2024-25 League One Roundup – August

(Image credit: Stockport County FC)

Roundup of the opening month of the 2024-25 League One season.

Birmingham City, Huddersfield and Rotherham looked to settle into life back in the third-tier, whilst Stockport, Wrexham, Mansfield and Crawley looked to mark their returns to League One on a positive note.

Now, here is a roundup of the opening four matchweeks of the season.

 

Week One

First-half goals from Antony Evans and Ben Wiles saw Huddersfield beat last season’s play-off semi-finalists, Peterborough 2-0 away to sit top of the table.

Goals from Louie Barry and Kyle Wootton saw Stockport County mark their return to League One with a 2-0 home win over Cambridge United.

Paudie O’Connor’s brace plus Tendayi Darikwa’s header saw Lincoln City come from 1-0 down to win 3-2 at Burton Albion, after Udoka Godwin-Malife put the Brewsters ahead before Billy Bodin pulled the hosts level at half-time.

Wrexham began life back in League One with a 3-2 win over Wycombe Wanderers at home, in which Max Cleworth, Jack Marriott and Steven Fletcher found the net despite Richard Kone and Sam Vokes’ second-half fightback for the visitors.

Victor Adeboyejo’s close-range 75th minute winner saw last season’s losing play-off finalists, Bolton start the season with a 2-1 win at Leyton Orient after Dion Charles’ opening goal was cancelled out by Charlie Kelman.

Mansfield rounded out the top six with a 2-1 opening-day win at Barnsley through quick-fire goals from Stephen Quinn and Lee Gregory, despite Luca Connell’s consolatory goal for the Tykes.

Elsewhere, first-half goals from Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Junior Quitirna saw Crawley begin life back in the third-tier with a 2-1 home win over Blackpool.

Lloyd Jones netted a 81st minute winner as Charlton won 1-0 away at Wigan.

Bryant Bilongo headed in a 92nd minute winner on his EFL debut to seal a narrow 1-0 win for Bristol Rovers at home to Northampton Town.

Caleb Watts came on as a substitute to net a 71st minute winner from Johnly Yfeko’s cross, as Exeter scraped a 1-0 home victory over Rotherham.

Elliott List’s 58th minute strike gave Stevenage an opening home win under new manager, Alex Revell, as they edged past Shrewsbury Town.

Alfie May’s 87th minute penalty rescued Birmingham City a 1-1 draw at home to Reading, after Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan had put the Royals into a half-time lead.

 

Week Two

Second-half goals from Barry, Jayden Fevrier and Tanto Oloafe saw Stockport win 3-0 away at Blackpool to move top of the table, whilst the Tangerines slipped to second-bottom.

Goals from Josh Koroma and Wiles saw Huddersfield sit second with a 2-1 home win over Stevenage, despite Harvey White’s consolatory penalty in injury-time for the visitors.

Ade Adeyemo netted a 86th minute winner as Crawley scraped past fourth-bottom Cambridge to go third in the table.

Luke Berry’s injury-time strike fired Charlton past Leyton Orient to a 1-0 home win and up to fourth.

Charlie Savage and Ehibhatiomhan both found the net as Reading defeated third-bottom Wigan 2-0 to put themselves fifth in the standings.

Mansfield rounded out the top six after Gregory’s penalty salvaged a 3-3 draw at home to Burton Albion, having twice led despite Bodin’s brace and Ben Whitfield’s deflected strike for the Brewsters.

Down in the relegation zone, Shrewsbury sat rock-bottom following a 4-1 loss to Peterborough at home in which Kwame Poku and Joel Randell both struck twice for the visiting Posh.

Wycombe sat just outside the bottom four on goal difference despite suffering a 3-2 home loss to Birmingham City, in which May, Luke Harris and Willum Willumsson scored for the visitors whilst Vokes again scored a consolatory goal.

Rotherham picked up their first point of the season with a goalless draw at home to Bristol Rovers.

