EFL League One Preview 2020/21- Burton Albion, Charlton Athletic, Crewe Alexandra and Doncaster Rovers

Ahead of the upcoming EFL League One season, we explore the first set of League One clubs in alphabetical order starting with Burton Albion, Charlton Athletic, Crewe Alexandra and Doncaster Rovers.

Burton Albion

In their second season back in League One, Burton Albion finished in 12th place, firmly rooted to mid-table. After finishing ninth the previous time out, Brewers fans will have wanted more of a push to get back into the Championship. They did score a lot of goals, with 50 for the season, where they were sixth-highest in League One.

However, they were leaky at the back, conceding 50 goals, fourth-highest outside of those that were relegated. Top scorers Lucas Akins and Liam Boyce both netted only eight goals, but the squad as a whole had many players chipping in, rather than being reliant on one player. The real notable efforts were from Scott Fraser, who netted five times, and assisted 11. He is yet to sign a new deal, which will be a blow for the club.

Transfers

In terms of outgoings, there haven’t been too many players leave. Veteran goalkeeper Stephen Bywater retired, with three younger players being released, all moving into non-league. The only two of note were Oliver Sarkic, who opted to move to Blackpool as opposed to staying and Scott Fraser. Fraser is yet to sign anywhere and is without a club. He has been linked with a lot of clubs, many of which would be considered as ‘bigger’ than Burton, so the hopes of keeping him are slim.

Burton have been quick to add experience to the team. Michael Bostwick and Neal Eardley both join from Lincoln and bring with them a wealth of experience at this level and fans will be wanting them to hit the ground running. Luke Varney has rejoined the Brewers after two seasons away and despite his age, he is a proven goalscorer.

Kane Hemmings and Steven Lawless both join after good spells in Scotland and will bolster the attacking threat that Burton will hold. The youngest of these listed is 29 and despite bringing experience, it does mean that nine players are over 30 in the squad. They have signed one younger player, 23-year-old Charles Vernam, who has moved from Grimsby. He is an exciting signing that could be a very important player if can carry on his previous form.

Targets

With Nigel Clough leaving, a manager that is in his first season in charge and with one of their best players leaving, fans will be hoping for another top-half finish once again. The team looks pretty good for this level, and if the additions can hit the ground running, they could well be a competitive team. However, a finish in the top-half would be respectable for this crop of players and for manager Jake Buxton to find his feet.

Key Player

Lucas Akins won player of the season two seasons running and once again, he will be seen as a player that Burton will look at as being an important player. A fan favourite and a player that can come up with the goods when needed. Eight goals and four assists last season was a downward step of the 13 goals and seven assists of the season before, but he is a player of high quality that can fire Burton up the league if he is given the chances.

Youth Prospect

Joe Powell signed for the Brewers in January from West Ham, and he showed some of his potential in the few games he managed to play for the club. Three in ten is a good return for any player, but with Fraser leaving, Powell will be fighting for the chance to be the new star man. He may not be starting each week, but Burton fans will be keeping an eye on the youngster, who has another two years on his deal.

Charlton Athletic

Despite a valiant effort after the restart, Charlton were relegated by a single point. Ownership problems that added further misery to the club, after fans were hopeful they would be able to see the club remain in the Championship, where they feel they belong.

Lyle Taylor and Macauley Bonne ended the season as top scorers, with 11 each, however, Charlton were second bottom on goals scored. Defensively the Addicks weren’t too bad, with eight other teams conceding more. They are now tasked with trying to get out of League One, which has been achieved in their third season the last two times they have been there.

Transfers

It has been a case of players going out the door and not a lot coming in. The biggest departure was Lyle Taylor, who decided that he wouldn’t play for the club after the restart and despite his goal-scoring, do you want players to fight for the club and badge? Or not want to play? Defenders Chris Solly, Naby Sarr, Tom Lockyer and Lewis Page have all left, with Lockyer staying in the Championship, and the others either without club, or dropping down. They also have let Tomer Hemed go, however, his zero goals in 18 appearances won’t be missed.

