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A View Of League Two - Part Two
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Gillingham to Walsall and everywhere in between. The second of two parts of our unhelpful guide to League Two.
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By:
Eric Hitchmo
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28/06/2025
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This article has been viewed 117 times.
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In part two of our unhelpful guide, we go on the road from Gillingham to Walsall. That sounds very League Two doesn’t it.
 GILLINGHAM | | PLD 19 – W 8, D 4, L 7 | Last Meeting - 26/12/2012, W 1-0 (A), League Two | Fixtures this season – H 25/04/2026, A 22/11/2025 | | By Train: 1h45m New Barnet to Highbury & Islington, Victoria Line to St. Pancras, St. Pancras to Gillingham. | | Full Opponent Profile |
Gillingham is perhaps one of the less welcoming places in the league, both in terms of the town and the notorious uncovered temporary away end that looks like it could collapse at any moment.
The structure was tested somewhat by bodies flying everywhere over the stand during a 4-2 Bank Holiday Monday win there during the Great Escape of 2010-2011 and in truth it has been a reasonably happy hunting ground with four wins in our last five trips there.
Rather like Ebbsfleet nearby it is a pain in the arse to get to by road or rail and there really isn’t much of note awaiting you after your journey. And I really mean that. If you’re close enough to St. Pancras or Victoria it’s not too bad a trip I guess.
In the last two decades they have flipped and flopped between League One and League Two, their last relegation being in 2022, and it’s thirteen years since we last played them. We prayed for a summer trip, alas it’ll be a nice cold November uncovered away end disaster.
 GRIMSBY TOWN | | PLD 21 – W 4, D 4, L 13 | Last Meeting - 30/04/2022, D 2-2 (H), National League | Fixtures this season – H 20/09/2025, A 17/01/2026 | | By Train: 3h3m, Kings Cross to Doncaster, Doncaster to Cleethorpes. Or you could pick up a Doncaster train at Stevenage but I wouldn’t recommend it. | | Full Opponent Profile |
Talking of unwelcoming places, that leads us nicely onto Grimsby. This is perhaps the scene of the coldest I’ve ever been in my life during a 4-1 midweek defeat in March 2008. It’s miserable.
Placed right on the North Sea coast, the biting sea breeze hits you every time. Couple this with a dismal record against them home and away, it’s not going to be first on my list of games to come home for, given it’s there in January. Bracing
On top of all of that, the locals can be a bit hostile too. Take the relegation nine-pointer in 2010 as exhibit A. A 2-0 defeat saw us surrounded on all sides of the ground by pitch-invading hordes accompanied by police horses. The police escort to the ground before the game was missing afterwards and a few lads took a bit of a push, shove and kick on the way back to the train station. I myself sulked, convinced we were going to get relegated, took a safer exit out of the ground and wondered what all the fuss was about when I reunited with everyone.
They’ve made a habit of bringing vast numbers to The Hive too, something about fancy dress, Mariachi bands and inflatable fish being used to “assault” a steward in one more recent meeting. The only thing it’s got going for it is the Fish and Chips, I’ll give it that. And of course, the outstanding Cod Almighty fanzine.
 HARROGATE TOWN | | PLD 3 – W 1, D 0, L 2 | Last Meeting - 29/10/2019, L 1-2 (A), National League | Fixtures this season – H 29/11/2025, A 02/05/2026 | | By Train: 2h52m Kings Cross to Harrogate. | | Full Opponent Profile |
There’s very little to say about Barnet and Harrogate Town, having only met three times in our history.
Spending many years in the National League North, they came up to the National League in 2018 just as we had come down from League Two. An early season defeat for The Bees away from home perhaps summed up where we were as a club at the time.
Unlike your Fleetwoods or your Salfords, it looks from the outside as though Harrogate have got where they are through hard graft rather than just throwing millions at it and hoping for the best. They needed just two seasons in the National League before making it to the Football League where they have been ever since.
They have yet to make major inroads into the league as yet, but let’s not forget this is a team that were in the eighth tier in 2002. Supposedly it is a very nice place as well and is direct accessible from Kings Cross. Fancy it for an end of season celebratory piss up?
