Ex-pros back Swindon to be 'knocking on the door' for promotion
League Two is just one game old, and Swindon got off to a frustrating start with a 2-1 defeat against ten-man Walsall, who were the beaten playoff finalists from last season.
But, Swindon enter the season with a slightly unfamiliar level of expectation after three seasons of languishing in the lower reaches of the fourth tier, with the bookmakers having them as the fifth-most likely team to win the division.
After Ian Holloway turned Town into the sixth-best side in the division during 2025, they are seen as one of the teams that can compete.
Speaking about what he expected from League Two to casino.co.uk, Goodman said: 'You have to start with MK Dons and Paul Warne. They look to have recruited well, sold the project to a manager who knows how to get promoted, so I'd be shocked if they didn't seriously challenge.
'I can't see anything other than them being in the top three and getting automatically promoted.
'Chesterfield, my old mate Paul Cook is there, and they will hope to do one better than last season. I thought that was a great effort, considering it was their first season back in the EFL.
'Notts County and Salford were in and around it last season and again you'd expect the same of those two, with them both being ambitious clubs.
'Ian Holloway at Swindon, I've got to mention, too. What he did from the moment he joined, I think the points tally would have been knocking on the door for automatic promotion, and they were relegation candidates when he joined. I definitely think Swindon will be up there.'
Read more: Town set to miss out on striker target to Scottish Premiership club
'Hopefully they will realise' - Swindon still looking to move players out
Breaking down how Swindon conceded 'world's worst goal' against Walsall
He's not the only one who has been impressed by what Holloway has done and sees them being competitive this year.
Speaking to BoyleSports, about the latest football betting, former Southampton man Iain Dowie said: "I think Ian Holloway has done an outstanding job there. Harry Smith caught fire at the end of the season, and they bought players like Billy Bodin, Tom Nichols and James Ball.
"He doesn't need to do much. He's lost three games since the 18th of January, and he's got a personality that gets you smiling and lifts the mood, and it's great to see him doing what he's doing.
"My view is I think they've got to be challenging given the way they've hit form, and I don't see that form going away.
"He's going to be unbelievably competitive, and he drives them on from the sideline. I think they'll be in and around the shake-up."
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