Players coming in does not make for pleasant reading in terms of numbers, with only two coming in but, they are players that could make an impact. Conor Washington has signed to help score the goals that will be missed in Lyle Taylor. He hasn’t had the best couple of seasons and will be hoping to get back to his scoring record of years gone by. The only other signing is central midfielder Alex Gilbey, who has moved from MK Dons. He has over 250 appearances in all competitions, which for a 25-year-old is very good. He managed five goals and two assists in 30 appearances for MK last season, where he also featured out on the left.

The main reason for the lack of transfers? An embargo enforced on the club. They are only allowed to sign players by moving others on, which has seen players leave. They are working on a one-out, one-in policy. It doesn’t give Addicks fans much hope for the season when their squad on paper looks thin already and they are unable to sign without losing a player first.

Targets

Charlton fans avert your eyes. Only 19 players in the whole squad. This includes three goalkeepers, meaning they have 16 outfield players at their disposal. They will just about have enough to fill the team and the bench! With such a small squad and games coming thick and fast, it will be a tough season for the Addicks. The aim will be to get as close to promotion as possible, however, they will gladly take an upper mid-table finish.

Key Player

After the restart, Charlton had to get used to life without Lyle Taylor, but one man stepped up to the plate, Macauley Bonne. He scored three in nine, which in a team that was getting relegated, was not a bad return. All season he scored 11 in 33 and a 1 in 3 striker, in his first season in the Championship after playing non-league for a couple of seasons. He will be featured more given the gaping hole in their attack, that he will be keen to fill. His pace, pressing, and desire to never give up on a long pass will be key in League One, not to mention his scoring record.

Youth Prospect

With the very few young players in the official first team, only one looks like a hot prospect and that is young Albie Morgan. He featured 21 times for the Addicks last season and played in every game after the restart. He is a versatile player who can play all across the midfield. This versatility, in a small squad, will be extremely important for this team. He also held his own in the Championship, whereas this season, he will be in a division lower, which may see him improve his game, something Charlton fans will want to see.

Crewe Alexandra

It was a very successful season for Crewe, who returned to League One after four seasons in League Two. Many weren’t expecting them to put in the season they did, that saw them promoted automatically after finishing third after PPG.

They were a solid team, with some very good players littered in the squad, however, it was their team unit and cohesion that got them promoted, rather than the efforts of one individual. Top scorer Chris Porter netted 12 times, but it was the efforts of Charlie Kirk, who assisted 14 times, which was the League Two highest and scored seven times, which made him the stand-out performer.

Transfers

The summer dealings for Crewe have been simple, players going out all dropped down the leagues and those coming in have higher league experience. Let’s start with those going out. Veteran defender Nicky Hunt left and got picked up by Darlington his experience will be missed, but at 37, League One football would have been a real stretch despite his years at this level.

Dino Visser has moved into League Two, although he didn’t feature last season, except for two EFL Trophy games. Centre midfielders, Paul Green and Connor Heath and striker Shaun Miller all have been released. The only real loss is James Jones, who has moved to Lincoln, rather than accepting the contract he was offered at Crewe. His efforts in midfield will be missed after he grew into his role at the club.

In terms of players coming in, Crewe added some League One experience. Offrande Zanzala has come in from Accrington, after being limited to a lot of substitute appearances last season. Another striker to be added to the ranks is Mikael Mandron, who has come in from Gillingham. He played decent at Gills last season, in what was his first season in League One.

With five goals in 23 appearances, he wasn’t as prolific as fans would want to see come in, but he has now settled into the league and knows what it is about. Finally, the Railwaymen have brought in defender Donervon Daniels. Daniels has moved between League One and the Championship and he will be hoping to get a consistent run in the team. Luke Murphy has also come in and rejoined Crewe, after a few seasons away playing at League One and the Championship. His higher league experience will be important for what is quite a young-looking team.

Targets

Crewe won’t be there just to make up the numbers. They will be wanting to show what they are about and take the momentum from a great campaign into the new league. There have been clubs that have gone up into League One and competed at the top very quickly. This Crewe team won’t be in the mix at the top, however, a good solid mid-table finish can be achieved. Their biggest hurdle will be getting the new players to gel. Crewe achieved what they did because of a fantastic team spirit, so getting the new recruits to join and not unbalance the ship is vitally important.