 MILTON KEYNES | | PLD 8 – W 1, D 2, L 5 | Last Meeting - 29/11/2020, L 0-1 (H), FA Cup | Fixtures this season – H 08/11/2025, A 21/03/2026 | | By Train: 35m Euston to Bletchley. | | Full Opponent Profile |
There’s not much to be said about this club that hasn’t been said already. It’s something of a good thing that football has not forgotten the absolute travesty that was the formation of the club, but its failure is perhaps characterised by the over-ambitious aspirations of its former owner building a 30,000-seater stadium which at the moment is barely a quarter full most weeks. They’ve been yo-yoing between League One and League Two with an occasional stay in the Championship, hardly what they might have expected twenty years ago.
Our record against them is not overly pretty however with just a single win in eight meetings, Ismail Yakubu with the winning goal at the new stadium in 2007. The previous season, a feisty encounter at the Hockey Stadium saw us receive two red cards during a 3-1 defeat which fired us up into a very rowdy atmosphere, a fair bit directed at Dean Lewington who has only just retired after amassing over 900 appearances for them. I’m loathed to say “fair play”.
The town (“city”) is about as manufactured as it gets. Fans of Simcity will have a field day with the square blocks and roundabouts which still give me a headache whenever I have to go there for family occasions. Expect chain pubs, chain restaurants, chain everything when you arrive on your short trip from Euston, or go to Bletchley if you want to be closer to the stadium.
Then get the hell out of there ASAP.
 NEWPORT COUNTY | | PLD 10 – W 5, D 3, L 2 | Last Meeting - 12/12/2023, L 1-4 (H), FA Cup | Fixtures this season – H 14/03/2026, A 26/12/2025, League Cup Preliminary Round H TBC | | By Train: 2h13m Paddington to Newport | | Full Opponent Profile |
Newport and Barnet have very little mutual history besides the fact that Newport were on the receiving end of a 6-1 FA Cup hammering by Barnet in 1970 which has stood for some time as the largest defeat of a Football League club by a Non-League club in that competition.
The same could not be said of the most recent encounter where Newport took us apart at The Hive in a second round replay after we’d salvaged a draw in the first fixture. They went onto play Man Utd in the fourth round, pushing them pretty close.
In fact, four of our ten meetings have been in the FA Cup. We’ll add the League Cup to that list with a bizarre Preliminary Round encounter which has been thrown in on the basis that there are too many English clubs in Europe this season. Thanks for that.
Not as far from Paddington as you’d think, we’ve never lost away at Newport but having not been there myself it’s hard for me to comment on it. The ground looks interesting from footage online with all manner of random stands at different vantage points. However train travel is likely to be academic as we’ve been handed the away trip there on Boxing Day. What have we done to deserve that?
 NOTTS COUNTY | | PLD 27 – W 7, D 4, L 16 | Last Meeting - 18/03/2023, D 1-1 (H), National League | Fixtures this season – H 18/10/2025, A 18/04/2026 | | By Train: 1h34m St. Pancras to Nottingham | | Full Opponent Profile |
Ah Notts County. Another big club fallen on hard times who are now on their way back. Promoted from the National League in 2023 after a terrific tussle with Wrexham having been relegated in 2019, they might feel as though they are still below their natural level.
Recording a ridiculous 107 points in that battle, they very nearly made an arse of the playoffs, requiring late goals against Boreham Wood to get to the final against Chesterfield who they beat on penalties.
They also beat us comfortably in the COVID-affected playoff campaign of 2020, but since then have served us several hammerings as we were in struggle mode in the National League.
Under the stewardship of fan-favourite and former Wealdstone man Stuart Maynard, they have not been as strong as they would have liked in League Two, just making the Playoffs last year. They were beaten by AFC Wimbledon in two turgid affairs. He was then relieved of his duties, saving us from a lovely reunion.
In Nottingham you’ll find one of the best cities in the country for nightlife and indeed, daylife. It’s got something for everyone. Pubs, clubs and everything in between. Well worth a trip.