Elsewhere, Sam Cosgrove and Marc Roberts secured Barnsley’s first league win of the season with a 2-1 win at Lincoln City.

Second-half goals from Callum Morton and Cameron McGeehan handed Northampton a comeback 2-1 home win over Exeter, who had led through Tristian Cram’s eighth minute header.

Bolton and Wrexham played out a goalless draw to extend their unbeaten start to the league campaign.

 

Week Three

Barry and Wootton again found the net as Stockport beat Bristol Rovers 2-0 at home to stay top of the table.

Callum Marshall’s 20th minute winner saw second-placed Huddersfield scrape past rock-bottom Shrewsbury.

Greg Docherty and Matty Godden found the net to lift Charlton into third with a 2-0 home win over Bolton.

Ollie Palmer’s header plus goals from Elliot Lee and Andy Cannon saw Wrexham thrash Reading 3-0 at home to climb to fourth.

May struck a 20th minute winner as Birmingham dug deep for a 2-1 win at second-bottom Orient, in which Keshi Anderson’s opening goal for the visitors was cancelled out by Ethan Galbraith.

Lincoln City rounded out the top six with a 4-1 home win over Mansfield in which Adam Jackson scored twice, and Sean Roughan plus House netted too for the Imps.

Down in the relegation zone, Blackpool sit third-bottom after they blew a 3-1 half-time lead – with James Husband having scored twice in the first half – to draw 4-4 at Cambridge with Shayne Lavery picking up a brace for the Us.

Rotherham’s winless start continued with a 2-0 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers, in which Cameron Humphreys and Kieran Sadlier both netted in the second half.

Burton sat two spots above the drop after a goalless draw at home to Stevenage.

Elsewhere, late goals from Liam McCarron and Jack Baldwin rescued Northampton a 2-2 draw at Barnsley, after Max Watters and Adam Phillips had put the Tykes on course for victory.

Emmanuel Fernandez’s 30-yard stunner completed a 2-1 comeback for Peterborough at Exeter, after Malik Mothersille cancelled out Reece Cole’s fourth-minute strike.

Joy Mukena’s own-goal handed Wigan a narrow home win over Crawley.

 

Week Four

Stockport continued to sit top after Wootton cancelled out Hiram Boateng’s strike in a 1-1 draw at fellow promoted club, Mansfield.

Marriott’s deflected shot and Cleworth’s header powered Wrexham up to second with a 2-0 away win at Peterborough.

Birmingham debutant, Scott Wright netted an injury-time winner to put the Blues third with a 2-1 win at home over fourth-bottom Wigan, in which May’s opening goal was cancelled out by Thelo Aasgaard’s 66th minute equaliser.

Jack Moylan’s 72nd minute penalty fired Lincoln City past Stevenage and up to fourth, despite O’Connor’s red card.

Huddersfield slipped to fifth with a 2-1 loss at Rotherham in which Joe Hodge put them initially ahead after Danny Ward’s red card, but Jonson Clarke-Harris and Mallik Wilks completed the Millers’ comeback.

Charlton completed the top six despite losing 2-0 at Reading to Savage’s strike and Sam Smith’s close-range effort.

Down in the relegation zone, Shrewsbury moved off the foot of the table with a 3-0 home win over Orient – who replaced them at the bottom, through Leo Castledine’s strike and Thomas Bloxham’s brace.

Cambridge sat second-bottom following a 2-0 loss at Bristol Rovers in which Promise Omochere struck twice for the Pirates.

Goals from Kyle Joseph and Jake Beesley twice rescued third-bottom Blackpool an eventual 2-2 draw at home to Wycombe, in which Gareth McCleary and Daniel Udoh had put the Chairboys in front twice.

Elsewhere, Kamari Doyle and Millenic Alli both netted for Exeter in a 2-0 win at Bolton.

Donovan Pines’ opening goal and Phillips’ brace fired Barnsley to a 3-0 win at Crawley.

Northampton held Burton Albion to a goalless draw at Sixfields.

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