Key Player

Crewe will be facing more potent attacking threats and the defensive, counter-attacking efforts of Perry Ng will be key for the Alex. He rose through the ranks and was promoted to the first team after impressing at youth level. He has gone on to become captain and at 24, he has a very bright future ahead of him. He played 45 games for Crewe last season and will be hoping his consistent performances will continue in League One. He is a good defender and pacy on the break that causes both defenders and the opposition attack nightmares.

Youth Prospect

With over 100 professional games under his belt, 21-year-old Harry Pickering is very experienced for his age, but he is still nonetheless a young prospect. He is Perry Ng’s counterpart on the other side and is every-way a similar player. He helped keep Crewe a difficult team to score against and his creativity going forward was also notable. Both players, working together, make Crewe a real difficult team to play against. They defend well and also join the attack to bolster numbers and Pickering, like Ng, will be key in keeping Crewe as dangerous in League One as League Two.

Doncaster Rovers

Another season and another failed attempt at returning to Championship football. Despite their drop into League Two, the Championship is where many Doncaster fans will feel they belong. After last seasons play-off defeat, hopes were that they could push again for the play-offs. They finished ninth, six points of the play-offs with a game in hand.

The play-offs weren’t too far a stretch, but with many teams also feeling they could sneak in, Donny would have had to have a solid end to the season to be in the mix. Top scorer Kieran Sadlier scored 11 for Donny, who were the joint 5th highest scorers. Defensively they were also solid, conceding only 33 goals, and being the third-best defence in the League. The signs were there that the do have the potential to be in a promotion mix, but whether they achieve it is yet to be seen

Transfers

It has been quite a summer of change at Donny. Who have seen quite a few players leave. Devante Cole, Alex Baptiste and Alex Kiwomya all were released, from the first team. It appears that Donny weren’t happy with the academy products, as several U-23’s were let go, they were Max Watters, Shane Blaney, Rieves Boocock, Myron Gibbons, and Rian McLean, although all either didn’t play, or barely featured. The main disappointment for Donny has been the loss of Kieran Sadlier to Rotherham, his 11 goals and six assists will be greatly missed.

Coming in, Donny have certainly tried to freshen the squad with some younger prospects. Cameron John (Wolves) and Jason Lokilo (Crystal Palace) have come in, and with both aged just 21, are signings that replace those U-23 players deemed not good enough. They have also signed two young players on loan in Josef Bursik (Stoke) and Taylor Richards (Brighton).

All four players have been playing in the Premier League Two. Elsewhere, Donny have added 25 year-old Ed Williams, from Kidderminster Harriers. He scored 15 in 50 in his spell there, and as a central midfielder, he will be tasked with trying to keep this form up much higher up the pyramid.

Targets

Doncaster are seen as a big club in League One, and they will be wanting to build to get back in the Championship. So a play-off push is a minimum. Fans will want to see progress, as every fan from any club would, but there is a sense that this crop of players can indeed push. 6th and 9th in their previous two years shows how they are knocking on the door. They scored a lot, and conceded few, which fans can look to that Moore clearly knows how to work both ends of the pitch. However, with those stats in mind, they still didn’t hit the play-offs, and that is the next step for this team.

Key Player

Ben Whiteman has been with the club since 2017, and won player of the season in the 18/19 campaign. He is the heartbeat of the team in the centre of midfield. He played all but one league game last season, and his energy will be key in a shorter season. As captain, he leads by example, and if Donny are to push on and go further up the League, Darren Moore will need leaders on the pitch that will step up and be counted for, and Ben Whiteman will more than rise to the challenge.

Youth Prospect

Loan Goalkeeper Josef Bursik looks set to be the No1 Goalkeeper for the upcoming campaign, with no sign of another keeper coming in. He has represented England at various Youth levels, and also has experienced a couple of loan spells before, so this isn’t new territory for him. He made 16 appearances in the league for Accrington last season, and will be wanting to really press on and nail down a starting spot every week.