 OLDHAM ATHLETIC | | PLD 6 – W 2, D 1, L 3 | Last Meeting - 01/03/2025, W 3-0 (A), National League | Fixtures this season – H 24/01/2026, A 27/09/2025 | | By Train: 3h Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, Metrolink to Westwood via Manchester Victoria | | Full Opponent Profile |
Having been absolutely hammering manager Micky Mellon for most of the last season and a bit, Oldham’s many fans had to eat some humble pie as he guided Oldham to Playoff glory last season to join us in being promoted from the National League. They took Halifax apart in an opening blitz and stunned York to get to Wembley where a double in two extra-time minutes saw them beat Southend United in the Attendance Cup Final.
We only met for the first time in 2022 and for a time, Mellon had a habit of doing a job on us with two strong wins at The Hive and a 0-0 draw. At Boundary Park last season however, we smashed them 3-0 in a terrific second half performance which drew boos from the home crowd.
As alluded to, these are another fanbase who will come at us and other smaller clubs about our crowds, seemingly obsessed with the fact they have a bigger fanbase having traditionally been a League One (or better) club. The Playoff success was their first promotion however in over 30 years, having been on a steady decline from the halcyon days of being a founder member of the Premier League.
It’s a fiddly journey by train, getting to Manchester Piccadilly before switching to a tram over to Westwood which is a 15-20 minute walk from the ground. Stick to Manchester pre-match.
 SALFORD CITY | | PLD 2 – W 0, D 1, L 1 | Last Meeting - 23/03/2019, D 0-0 (A), National League | Fixtures this season – H 20/12/2025, A 07/03/2026 | | By Train: 2h6 to Manchester Piccadilly, then taxi probably | | Full Opponent Profile |
Another Manchester trip, this time to a club we know very little about. Another side that have been bankrolled to this level, famously by the class of ’92 by footballing everyman Gary Neville, we have only met twice ever as they passed on through the National League in 2019.
From what little I have seen, there seems to be a lot of indifference about the club with a sterile atmosphere though I am perfectly happy to be proven wrong. It comes with the territory I suppose when new ownership comes in, crowds grow from 100 to nearly 3000, the club colours get changed, the crest gets changed, the ground gets a full revamp, and so on.
Narrowly missing out on the Playoffs last year, with the backing they have, there’s bound to be a good chance that they’ll be in the mix at the right end of the table.
Again, it’s a Manchester trip though this time slightly closer to the city centre. Well in reach of a taxi or tram from the city centre.
 SHREWSBURY TOWN | | PLD 29 – W 7, D 11, L 11 | Last Meeting - 05/11/2016, L 0-3 (A), FA Cup | Fixtures this season – H 06/09/2025, A 31/01/2026 | | By Train: 2h39m Euston to Crewe, Crewe to Shrewsbury | | Full Opponent Profile |
I was surprised to see that we hadn’t played Shrewsbury in a league match since 2012. They’ll be a new visitor to The Hive therefore so I imagine a few will come down to tick it off.
We’ve not beaten them in any of our last nine encounters either and we have pretty miserable record at their new ground…The..New Meadow… I have bittersweet memories of their old ground, Gay Meadow, too. A couple of terrific 1-0 wins celebrated by running around the empty away end terrace were highlights, but of course the penalty shoot-out defeat in the Playoffs of 2004 still sticks in the memory. I cried. On the telly.
Gay Meadow was a fantastic old stadium, but they had to move, as the old place was regularly flooded when the River Severn burst its banks. They are now out of the town in another identikit ground, which is a shame as the town is also very lovely.
They were in League One for a good ten years (hence why we’ve not played them, obviously) and made it as far as the Playoffs in 2018 which they lost alongside the EFL Trophy final. Hardly a consolation but that’s been as good as it’s got for them and they were relegated by some distance last year finishing rock bottom on 33 points.
Our last win against them was in 2008. Might be nice to change that.
 SWINDON TOWN | | PLD 10 – W 2, D 3, L 5 | Last Meeting - 01/01/2018, L 1-2 (H), League Two | Fixtures this season – H 17/02/2026, A 19/08/2025 | | By Train: 1h 2m Paddington to Swindon | | Full Opponent Profile |
Ah the Swindon lot. Slugs. Swindon have been languishing at this level for several years now having last dropped from the Championship in 2000. There have been a couple of League One playoff campaigns in there, but they haven’t been sheltered from a good old-fashioned collapse to find themselves back in League Two, becoming something of a yoyo club between the third and fourth tiers.
