by Paul Williams

For the first time since they were promoted back to the Football League (sorry, the EFL), Accrington Stanley aren’t favourites for relegation. That’s because they would have been starting off in League One today had they not messed up on the final day of last season.
 
On that basis, you’d think a visit to the tiny Crown Ground would be a tough start for Rovers especially as no-one, probably including Darren Ferguson, knows who will be fit and into what formation they will be inserted after a pre-season which has been costly in terms of injury, especially for poor Luke McCullough.
 
Stanley’s successful side of last year has been dismantled, however, and they’ve also had their problems pre-season. Goalkeeper Ross Etheridge is now Rovers’ number one and highly-rated defender Adam Buxton left for Portsmouth during the week to further disrupt the plans of long-serving manager John Coleman. Maybe the home side, like Rovers, would probably settle for avoiding defeat on the opening day to give them something to build on.
 
Etheridge, Tyler Garratt, Matty Blair, Joe Wright and John Marquis could all make their competitive debuts for Rovers on the wrong side of the Pennines. They will be backed by a 1,000-plus following but fans may have to give the new boys a few weeks to gel. However, the opening game should give us a good idea of what to expect this season from League Two.