While many eyes have been firmly set on the top flight this season, it has been the leagues below that have seen promotion, play-off and relegation battles that will go down to the wire. In League One there are 11 points separating top of the league Doncaster and 9th place Leyton Orient, while the gap between 2nd and 7th is just 3 points. It has been a truly thrilling season, one that has sucked teams into the promotion hunt weekly. It has also been an unforgiving season, where a couple bad results can send a team from top of the league to outside the top six. Tranmere and Bournemouth have both suffered this fate, although both now lie back in the play-off places.The bottom of the league has not lived up to the exceptionally exciting standard set by the top half as Hartlepool and Bury lie 6 points behind an Oldham side that has three and two games in hand respectively. Portsmouth are 5 points adrift but have also played three more fixtures than Oldham. Scunthorpe though lie just a point off safety and Colchester and Shrewsbury will know better than to think they are guaranteed safety just yet as they sit 5 and 6 points clear of the drop zone respectively.
The crucial games tomorrow see 7th placed Yeovil face a Walsall side that has lost just once in 2013. Walsall are in 8th place and a win behind fellow play-off chasers Yeovil. A Yeovil win means they will move back into the top six as 5th placed Tranmere host 6th placed Sheffield Utd. Walsall on the other hand can close the gap to the play-offs to just a point if Tranmere are victorious as well as the Saddlers. 3rd place Bournemouth will fancy themselves against Colchester, although the home side know a victory would be a massive boost to securing themselves a place in League One next season. Brentford who are on the same points as Bournemouth and Swindon will be hoping to end any small hopes of play-offs for Notts County.
At the other end of the table Scunthorpe will be hoping to enhance their chances of survival at the same time as seriously deterring Leyton Orients play-off hopes. Scunthorpe will also be hopeful that 2nd place Swindon don't slip up at home to Oldham who could find themselves in the bottom four come 4:45.
All in all the League One picture could be looking very different by Friday night. We may have more of an idea of who's going where, or we could be left even more confused as to how the table will look come 27th April. And you know what? I'm going with the latter. So leaving you with that thought, I'll let you enjoy another crazy afternoon in League One.
Friday 29th April:
Brentford v Notts County; Bury v Crewe; Carlisle v Shrewsbury; Colchester v Bournemouth; Coventry v Doncaster; Crawley v Stevenage; Hartlepool v MK Dons; Scunthorpe v Leyton Orient; Swindon v Oldham; Tranmere v Sheff Utd; Yeovil v Walsall; Preston v Portsmouth (5:00pm)
**Kick off 3:00pm unless stated**
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