Imps are made second favourites
By Nathan Jackson
June 1 2005
Despite a bad finish (form wise) to the season and a bad start to the summer, City are second favourites to win League 2 with some bookmakers. 5 days on from Cardiff, Sporting Odds have released their odds for next season and despite losing our two top goalscorers for 2004-5, we're second favourites
Just 5 days after Cardiff, City had already lost Simon Yeo and Gary Taylor-Fletcher through different means and that comination scored 35+ goals in 2004/5, despite this, Sporting Odds are still confident that the Imps can get automatic promotion. If they do, it will be an exact replica of Hartlepool a few seasons ago. After 3 failed playoff attempts, they went up automatically and should have really won the title but a 3-0 defeat, ironically at Lincoln started their decline and they finished second after spending virtually all season at the top of the table.
City are only behind Northampton who have ratings of 7/1 with the Imps at 8/1 and Wrexham placed at 9/1. Favourites to go down, rather unsuprisingly, are Shrewsbury and Rushden, both priced at 66/1. Relegated teams are all predicted to do fairly well, Wrexham at 8/1, Torquay 10/1, Peterborough and Stockport both priced at 14/1.
My tips for this division would be put a few quid on Bury to get in the playoffs, they have a strong squad and on their day, can beat anyone in this division and at a price of 40/1, could be a nice little earner.
| Northampton Town | 7/1 |
| Lincoln City | 8/1 |
| Wrexham | 9/1 |
| Torquay United | 10/1 |
| Wycombe | 10/1 |
| Darlington | 12/1 |
| Macclesfield Town | 14/1 |
| Peterborough United | 14/1 |
| Stockport | 14/1 |
| Oxford United | 16/1 |
| Bristol Rovers | 16/1 |
| Leyton Orient | 18/1 |
| Notts County | 18/1 |
| Carlisle Utd | 18/1 |
| Rochdale | 25/1 |
| Chester | 25/1 |
| Mansfield Town | 28/1 |
| Grimsby | 28/1 |
| Barnet | 33/1 |
| Boston Utd | 33/1 |
| Cheltenham | 33/1 |
| Bury | 40/1 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 66/1 |
| Rushden and Diamonds | 66/1 |