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EFL League Two 2025/26: Key Takeaways From the Opening Weekend

The first match week of the 2025/26 League Two season has already drawn to a conclusion.

In total, 21 goals flew in across all 12 matches and there were unhappy returns to football for most of the relegated teams.

What were the main points of interest after round one?

Crawley's Woes Continue

It had already been a terrible summer for Crawley Town.

Relegated from League One, Preston Johnson, their co-owner, resigned in protest at the club's summer recruitment which saw them bring in 10 new faces, declaring that the "player recruitment this summer has gone a different direction than the data-driven approach that has powered our success in the last few years".

Perhaps Crawley should have stuck to their old methods that helped them to promotion from League Two just two seasons ago, as they were smashed 3-0 away at Grimsby Town.

Six of their summer signings started the game and another two came off of the bench for debuts, and they will need to improve quickly to turn Crawley's fortunes around and stop a possible implosion that could see them suffer back-to-back relegations.

Barnet Brought Back to Reality

Barnet won the National League last season with a whopping 102 points, ending their seven-year drought from the EFL.

With the best attack and defence in their league last season plus the knowledge that no promoted club from the National League have been relegated straight away for 10 years, it looked as if the North Londoners were set for a promising year.

Yet, this may have been cast into doubt as they were dispatched 2-0 at home by Fleetwood Town.

Still, there is reason to remain hopeful as the Bees started brightly and did have the ball in the net, which was ruled out for offside, before their momentum came crashing down with a howler from goalkeeper Owen Evans that gifted Fleetwood the opener.

Rovers' Promotion Hopes Too Optimistic?

Despite being demoted from League One, Bristol Rovers brought in experienced EFL players and re-introduced an old fan-favourite as manager to help their status as favourites to go straight back up.

Ex-Chelsea Young Player of the Year winner Josh McEachran, who had played several times for their first-team in 2010/11 and was deemed to be the next English wonderkid, signed having played at higher EFL levels with the likes of Brentford and Birmingham City in the Championship plus League One experience with MK Dons and Oxford United.

Luke Southwood also joined to be their starting goalkeeper, bringing experience with Reading, Cheltenham Town and Bolton Wanderers to the team.

However, Darrel Clarke couldn't guide Rovers to the perfect start as they lost 1-0 to underdogs Harrogate Town.

The worry will be in front of goal, a theme seen in pre-season as The Gas netted only eight times in six matches against mainly lower-league opposition.

Walsall Win

It didn't look as if it was going to come, but it finally did with a stoppage-time winner against Swindon Town.

The ten men of Walsall finally got their first victory in seven League Two matches, having endured an horrendous run of form at the back end of last season, drawing two and losing four straight games.

Everyone at the club will be delighted to have broken that trend immediately and will hope to push on and earn promotion given that they missed out last campaign due to the collapse at the business end that then followed into the playoff final.

The Dons Remain Blunt

MK Dons were given a favourable start, matched up against an Oldham Athletic side that only picked up 73 points in non-league football before their remarkable playoff victory against huge favourites York City.

However, they drew 0-0 to The Owls and a concerning pattern continues to show its head for the team that finished 19th last season.

The team established in 2004 have now failed to register a single shot on target across five games in 2025.

This is more than double that of any team playing in England's professional leagues.

Aaron Collins, Jonathan Leko, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Scott Hogan and co certainly have to improve in front of goal for a club that has been on the downfall for the last few years.

Full Results:

Accrington 1-1 Gillingham

Barnet 0-2 Fleetwood

Bristol Rovers 0-1 Harrogate

Cambridge United 1-0 Cheltenham

Chesterfield 1-0 Barrow

Colchester United 1-1 Tranmere

Grimsby 3-0 Crawley

MK Dons 0-0 Oldham

Salford 1-3 Crewe Alexandra

Shrewsbury 0-0 Bromley

Walsall 2-1 Swindon