To say it’s not been the start to the season that many Cambridge United supporters would have originally hoped for would be a significant understatement. A disappointing conclusion to the 2023/24 League One campaign wasn’t at all pleasing to see, and they’ve been unable to put that dismal run of form behind them.
The U’s are rooted to the bottom of the League One table, and have only picked up a single point from their opening six matches of the 2024/25 season. This poor run of results means they’re already five points adrift of safety, and it doesn’t get much easier for them either, as they take on the likes of Lincoln City, Rotherham United, and Birmingham City within the next month.
Cambridge are already as short as 4/6 to be relegated into League Two this season, and although it may seem early to be jumping to conclusions, it could be tempting for some punters, despite betting calculators showing a £10 bet would return less than £7 profit.
With four teams being relegated from League One, we’ll delve deeper into some of the teams that could be fighting it out with the U’s to avoid the drop this season.
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury are just one place above Cambridge in the table, and have endured a torrid time so far this season. They’ve lost seven out of their last eight matches in all competitions, and given that they also had a hugely disappointing end to the 2023/24 season, they’re in similar circumstances to that of the U’s.
Paul Hurst’s side have lost their last three matches in League One, and have only scored a single goal in that period of time. It won’t be at all surprising to hear they’re the bookmakers’ favourite to be relegated into League Two.
Crawley Town
Crawley Town were dealt a tough hand this season after winning promotion into the third-tier, as they saw plenty of their squad head for the exit door onto a new adventure.
They’re 17th in the table after six matches, and have already beaten Cambridge away from home earlier this season, as well as an eye-catching victory over Blackpool back in early August. However, they’ve hit a slump in form lately, which means they’re winless from their last five matches, which will make for alarming reading as they slowly tumble down the table.
Burton Albion
Burton Albion often find it tough in League One, and they’re the third-favourites to be relegated. The Brewers finished one place above the relegation zone last season, and are the only team alongside Cambridge not to have won a league match so far.
They’ve not been shy of scoring goals though, and their supporters will be hoping that Jack Cooper-Love can add to his goal tally, having scored in their last two matches, against Barnsley and Rotherham United. They’ve got plenty of depth within their ranks though, and that could see them edge out some of their relegation-threatened rivals.
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers are another side that lack momentum at various points of the season based on last year’s campaign, as they narrowly avoided relegation. They’ve got the ideal mix of youth and experience within their ranks, but heading into October, there’s very little momentum, which has seen pressure grow on manager Matt Taylor.
The Pirates should have enough quality to avoid the drop, but if they continue to struggle, then they could be up against it, and Taylor’s job could be up for serious debate.
Leyton Orient
After the opening four games, Leyton Orient supporters would rightly have been fearing the worst. They had previously lost their opening four matches, but have since bounced back with a remarkable turnaround in results. They beat a Reading side that had been impressive on home soil, before following that up with a real statement in beating Stockport County away from home 4-1 last time out.
If Orient can replicate those sorts of performances, then it wouldn’t be too surprising to see them pulling away from the relegation zone relatively quickly.
Reading
This one could potentially depend on off-field events more than anything. Reading have a starting XI that is more than capable of challenging for the top-six, but they lack any sort of strength in depth due to them not being able to sign any players.
They had points deducted last season and the feel-good factor around the club is at its lowest due to the recent collapse of a takeover. If owner Dai Yongge continues not to make any progress in selling the club, we could potentially see Reading placed into administration, which would come with a 12 point deduction.
