EFL League Two
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP | Founded | 2004 1992–2004 (as Division Three) 1958–1992 (as Division Four) |
|---|---|
| Country |  England (23 teams) |
| Other club(s) from |  Wales (1 team) |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
Promotion to | League One |
Relegation to | National League |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup |
| League cup(s) | EFL Cup EFL Trophy |
| International cup(s) | Europa League (via FA Cup or EFL Cup) |
| Current champions | Accrington Stanley (2017–18) |
| TV partners | Sky Sports Quest (highlights only) |
| Website | League Two |
 2018–19 EFL League Two | |
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship reasons) is the third and lowest division of the English Football League (EFL) and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.
Football League Two was introduced for the 2004–05 season. It was previously known as the Football League Third Division.[1] Before the advent of the Premier League, the fourth-highest division was known as the Football League Fourth Division.
At present (2018–19 season), Morecambe hold the longest tenure in League Two, last being outside the division in the 2006–07 season when they were promoted from the league then known as the Conference National (now the National League). There are currently two former Premier League clubs competing in League Two, namely Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town.
Contents
1 Structure
2 Current members
3 Teams promoted from League Two
4 Play-off results
5 Relegated teams
6 Top scorers
7 Broadcasting rights
8 See also
9 References and notes
10 External links
Structure
There are 24 clubs in League Two. Each club plays each of the other clubs twice (once at home, once away) and is awarded three points for a win, one for a draw and no points for a loss. From these points a league table is constructed.
At the end of each season the top three teams, together with the winner of the play-offs between the teams which finished in the fourth to seventh positions, are promoted to EFL League One and are replaced by the four teams that finished at the bottom of that division.
Similarly, the two teams that finished at the bottom of League Two are relegated to the National League and are replaced by the team that finished first and the team that won the second through seventh place play-off in that division. Technically a team can be reprieved from relegation if the team replacing them does not have a ground suitable for League football, but in practice this is a non-factor because every team currently in the National League has a ground that meets the League criteria (and even if they did not, a ground-sharing arrangement with another team could be made until their stadium was upgraded). The other way that a team can be spared relegation is if another team either resigns or is expelled from the EFL.
Final league position is determined, in order, by points obtained, goal difference, goals scored, a mini-league of the results between two or more teams ranked using the previous three criteria, and finally a series of one or more play-off matches.
There is a mandatory wage cap in this division that limits spending on players' wages to 100% of club turnover.
Current members
Greater Manchester teams
Bury
Oldham Athletic
The following 24 clubs are competing in League Two during the 2018-19 season.
| Club | Finishing position last season | Location | Stadium | Capacity[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bury | 24th In EFL League 1 (Relegated) | Bury | Gigg Lane | 11,840 |
| Cambridge United | 12th | Cambridge | Abbey Stadium | 8,127 |
| Carlisle United | 10th | Carlisle | Brunton Park | 17,949 |
| Cheltenham Town | 17th | Cheltenham | Whaddon Road | 7,066 |
| Colchester United | 13th | Colchester | Colchester Community Stadium | 10,105 |
