Beags on League Two

Where will the League Two teams finish this season? Peter Beagrie brings you his rough guide.

Peter Beagrie will be here every week on skysports.com to cast his expert eye over the latest events in the Football League. Here, Peter takes a look at League Two and suggests where the 24 teams can roughly expect to finish... Peter's top eight: Gillingham, Rotherham, Bradford, Morecambe, Aldershot, Wycombe, Burton, Port Vale Peter's middle eight: Torquay, Chesterfield, Northampton, Bury, Shrewsbury, Stevenage, Lincoln, Oxford Peter's bottom eight: Southend, Hereford, Crewe, Accrington, Barnet, Stockport, Cheltenham, Macclesfield

Peter's top eight:

GILLINGHAM
They slipped into the relegation zone on the final day of last season, but have kept most of their team together and remain a strong and athletic side with Andy Hessenthaler returning to take charge again. In Andy Barcham they have a tremendous striker and even though they have lost Simeon Jackson to Norwich, they've brought in the giant Adebayo Akinfenwa from Northampton. Barcham and Akinfenwa could form a formidable partnership, so I think they will be there or there abouts. ROTHERHAM
Rotherham have lost a couple of centre-backs, but have strengthened really well with Ryan Creswell and the wonderfully-named Exodus Geohaghon from Peterborough. He can play at the back or as a midfield enforcer - and believe me he looks like an enforcer! Of course, Adam Le Fondre was League Two's top scorer last season and repaid his £100,000 fee with 30 goals, so I fully expect Rotherham to be up there. BRADFORD CITY
Peter Taylor is my main reason for tipping them to do well. When the job came up, I felt he was the best man for it because he knows the Football League inside out. The infrastructure at Bradford is similar to when he took over at Hull; there are loads of bodies and he needs to find the right formula and give them confidence to play in front of a big crowd. James Hanson and Gareth Evans have everything you want from a strikeforce and I think Valley Parade could be a fortress this year. MORECAMBE
I've been so impressed with the job Sammy McIlroy has done over the last few years and they came so close in the play-offs last season. They are entering a new era with a new stadium, but Phil Jevons will still be the key man. He got lots of important goals last year and always seems to know his way to goal. I expect another big season to build on what they achieved last time. ALDERSHOT
I like the fact they attacked the division last year and went forward at will. Kevin Dillon was a battler when I played against him as a player, but he gives his team freedom to attack. He's made some good signings in Luke Guttridge, Jamie Vincent and Glen Little, but the loss of Scott Donnelly to Swansea will hit them because he scored 14 times from midfield last term. However, I still expect a good season for Aldershot. WYCOMBE WANDERERS
Scott Rendell went out on loan last year, but his return could be crucial for Wycombe in terms of goals and I anticipate him being one of the top scorers in the division. The old timer Gareth Ainsworth will be the supply line and for somebody who loves rock 'n' roll, it'll be music to Gary Waddock's ears if he can have an injury-free season. They've had a go in the transfer market with a whole host of signings, but I think Rendell's goals could take them towards the top of the table. BURTON ALBION
This is a division that rewards consistency and Burton have brought in two extremely experienced centre-halves in Darren Moore (a gentle giant who's so big he'll be like a wardrobe with a Burton shirt on) and Nathan Stanton, who I used to play with at Scunthorpe. He was part of Rochdale's promotion-winning side last year and is still quick and able to read a game. Paul Peschisolido had a great first season in charge and signing experienced heads should help them with their inconsistency this time around. I like the blend of their team. PORT VALE
Micky Adams stuck his entire squad on the transfer list last season and that motivated them to go on an incredible run up to 10th in the final standings. Gary Roberts could be a good signing and the firepower of Marc Richards and Justin Richards should prove to be a great partnership up front, combining speed with strength. Justin scored 15 goals for Cheltenham last year and I'm sure his namesake will chip in with his fair share of goals as well.

