Who Have Been The Most Surprising Performers In EFL League Two This Season?

League Two is always full of twists and turns, and plenty of shocks happen along the way.

But who has stood out most as a surprise performer? With that in mind, here we profile the three players we feel have surprised the most in League Two this season.

David Harrington - Fleetwood Town

Before the season started, the battle for undisputed best goalkeeper in the league was wide open, with the exit of Arthur Okonkwo to League One.

Notts added Alex Bass, who had collected the second most clean sheets last season, whilst Colchester added League One promotion winner Matt Macey to their ranks. Scarce few however would have shone a light on young goalkeeper Harrington, who served as an understudy for Fleetwood in League One last season.

However, the 24 year old shot stopper has been imperious, with six clean sheets already to his name. His performances have been so strong that he has earned himself a call up to the senior Wales national team, something which is rarely heard of in League Two.

Harrington entered the season as an unknown quantity at the level, but has now established himself as a top keeper, and could potentially be Wales’ future number one.

James Berry - Chesterfield

Berry did feature in a list of potential breakout stars for the season (compiled by @tomhwilliams23 on X), however, even he has surpassed those expectations, establishing himself as one of the best attackers in the league.

With the amount of depth Chesterfield have in forward areas, it might have been understandable if Berry had struggled for minutes; after all, some of his fellow young attack partners have sought moves away from the club on loan for more guaranteed minutes. But not only has Berry risen through the pack to become the clubs joint top goalscorer, with seven, but he has done so from a position of being understudy, the role he played in their title win last season.

There aren’t many better in the league, if at all, at cutting inside from the left. Berry’s catalogue of goals this season has been seriously impressive, as have some of the strikes that have been denied only by the woodwork. Blessed with tricky feet and a brilliant strike from range, Berry will be targeting 20+ goal contributions this season.

Three goals in five days for Bez ⚡️#Spireites pic.twitter.com/xFIl9BOs9t

— Chesterfield FC (@ChesterfieldFC) November 17, 2024

Aaron Nemane - MK Dons

When MK Dons added Frenchman Nemane extremely close to the season starting, eyebrows were raised as to why Notts had decided to let the wingback go on such short notice. However, for the most part, the Notts fanbase felt this was a positive move.

Nemane had become a somewhat maligned figure at Meadow Lane, as whilst his explosive pace was undeniable, his reluctance to take his man on, and his perceived lack of end product provided constant sources of frustration for the fanbase.

However, this season he leads the way in terms of assists, with six to his name already. Contrast that to last season, where he only managed half that total in almost three times more games, and you can see how impressive his season has been.

What has perhaps been most surprising is the array of crosses that he has shown in his arsenal. At Notts it felt like his final ball was somewhat limited; Nemane’s variance of cross has certainly improved this term.

At Football Park we have covered MK Dons’ resurgence with a tactical breakdown, and whilst most of the credit has been given to Scott Lindsey for this, Nemane’s performances have certainly helped; he has been one of the stars of their rise back up the table.

Some of the playmaking stats from our wing-back so far this season 📊

Aaron Nemane still currently holds the most assists in @SkyBetLeagueTwo 🔥#COYD pic.twitter.com/hhMLQzlwx4

— Milton Keynes Dons (@MKDonsFC) November 18, 2024