League One 2023/24 season play-off tips: Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers and Leyton Orient in the mix
- George Dempsey
- 28 July 2023
Planet Sport believes Joey Barton’s Gas side is on the rise while new boys Leyton Orient can ride the wave of momentum.
Derby County, Lincoln City, Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth should also be in the mix but we've left them out as they feature in our four contenders for automatic promotion article.
Here, Planet Sport picks out six more hopefuls for the League One play-offs including the most menacing-looking attack in the division.
League One outright betting tips
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers have made steady progress under Joey Barton. They sat just outside the drop zone upon his appointment, but their relegation from League One was already brewing.
A summer clear-out allowed them to bounce straight back up and despite another squad overhaul at the start of last season which led to a very slow start, they showed promise.
The Gas will be pleased to have retained one of the league's most dangerous attackers in Aaron Collins, who alongside John Marquis contributed to 39 goals.
The arrival of Jevani Brown - a player who scored 12 and assisted nine in 27 appearances last season - could allow Collins to operate out wide again while Brown pulls the strings.
It's worth noting they averaged around 1.5 points per game, which is a 70-point season, for a near 30-game period in the middle of the season despite being hampered by injuries.
The number of goals in this team should comfortably make them a top-half side and the arrival of James Wilson and George Friend gives them the experience needed to push on.
Barnsley
It's never easy to bounce back from defeat in a play-off final so Barnsley could go one of two ways. We think they'll start like a house on fire and look to bounce back.
They've lost manager Michael Duff as well as several key players from last season, such as Mads Andersen, but they should be able to attract the necessary quality to replace them.
Appointing Neill Collins as manager represents a risk and managing the Tykes feels like a very big responsibility to shoulder in your first managerial job in England.
He does have the experience of over 500 career appearances behind him though and he's more than cut his teeth in a five-year spell coaching Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Despite needing defensive reinforcements, Barnsley have retained most of what made them so dangerous last season with Nicky Cadden, Herbie Kane and Adam Phillips still present.
James Norwood, Devante Cole and Max Watters can all improve to better the 31 league goals they managed between them last season.
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient are back in League One for the first time since the 2014/15 season. They've played National League football since then but they're currently on the up.
The O's have undergone a backroom rebuild and there's a stability about the club. They look extremely well organised under Wellens and can ride the wave of promotion momentum.
Their watertight defence conceded just 34 goals in 46 games last season and while it's sure to be tested more at this level, there's no reason it can't stand firm.
The main issue facing them is they need to score more goals. 61 goals was a low total for a title winner. To this end, they've added the exciting Dan Agyei who scored 17 goals for Crewe last season.
Joe Piggot was underwhelming in spells at Portsmouth and Ipswich but he has 20 goal seasons to his name at this level and should benefit from being the main man.
The East Londoners recorded 16 clean sheets in 23 home matches last season and making Brisbane Road a fortress again would be a good foundation to build on.
Other League One play-off contenders to consider
Bolton Wanderers were left to rue their form on their travels when settling for a place in the play-offs last season.
They've been progressing for years and are widely tipped for automatic promotion but their away form has been a persistent problem.
They have the spine of a formidable team at this level but there are still things to be addressed in the transfer market.
Blackpool are the only relegated side to earn a mention in our outright previews and it's because there's reason to be optimistic with Neil Critchley at the helm.
He oversaw Blackpool's promotion to the Championship during the 2021/21 season so in short there's no reason why he can't do it again.
They'll need to start well to make sure there is no hangover but they've recruited well and retained some exciting players at this level.
It wouldn't be a League One season without
Peterborough United making a play for the play-offs. Posh have lost some talent but their turnover of players is always high.
They'll need to retain free-scoring Jonson Clarke-Harris while Kabongo Tshimanga scored a goal every 148 minutes in the National League and could be Darren Ferguson's latest crafty find.
They've finished ninth or higher in each of their last five seasons at this level and it helps that they tend to produce the league's top scorer.