Beagrie's middle eight:

TORQUAY
People might be surprised I am placing them so high - and I nearly put them in the top eight - but I saw them hammer Bury away from home last season and they were fantastic. I've spoken to their manager Paul Buckle and he's excited by his youngsters. The star man is captain Nicky Wroe, who makes everything tick and scores a few goals. They've also signed Guy Branston from Burton to look after the youngsters at the back. Torquay had a fantastic run towards the end of last season this young and hungry squad could go from strength to strength this year. CHESTERFIELD
This is another side moving to a new stadium and you can always expect a John Sheridan team to play good football. He's not been as active as he'd have liked in the transfer market, but he has managed to do some business. Craig Davies has arrived from Brighton, which is a good signing, but a lot of pressure will again fall on the old head of Jack Lester, who's been a goalscorer wherever he's played. If he can play 40 games then he'll take Chesterfield into the play-offs. NORTHAMPTON TOWN
They have lost their 17-goal top scorer Adebayo Akinfenwa, but are hoping the Irishman Tadhg Purcell, who scored nine goals in 22 appearances for Darlington, can replace him. They will also hope to replicate the form that saw them lose only two out of 22 in the middle of last season. That shows you what they're capable of and Ian Sampson blamed a lack of concentration and individual errors for their failure to make the play-offs. With some more consistency, they could press on and finish higher than their 11th place last season. BURY
The manager is Alan Knill and they've had nil rewards for playing some good football for the last couple of seasons. They're one of the best footballing sides in the division, but buckled under the pressure at the end of last season and struggled when Andy Bishop got injured. They've signed Andy Haworth from Blackburn, Steve Schumacher from Crewe and Joe Skarz from Huddersfield, replacing some of the older lads with younger talent. They've also been to an army training camp in pre-season so they should be up for the fight! SHREWSBURY
Over the last few years they've slipped down the League Two pecking order; the new stadium and the ambitions of the chairman simply haven't been matched by performances on the pitch. It'll be interesting to see if Graham Turner can manage expectations this year. Ian Sharps will tighten things up at the back after the exits of Kelvin Langmead and Graham Coughlan. The heart of the defence has been ripped out and Graham Turner will look to strengthen further in that department. New striker Matt Harrold has been described as a poor man's Dave Kitson (possibly due to his height and red hair), but they need to give him enough service. STEVENAGE
They have come up from the Conference and their confidence and optimism should carry them to mid-table. Graham Westley likes to play football, but the team have a strong work ethic too and they have the players working extremely hard in training every day. They've made some good signings such as Peter Winn, who used to play for Scunthorpe, and John Mousinho who is a very competitive player. There'll be no fitter side in the division and with their organisation they should be strong late on in games. LINCOLN
Chris Sutton will be hoping to improve on last season's 20th spot and has brought in some good players on free transfers such as Jamie Clapham, Delroy Facey and also Drewe Broughton (who used to model himself on Chris Sutton). Broughton scored a few goals for Rotherham and is a good header of a ball, so he should bring other people into the game. Lincoln will be a tough nut to crack this year, but they do have a good footballer in midfield in Scott Kerr. If he can dictate possession then they'll have a good season. They should finish higher than last time. OXFORD
Oxford boss Chris Wilder was my boot boy at Sheffield United and he's proved himself to be much better at football management than he was at cleaning boots (he used to complain about his lack of tips, but I'd complain about the lack of shine). Oxford may have had big crowds for a Conference side, but Wilder didn't have the biggest budget to work with so he's done well to get them promoted. As you could imagine, he's been busy in the transfer market, including Danny Philliskirk arriving from Chelsea on loan. I expect them to play a 4-3-3 with James Constable their key player. He's like an army sergeant and has scored lots of goals, so he'll be looking to lead his side to mid-table respectability.

