Derby County and Wigan Athletic are set to kick off League One this weekend with a battle of two of the relegated sides from the Championship in recent years sitting close to the top of the promotion odds list.
Derby are set to play out their second season in League One after narrowly missing out on promotion back into the Championship. In the end, the Rams finished one point off the top six in the race for promotion, but given how they finished level on goals difference with sixth-placed Peterborough United, from a mathematical standpoint, it wasn't the worst season, despite the outcome.
In total, Derby would secure 21 wins from 46 games and go on to lose only 12 - this was five fewer than Peterborough's tally. During preseason, the Midlands side put together a decent record by beating Matlock Town, Chesterfield and Stoke City all by scoring a combined record of six goals and letting in zero. Their only loss was to Sheffield United, as the Rams also drew 1-1 with Salford City.
Wigan would also have a very positive preseason with them beating Bamber Bridge 5-1 before a 1-0 victory away to Bolton Wanderers. The club also went on to defeat Liverpool XI before a victory against Oldham Athletic and a draw against Accrington Stanley. The Latics would also smash Championship side Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 just last weekend.
