This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
FLW’s Lincoln City fan pundit Jake Tonge believes Sheffield Wednesday will be the team to look out for in League One this season.
The Owls narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship last season following a semi-final play-off defeat to Sunderland.
A 4th place finish last season saw the team earn an impressive haul of 85 points.
Darren Moore’s side will be aiming to go one step further and earn promotion to the second division this campaign.
Tonge believes that it is a distinct possibility, with their recruitment drive this summer highlighted as a key reason why they should be so competitive.
Bolton Wanderers was also singled out as a team that could spring a surprise in the race for promotion.
But emphasis was put on Wednesday, who the Lincoln supporter believes could pose a dangerous threat at the top of the table.
“With the recruitment, it’s difficult to look past Sheffield Wednesday,” Tonge told Football League World.
“Obviously taking [Michael] Smith and [Michael] Ihiekwe. Will Vaulks is a really good signing, if they get [Malik] Wilks that could spell trouble for the top end of League One.
“I think Wednesday looks like the team to beat at the moment with they’re really good recruitment.
“I like what Bolton are doing also. Conor Bradley looks like a decent acquisition.
“It’s going to be a really good League One season and I expect Wednesday to have a really good year and probably get out of the division as it stands.”
The league season gets underway later this month, with Lincoln starting their campaign at home to Exeter City on July 30.
The team will be aiming to improve on last year’s 17th place finish, which was a disappointing return having made the play-off final the season prior.
The Verdict
Given the size of Wednesday, it is hard to look past a club of that stature being competitive at the top of League One.
But we have seen in the past the dangers of high turnover in players and a bedding-in period that can slow the team’s progress down.
It is hard to imagine that really impacting Wednesday’s season however, with Moore a capable enough manager to handle such an issue at this level.
Bolton could be in line for big things, with Ian Evatt having done well with the team in their first season back in the third tier last season.