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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Dominic Booth

Hollywood or bust? League One’s biggest fish face wide-ranging battle

Birmingham's Jay Stansfield, Wrexham's Ollie Rathbone, Mansfield's Adedeji Oshilaja and Stephen Quinn.
Birmingham's Jay Stansfield, Wrexham's Ollie Rathbone, Mansfield's Adedeji Oshilaja and Stephen Quinn. Composite: Shutterstock, Alamy

The top of League One right now bears an uncanny resemblance to the upper echelons of League Two last season. All three teams automatically promoted from the fourth tier in 2023-24 occupy spots in the top seven, with Wrexham second, Mansfield third and Stockport seventh.

It can be interpreted as an assault on the established order of League One, three sides with momentum and upward mobility breaking the mould. The only team looming above all three at the summit are Birmingham, who are vindicating the big spending sanctioned by Knighthead Capital, the ownership group fronted by Tom Wagner and NFL superstar Tom Brady.

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