Five things to look out for on League One and League Two opening weekend

Leagues One and Two will start the party over the weekend, leaving the Premier League and Championship.

At 20:00 BST, Luton Town, who finished second in the standings before successive relegations, will face League Two play-off champions AFC Wimbledon from the previous season.

On a busy Saturday, the third and fourth tiers kick off with a derby showdown between Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers, which will take place before Sunday’s derby showdown.

Luton Town and AFC Wimbledon’s journey to League One couldn’t have been more difficult.

After reaching the top of the Premier League in 2023, Luton fell to a second successive relegation, and they also had to part with their beloved manager, Rob Edwards, who agreed to let them leave after a difficult first half to make their Championship return.

However, the Dons’ unwavering resolve could not be stifled by even a flooded pitch. A strong start and a fantastic finish that saw them defeat a Walsall team just one point away from automatic promotion earned them the League Two play-off trophy.

Matt Bloomfield, who led Wycombe Wanderers to the top of League One last season before moving to Luton, told BBC Radio 3CR, “We hope we are going to be challenging.”

Cardiff City have experienced difficult times. They finished the table bottom after a poor Championship campaign.

It was laborious to return the last time they left the second tier. Eighteen years after being relegated to a championship club, it finally rose above the surface and the apparent deep rot in the organization may put off fans a quick recovery this time around.

Not necessarily the catalyst for a confident comeback, but there is a toxic relationship with owner Vincent Tan, a seemingly never-ending managerial slog, and a startling season that ended the club as their worst ever season.

A consortium is currently trying to lure the Bluebirds, which could replace Tan with the likes of Gareth Bale and friends, but the current arrangement seems unlikely to materialize.

Baby, Oldham Athletic and Barnet are back. They were unable to hold them, so they now return to the EFL, where they can once more assert themselves.

Seven years ago, the Bees were in the fourth tier, and they now reignite as National League champions in style. On Saturday (15:00 BST), they host Fleetwood.

The Latics will also be returning with a trip to MK Dons, despite the fact that their last one has been a little longer.

After three seasons, they re-enter the EFL with a dramatic play-off victory over Southend. More than 5,000 people showed up for the National League play-off, which was previously overflowing, and manager Mickey Mellon anticipates seeing even more large crowds in League One.

According to Mellon, “I think [MK Dons] are the favorites and have a fantastic stadium. I think we will take close to 2, 000 supporters there,” Mellon said on BBC Radio Manchester.

Last season, Leyton Orient and Walsall were both squandered by just one goal.

After Charlton’s Macaulay Gillesphey scored from a free kick to clinch their fate in the play-off final of the previous season, none other than League One’s top scorer Charlie Kelman could score an equalizer for the O’s.

However, Kelman has left the organization and more than half of Orient’s starting lineup has now left as they get ready for their first game of the new season against Huddersfield on Saturday (15:00 BST) from that day at Wembley.

The Saddlers fell into a sour spiral that ended in a 1-0 play-off final defeat by AFC Wimbledon, having been 12 points clear at the top of League Two midway through the previous season.

Will they be the front-runners once more, or will their lull continue, with so far?

The Bantams have been waiting for six years for their automatic promotion to third tier, and they have already made it happen. To find their most recent success in a similar way, you must go back in your memory to 1999.

“We are all looking forward to the new year, the new division, the half-a-new squad, and the young people who worked so hard last year to support us.” Graham Alexander, the head of the Bantams, told BBC Radio Leeds, “We are looking forward to it.”