League One Odds
LEAGUE ONE ODDS
Introduced for the 2004-05 season and comprising 24 clubs, Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and the third tier of the English football league system.
League One Winners
League One is a particularly competitive division and after just 18 games, it would be unwise to rule out any of the sides in the top half as potential winners. Leeds United and Leicester City were hot favourites in the 2008-09 pre-season League One Odds and though swapping positions, still head the market, followed by MK Dons, Peterborough and Oldham. However, the side which really appears from a punting perspective are Millwall. Manager Kenny Jackett has assembled a very useful, youthful squad at the New Den. Millwall currently sit third in the table, only 2 points behind leaders Leicester and have shown enough potential to be involved in the title battle come the end of the season. At a double figure price, a small investment is recommended.
Promotion
League One operates a promotion and relegation system with the Football League Championship. The winners and runners-up in League One are promoted to the Championship, along with the winners of the playoffs between the sides in 3rd to 6th position. These three clubs are replaced by the bottom three finishers in the Championship. As with the outright win market, Leeds and Leicester were red-hot favourites in the pre-season League One promotion odds. There is no value left in these sides now though, with both trading at odds-on. Punters seeking some value in the League One promotion odds market could do worse than consider relegated Scunthorpe. Nigel Adkins’ squad have put up some classy performances and their form away from Glanford Park has shown marked improvement. They have certainly shown enough to merit consideration for a playoff place at the very least.
Relegation
The four clubs finishing at the bottom of League One are relegated to League Two. The top three clubs, plus the winners of the playoffs between the 4th to 7th placed sides in League Two gain promotion to League One. With four sides being relegated, League One odds for relegation tend to be relatively shorter than those for the Premiership and Championship. Hereford United, Crewe Alexandra, Cheltenham Town and Yeovil were favourites for the drop in the pre-season League One odds and little has changed, with the first three named trading at odds-on in the League One relegation market. Punters seeking value may like to consider Swindon, who have looked poor, despite the presence of 16-times scorer Simon Cox.
Top Goalscorer
The League One “Golden Boot” is always fiercely competitive, with numerous players capable of finishing as leading goalscorer for the season. It is interesting to note that the last four leading goalscorers played for teams which achieved promotion, which may aid in narrowing down the selections. The current market leader is Bristol Rovers’ Richard Lambert with 17 goals. However, Rovers seem unlikely to achieve great things in the 2008-09 season, so he is dismissed from calculations. The same principle applies to Swindon’s Simon Cox with 16 goals. Leeds’ striker Jermain Beckford has already scored 19 times so must be a contender, but his League One odds are very short, as are those for Leicester’s Matt Fryatt with 16. Scunthorpe’s Gary Hooper (11) is suggested as a value alternative at a double figure price.
League One Match Odds
All odds correct at time of writing. Please click here for the latest odds
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