Beagrie's bottom eight:

SOUTHEND
Winding-up petitions, transfer embargos, a drain of players, a threat of administration... it's hardly the ideal summer for a new manager. Paul Sturrock must think he's jinxed! It appears they've avoided administration, but Paul has had to use all of his knowledge of the transfer market to bring players in on limited resources. He's drafted in Graham Coughlan at the back, but player of the year Simon Francis and talismanic captain Adam Barrett have gone so there could be a bit of a hangover after last year's relegation. Sturrock has his work cut out - but I think he knows that. HEREFORD
Simon Davey did really well on a shoestring at Barnsley, but had a nightmare time at Darlington and I hope he'll grasp his opportunity at Hereford with both hands. Since they came into the division a few years ago they have acquitted themselves as best they can, often relying on a large number of loan signings. I expect that theme to continue for Simon and he has already taken O'Neil Thompson on loan from Barnsley, Janos Kovacs on a free from Luton and returning striker Stuart Fleetwood from Charlton. Financial problems won't make things easy. CREWE
Dario Gradi, as ever, will be looking to bring through the latest crop of youngsters to see if they will sink or swim. That's not the ideal scenario in League Two and it's easy to see why Dario has brought in the experienced David Artell from Morecambe to try and guide some of the youngsters through. Young midfielder Ashley Westwood is a lovely player and has shown his loyalty to the club by signing a new deal, but how will he cope with the loss of James Bailey and John Brayford to Derby? It'll be tough, but I wouldn't back against Dario keeping Crewe in the division because he's been working magic for years. ACCRINGTON STANLEY
Accrington had a nightmare last season with eight postponements, which was not good for them on or off the pitch. They have taken a big decision to splash out on a new pitch and they'll hope that will take them to pastures new. John Coleman remains a legend of the game, but has had to cope with a transfer embargo until recently and to make matters worse he has lost his 37-goal strikeforce of Bobby Grant and Michael Symes. They have brought in former Tranmere and Grimsby striker Andy Parkinson to try and replace those goals, but I think they'd be delighted to repeat last season's 15th-place finish. BARNET
There have been wholesale changes at Barnet and they've lost two players that could make the difference in a survival battle: John O'Flynn and Albert Adomah. Those two alone probably earned Barnet enough points to finish in 21st place last season. I don't think the new signings can replace them, so Mark Stimson may have to find a new way of playing. They've signed Steve Kabba, Jordan Parkes and Anwar Uddin for experience, but those players won't win games or give you pace. Barnet have a history of finding raw, hungry players from non-league and they'll need a few of those again. STOCKPORT COUNTY
They came down last season amid big financial problems and things were made worse by their poor pitch and lots of postponements. Paul Simpson barely had 11 senior players when he took over and this season will be a real test of his managerial skills. Their best chance is if the old warhorse Barry Conlon can strap up his ankles and produce some goals. He's looked 30-years-old since the day he was born and I always thought he was an ideal lower league striker; a great targetman who has no fear in the air. Paul will need to manage big Barry through this season. CHELTENHAM
They beat the odds to stay up last season and will be one of the favourites for the drop again. They've got some young and hungry lads, but they need more than that; particularly in the defensive third. Mark Yates needs to address that lack of experience and that might be where they fall short. However, I've always seen Cheltenham as a great place to go; in fact I once got a standing ovation there when I was substituted (probably out of sympathy more than anything because I'd run the length of the pitch in the 89th minute to stick one on Andy Keogh's head). MACCLESFIELD
A lot of people would say it's unlikely Macclesfield can survive, but I believe they can. Gary Simpson took over after the sad passing of Keith Alexander and has to try and make a difference. I was interested to see he has permanently signed the industrious Richard Butcher from Lincoln and they'll hope he can become the leader on the pitch. However, goalkeeper Jonny Brain, who was their player of last season, has gone to Walsall and that won't help their chances. League Two is not lavished with riches and Macclesfield are definitely scraping the barrel, but nothing is impossible. It'll be a struggle, but they won't expect anything more.