Manchester City and FC Bayern Munich play an exhibition match at Lambeau Field on July 23, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. Credit: Green Bay Press-Gazette

As the new football season kicks off, excitement and anticipation are palpable across the English Football League (EFL). While some fans dream of winning or gaining promotion in their respective divisions in the EFL pyramid, another battle is brewing at the opposite end of the table—the fight to avoid relegation. 

Relegation is especially costly in League Two, where slipping into the National League means a club exiting the EFL.

This significant step-down can have adverse effects on a club, and the consequences can be profound—huge financial impact, squad turnover, and lower attendance figures are just some of the costs of League Two relegation. 

Read on, as we take a closer look at the clubs most at risk of facing the dreaded drop in the League 2 relegation odds, analyzing their chances of survival and the challenges they face in what is sure to be a tense and unforgiving campaign.

 

Morecambe

Almost two years after the Bond Group revealed their plans to sell the club, Morecambe remain in limbo. 

No deal has even come close to being completed in the last 24 months, and the coaching staff, players, and, most importantly, the fans have been left angered. 

Derek Adams has returned for his third spell at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium, but he arrived to just five retained players. 

Since then, the Scot has built the squad up to 22. However, any more arrivals depend on a takeover, and the Shrimps are set to struggle this season if Adams can’t get his hands on a few more players.

 

Bromley

Bromley were promoted to the EFL for the first time in their 132-year history last term when beating Solihull Moors on penalties at Wembley in May. 

However, the London side are tipped to go straight back down to the National League at the first of asking—according to the League 2 odds

Manager Andy Woodman, who was goalkeeper coach at several Premier League sides and left his role as head of goalkeeping at Arsenal for the Bromley job, has already proved many wrong. 

He has changed the club’s professional mentality and made them more successful on the pitch, notably winning the FA Trophy and the play-offs. He will give Bromley a fighting chance of survival.

 

Accrington Stanley

Accrington Stanley have been a mainstay in the EFL for almost 20 years now, including a five-year stint in League One between 2018 and 2023. 

The Lancashire side struggled on their return to League Two last season, finishing 17th and hopes aren’t very high at Wham Stadium going into the new campaign. 

Accrington owner Andy Holt put the club up for sale in a sensational rant on X back in October, but any potential deal is yet to materialize. 

That has left manager Andy Doolan with no transfer budget, and he’s been left to survive on free agents this summer. It’s a worrying state of affairs for Stanley.