaign with 9/39 (23%) wining automatic promotion as 18 (46%) again finished in the top-seven – only 13 (33%) finished in the bottom-half.
Any Other Business (since 2005/06)
- The average price of the top three is 16/1 with 12 (31%) of sides being priced up at 20/1 or bigger and 2 (5%) chalked up at 40/1 or larger.
- Last season Accrington (33/1) were the joint-biggest priced team to win automatic promotion since 2008/09.
- The top scoring (or joint top-scoring) side has won the league in 4 of the past 13 years and been promoted on 9 occasions (average finish 4th).
- The side with the best defence (or joint best defence) has been crowned champions in 7 of the past 13 years, winning promotion on 12 occasions (average finish 2nd).
- The worst defence (or joint-worst) has been relegated in 6 of the last 13 seasons, finishing bottom on 5 occasions (average finish 21st).
- The lowest scoring (or joint-lowest scoring) side has been relegated in 7 of the last 13 seasons, finishing bottom on 6 occasions (average finish 22nd).
