September 8, 2024

A number of clubs will be aiming to fight for a top two and top six spot throughout the campaign in a bid to earn promotion to the Championship.

Barnsley had the standout result of the opening weekend, beating Port Vale 7-0 to send a message to their rivals of their intent to be competitive again this year.

The Tykes suffered defeat in the play-off final last season; a late Sheffield Wednesday winner consigned the team to another year in the third tier.

Neill Collins has since taken the reins of the first team squad, but his team will face plenty of competition in the battle for a place in the second division.

What is the latest League One transfer news?

The transfer window is open for another couple of weeks, which offers each club a chance to further improve their sides before 1 September.

Here we look at the latest transfer headlines surrounding League One…

Bristol City eye Alex Scott replacements

Bristol City are searching for replacements for Alex Scott following his departure from the Robins.

The midfielder joined Bournemouth in a deal worth a reported £25 million, which is money that could be about to be reinvested back into Nigel Pearson’s squad.

According to Darren Witcoop, the Championship side are considering moves for Bolton Wanderers’ George Thomason and Oxford United’s Cameron Brannagan.

City should have money to spend in the wake of Scott’s big-money move, but it remains to be seen which midfielder they will prioritise or if both could possibly join the club this window.

Carlisle United boss Paul Simpson has warned supporters that the wait for a new forward signing may have to wait until the final days of the current window.

The 57-year-old has admitted that enquiries have been made this window for players that have gone elsewhere, which has made bringing in new signings difficult.

“Without a doubt that’s what we’re probably going to have to do,” said Simpson, via News & Star.

“We’ve had names we’ve been enquiring about, some of them have left and gone to other clubs, others are still around their first team that we’re going to keep monitoring and an eye on.

“If the right one becomes available, we’ll try and do it.

“If there’s any finances left, we’ll try and do others.”

Exeter City agree deal for Ilmari Niskanen

According to the Daily Record (22.39), Exeter City are closing in on the signing of Ilmari Niskanen from Dundee United.

The forward is set to miss the club’s clash with Dunfermline this weekend as he edges towards a move to the English side.

A fee has been agreed between the two clubs, with the Finnish winger set to sign a two-year deal.

Coventry City offer rejected for Liam Kitching

Coventry City have seen an offer for Liam Kitching rejected by Barnsley, according to the Barnsley Chronicle.

A bid worth £2.5 million, rising to £3 million with add-ons, was made by the Sky Blues for the defender.

Mark Robins is keen to add some defensive strength to his squad, so may yet see the Championship side return with an improved offer for the Tykes’ star.

The Tractor Boys won 2-1 at Sunderland in their first game back in the second tier last weekend before beating League One side Bristol Rovers 2-0 in the Carabao Cup in midweek and they maintained their perfect start with victory against the Potters, who themselves had won their opening two games in league and cup.

It was a strong start to the game from Kieran McKenna’s men, with Wes Burns being denied by Mark Travers and Conor Chaplin going close.

The hosts deservedly took the lead in the 23rd minute when Luke Woolfenden headed home from Sam Morsy’s free-kick.

Stoke improved after falling behind, with Josh Laurent, Daniel Johnson and Ben Wilmot all having chances, but Ipswich doubled their lead with eight minutes remaining when substitute Kayden Jackson slotted home to seal all three points and send his side top of the early Championship table.

McKenna was delighted with his side’s performance, but insisted they could still improve further.

“It was a top performance, no doubt about it. I loved the way we stuck to our identity on and off the ball. We were brave in how we played,” McKenna told the BBC

We played with the intensity, quality, spirit, resilience and threat that we want to have. It was an excellent performance in so many different ways.

“Of course there are areas to improve and we’re learning from every game at the moment. We learnt an awful lot from Sunderland last week and we’ll learn from this and look to improve.

“There’s going to be spells in every game where we have to dig in. We have to put our bodies on the line and try to defend and block well. What was really important was the way we kept playing. It was our bravery on the ball that turned the game.”Transfer Talk: 'Guernsey Grealish' Alex Scott heading to the top | LiveScore

As Ipswich continue to impress on their Championship return, we looked at three things we learnt about the Tractor Boys after their victory over the Potters.

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