Ian Holloway came in last season to steady the ship after a very poor start put them in danger of being in the relegation fight for a trip to Non-League but they eventually recovered to finish 12th.
The infamous magic roundabout awaits you if you opt to drive there, just be sure not to just drive straight through the middle of it as one confused friend of the website did when we first went there in 2006. Don’t expect huge amounts from the town centre. It’s another midweek trip as well to add to the confusion.
Memorable encounters include the FA Cup Third Round tie in 2008 which was host to the oft-remembered Adam Birchall equaliser which sparked possibly the most frenzied limbs/bundles/stacks/scenes in memory in the away end. The replay saw us win a penalty shoot-out 2-0 (?!) in front of the brand new South Stand at Underhill to take us to the Fourth Round for only the second time ever and in back-to-back seasons.
There was also the FL Trophy Area Final which saw us go agonisingly close to breaking the Wembley duck alas a red card for cult zero Charlie Taylor in the Baltic cold away leg helped us to a 2-1 aggregate defeat.
 TRANMERE ROVERS | | PLD 0 – W 0, D 0, L 0 | Last Meeting – There isn’t one | Fixtures this season – H 27/01/2026, A 11/10/2025 | | By Train: 2h 44m Euston to Chester, Chester to Rock Ferry | | Full Opponent Profile |
Well there is quite literally nothing to say about Tranmere and Barnet as this season will be the first meeting of the clubs in history. How exciting. We might even take 150 to the away game in October, which is plenty for us. It’s not as awful as it would seem by train, if you change in Chester.
More often associated with the mid-high end of the pyramid, Tranmere have been on a steady decline since the 90s after dropping out of the Championship. They rose sharply from the fourth tier in the 80s and made the Championship (Division One) playoffs no less than three times in a row, losing in the semis each time. They made a League Cup semi in 1994 and the final in 2000 as well as that famous comeback from 3-0 down against Premier League Southampton in the FA Cup. Some pedigree, to be fair.
From there, the decline was rough for Tranmere, dropping through the divisions and being relegated to the National League in 2015, missing out on a meeting with Barnet as we won it that year. They lost in the Playoff final to Forest Green in 2017 before beating Boreham Wood in 2018 with ten men for almost the entire match. The man in charge was Oldham’s Micky Mellon, no less.
They went straight through to League One in 2019 but were relegated on PPG straight away and have been in League Two ever since, finishing 20th last season.
Their fans will be somewhat annoyed that their first meeting with us at The Hive will be played midweek, but I’m sure they’ll manage. A proper club, you’ll want to see their goal celebration at Accrington last season if you’re a fan of limbs/bundles/scenes.
 WALSALL | | PLD 10 – W 1, D 1, L 8 | Last Meeting – 24/02/2007, L 1-4 (A), League Two | Fixtures this season – H 16/08/2025, A 07/02/2026 | | By Train: 1h 57m Euston to Birmingham New Street, Birmingham New Street to Walsall | | Full Opponent Profile |
It’s been nearly twenty years since our last meeting with Walsall at one of the most well-known stadia in the country if you’re familiar with the M6. A functional new ground backs onto the motorway with its two-tier stand behind the goal boasting one of the most lucrative sponsorship prices in the country. Apparently.
Losing that game (obviously) 4-1, it was one of eight defeats in just ten matches with The Saddlers. We’ve only ever beaten them once, a 3-0 win at Underhill in 1992 and all five away trips have been defeats. Some exciting prospect then for our trip in February.
Walsall have spent most of the last twenty years bouncing between League One and League Two, with a brief foray into the Championship in the early 2000s. They conspired to blow a huge lead at the top of the league last season and dropped into the Playoffs where they lost in the final to AFC Wimbledon. Disaster all round.
It seems most logical to stick around Birmingham for a few beers before heading to the ground as Walsall itself didn’t appear the most salubrious. Unless you like Banks’ Ale from nearby Wolverhampton, if you can find it anymore.
Albert Adomah, our hero, has recently signed a one year contract extension with them which is a shame for those of us who would have liked one last dance in a Barnet shirt. I myself can’t wait to see him again. I don’t care if he scores against us either. He can have it.
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