Bradford City and Stockport County among Gary McSheffrey’s tips for League Two promotion push

Rovers begin the 2022/23 campaign with a trip to Valley Parade on Saturday to take on Mark Hughes’ side in front of a bumper crowd, which will include almost 2,000 travelling fans.

The Bantams have brought in no fewer than 14 players this summer, several of whom boast experience higher up the football pyramid.

Optimism is understandably high in West Yorkshire owing to the Hughes factor and an impressive summer spending spree.

Doncaster have made some exciting acquisitions of their own, however, and hope to occupy one of the three automatic promotion spots in the fourth tier come May.

Asked who he expects to rival them in their promotion push, McSheffrey said: “There’s quite a few teams; a couple of clubs have been taken over – the likes of Walsall and Crawley – that have signed loads of players and are paying good wages.

"Bradford have got a great manager and assistant manager (Glyn Hodges) and it looks like they’ve got a bottomless pot to sign lots of players as well.

"You have got the teams that are always up there and in and around it, like Northampton and Tranmere.”

Doncaster’s promotion odds have shortened in recent weeks owing to the excitement surrounding their eight new arrivals and an unbeaten pre-season.

Yet the Bantams will have the favourites tag this weekend and are one of the most fancied teams to win the league.

Another side expected to be in the mix this season is Stockport County.

They held off the challenge of Wrexham to win the National League last term with an expensively assembled squad of their own – and have been tipped for a resurgence after ending their 11-year Football League exile.

"It wouldn’t surprise me if Stockport are up there,” McSheffrey added.

"I watched their last two games of the season and they are at it. They are full of energy, good in the press, and they have got strikers that can punish you.”

"Out of those six teams a few will be there or thereabouts.”