| Crawley Town | 14th | Crawley | Broadfield Stadium | 5,996 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 15th | Crewe | Gresty Road | 10,180 |
| Exeter City | 4th | Exeter | St James Park | 8,830 |
| Forest Green Rovers | 21st | Nailsworth | The New Lawn | 5,147 |
| Grimsby Town | 18th | Cleethorpes | Blundell Park | 9,052 |
| Lincoln City | 7th | Lincoln | Sincil Bank | 10,120 |
| Macclesfield Town | 1st In National League (Promoted) | Macclesfield | Moss Rose | 6,355 |
| Mansfield Town | 8th | Mansfield | Field Mill | 10,000 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 23rd In EFL League 1 (Relegated) | Milton Keynes | Stadium MK | 30,500 |
| Morecambe | 22nd | Morecambe | Globe Arena | 6,476 |
| Newport County | 11th | Newport | Rodney Parade | 7,850 |
| Northampton Town | 22nd In EFL League 1 (Relegated) | Northampton | Sixfields Stadium | 7,653 |
| Notts County | 5th | Nottingham | Meadow Lane | 19,588 |
| Oldham Athletic | 21st In EFL League 1 (Relegated) | Oldham | Boundary Park | 13,512 |
| Port Vale | 20th | Burslem | Vale Park | 19,052 |
| Stevenage | 16th | Stevenage | Broadhall Way | 6,722 |
| Swindon Town | 9th | Swindon | County Ground | 15,728 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 2nd In National League (Promoted) | Birkenhead | Prenton Park | 16,789 |
| Yeovil Town | 19th | Yeovil | Huish Park | 9,566 |
Teams promoted from League Two
| Season | Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | 3rd Place | Points | Promoted via play-off | League position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004–05 | Yeovil Town | 83 | Scunthorpe United | 80 | Swansea City | 80 | Southend United | 4th | 78 |
2005–06 | Carlisle United | 86 | Northampton Town | 83 | Leyton Orient | 81 | Cheltenham Town | 5th | 72 |
2006–07 | Walsall | 89 | Hartlepool United | 88 | Swindon Town | 85 | Bristol Rovers | 6th | 72 |
2007–08 | Milton Keynes Dons | 97 | Peterborough United | 92 | Hereford United | 88 | Stockport County | 4th | 82 |
2008–09 | Brentford | 85 | Exeter City | 79 | Wycombe Wanderers | 78 | Gillingham | 5th | 75 |
2009–10 | Notts County | 93 | Bournemouth | 83 | Rochdale | 82 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 7th | 72 |
2010–11 | Chesterfield | 86 | Bury | 81 | Wycombe Wanderers | 81 | Stevenage | 6th | 69 |
2011–12 | Swindon Town | 93 | Shrewsbury Town | 88 | Crawley Town | 84 | Crewe Alexandra | 7th | 72 |
2012–13 | Gillingham | 83 | Rotherham United | 79 | Port Vale | 78 | Bradford City | 7th | 69 |
2013–14 | Chesterfield | 84 | Scunthorpe United | 81 | Rochdale | 81 | Fleetwood Town | 4th | 76 |
2014–15 | Burton Albion | 94 | Shrewsbury Town | 89 | Bury | 85 | Southend United | 5th | 84 |
2015–16 | Northampton Town | 99 | Oxford United | 86 | Bristol Rovers | 85 | AFC Wimbledon | 7th | 75 |
2016–17 | Portsmouth | 87 | Plymouth Argyle | 87 | Doncaster Rovers | 85 | Blackpool | 7th | 70 |
2017–18 | Accrington Stanley | 93 | Luton Town | 88 | Wycombe Wanderers | 84 | Coventry City | 6th | 75 |
Play-off results
| Season | Semi-final (1st leg) | Semi-final (2nd leg) | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
2004–05 | Lincoln City 1–0 Macclesfield Town Northampton Town 0–0 Southend United | Macclesfield Town 1–1 Lincoln City Southend United 1–0 Northampton Town | Lincoln City 0–2 Southend United |
2005–06 | Lincoln City 0–1 Grimsby Town Wycombe Wanderers 1–2 Cheltenham Town | Grimsby Town 2–1 Lincoln City Cheltenham Town 0–0 Wycombe Wanderers | Grimsby Town 0–1 Cheltenham Town |
2006–07 | Bristol Rovers 2–1 Lincoln City Shrewsbury Town 0–0 Milton Keynes Dons | Lincoln City 3–5 Bristol Rovers Milton Keynes Dons 1–2 Shrewsbury Town | Bristol Rovers 3–1 Shrewsbury Town |
2007–08 | Darlington 2–1 Rochdale Wycombe Wanderers 1–1 Stockport County | Rochdale 2–1 Darlington (Rochdale won 5–4 on penalties, AET) Stockport County 1–0 Wycombe Wanderers | Rochdale 2–3 Stockport County |
2008–09 | Shrewsbury Town 0–1 Bury Rochdale 0–0 Gillingham | Bury 0–1 Shrewsbury Town (Shrewsbury won 4 – 3 on penalties, AET) Gillingham 2–1 Rochdale | Gillingham 1–0 Shrewsbury Town |
2009–10 | Dagenham & Redbridge 6–0 Morecambe Aldershot Town 0–1 Rotherham United | Morecambe 2–1 Dagenham & Redbridge Rotherham United 2–0 Aldershot Town | Dagenham & Redbridge 3–2 Rotherham United |
2010–11 | Torquay United 2–0 Shrewsbury Town Stevenage 2–0 Accrington Stanley | Shrewsbury Town 0–0 Torquay United Accrington Stanley 0–1 Stevenage | Stevenage 1–0 Torquay United |
2011–12 | Crewe Alexandra 1–0 Southend United Cheltenham Town 2–0 Torquay United | Southend United 2–2 Crewe Alexandra Torquay United 1–2 Cheltenham Town | Cheltenham Town 0–2 Crewe Alexandra |
2012–13 | Bradford City 2–3 Burton Albion Northampton Town 1–0 Cheltenham Town | Burton Albion 1–3 Bradford City Cheltenham Town 0–1 Northampton Town | Bradford City 3–0 Northampton Town |
2013–14 | Burton Albion 1–0 Southend United York City 0–1 Fleetwood Town | Southend United 2–2 Burton Albion Fleetwood Town 0–0 York City | Burton Albion 0–1 Fleetwood Town |
2014–15 | Stevenage 1–1 Southend United Plymouth Argyle 2–3 Wycombe Wanderers | Southend United 3–1 Stevenage (AET) Wycombe Wanderers 2–1 Plymouth Argyle | Southend United 1–1 Wycombe Wanderers (Southend won 7–6 on penalties) |
2015–16 | Portsmouth 2–2 Plymouth Argyle AFC Wimbledon 1–0 Accrington Stanley | Plymouth Argyle 1–0 Portsmouth Accrington Stanley 2–2 AFC Wimbledon (AET) | AFC Wimbledon 2–0 Plymouth Argyle |
2016–17 | Blackpool 3–2 Luton Carlisle 3–3 Exeter | Luton 3–3 Blackpool Exeter 3–2 Carlisle | Blackpool 2–1 Exeter |
2017–18 | Lincoln City 0–0 Exeter Coventry City 1–1 Notts County | Exeter 3–1 Lincoln City Notts County 1–4 Coventry City | Coventry City 3–1 Exeter |
Relegated teams
| Season | Clubs |
|---|---|
2004–05 | Kidderminster Harriers, Cambridge United |
2005–06 | Oxford United, Rushden & Diamonds |
2006–07 | Boston United, Torquay United |
2007–08 | Mansfield Town, Wrexham |
2008–09 | Chester City, Luton Town[3] |
2009–10 | Darlington, Grimsby Town |
2010–11 | Lincoln City, Stockport County |
2011–12 | Macclesfield Town, Hereford United |
2012–13 | Aldershot Town, Barnet |
2013–14 | Bristol Rovers, Torquay United |
2014–15 | Cheltenham Town, Tranmere Rovers |
2015–16 | York City, Dagenham & Redbridge |
2016-17 | Hartlepool United, Leyton Orient |
2017-18 | Barnet, Chesterfield |
Top scorers
| Season | Top scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
2004–05 | Phil Jevons | Yeovil Town | 27 |
2005–06 | Karl Hawley | Carlisle United | 23 |
2006–07 | Richard Barker | Hartlepool United | 21 |
| Izale McLeod | Milton Keynes Dons | ||
2007–08 | Aaron McLean | Peterborough United | 29 |
2008–09 | Grant Holt | Shrewsbury Town | 20 |
| Jack Lester | Chesterfield | ||
2009–10 | Lee Hughes | Notts County | 30 |
2010–11 |  Clayton Donaldson | Crewe Alexandra | 28 |
2011–12 | Izale McLeod | Barnet | 18 |
| Jack Midson | AFC Wimbledon | ||
2012–13 | Tom Pope | Port Vale | 31 |
2013–14 | Sam Winnall | Scunthorpe United | 23 |
2014–15 | Matt Tubbs | Portsmouth | 21 |
2015–16 | Matty Taylor | Bristol Rovers | 27 |
2016–17 | John Marquis | Doncaster Rovers | 26 |
2017–18 |  Marc McNulty | Coventry City | 25 |
| Billy Kee | Accrington Stanley |
Broadcasting rights
Sky have broadcasting rights for EFL football league including League Two, Quest will show highlights in 2018–19.[4]
See also
Football League Fourth Division (1958–59 – 1991–92)
Football League Third Division (1992–93 – 2003–04)
References and notes
^ "The Football League - About Us - History - Timeline - TIMELINE". Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011. CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
^ "Football Ground Guide". Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
^ Luton were deducted 30 points for financial irregularities
^ "EFL TV Games". www.efl.com.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to EFL League Two. |
External links
- Football League Two official site
