2022–23 EFL League Two explained

Competition:	EFL League Two
Season:	2022–23
Dates:	30 July 2022 – 8 May 2023
Winners:	Leyton Orient
Promoted:	Leyton Orient Stevenage Northampton Town Carlisle United
Relegated:	Hartlepool United Rochdale
Matches:	552
Total Goals:	1294
League Topscorer:	Andy Cook (28 goals)
Biggest Home Win:	Stevenage 5–0 Barrow (2 December 2022) Swindon Town 5–0 Grimsby Town (14 January 2023)
Biggest Away Win:	Hartlepool United 0–5 Stockport County (3 December 2022)
Highest Scoring:	Rochdale 4–4 Swindon Town (18 March 2023)
Attendance:	2,999,174
Average Attendance:	5,712
Prevseason:	2021–22
Nextseason:	2023–24
Updated:	15 May 2023

The 2022–23 EFL League Two (referred to as the Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship reasons) was the 19th season of the Football League Two under its current title and the 31st season under its current league division format. It began on 30 July 2022.

Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2021–22 season:

To League Two

Promoted from National League

• Stockport County
• Grimsby Town

Relegated from League One

• Gillingham
• Doncaster Rovers
• AFC Wimbledon
• Crewe Alexandra

From League Two

Promoted to League One

• Forest Green Rovers
• Exeter City
• Bristol Rovers
• Port Vale

Relegated to National League

• Oldham Athletic
• Scunthorpe United

Stadiums

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity
		Plough Lane	9,369
Barrow	Barrow-in-Furness		5,045
Bradford City	Bradford	Valley Parade	25,126
Carlisle United	Carlisle	Brunton Park	17,949
Colchester United	Colchester	Colchester Community Stadium	10,105
Crawley Town	Crawley		5,996
Crewe Alexandra	Crewe	Gresty Road	10,153
			15,231
			11,582
Grimsby Town		Blundell Park	9,052
Harrogate Town	Harrogate	Wetherby Road	5,000
Hartlepool United	Hartlepool	Victoria Park	7,856
Leyton Orient	London	Brisbane Road	9,271
Mansfield Town			9,186
Newport County	Newport		7,850
Northampton Town	Northampton	Sixfields Stadium	7,798
Rochdale	Rochdale	Spotland Stadium	10,000
			5,108
	Stevenage		7,800
		Edgeley Park	10,852
	London	Gander Green Lane	5,032
	Swindon	County Ground	15,728
Tranmere Rovers	Birkenhead	Prenton Park	16,789
Walsall	Walsall	Bescot Stadium	11,300

Personnel and sponsoring

Team	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Sponsor
	Johnnie Jackson	Alex Woodyard	Hummel^[1]	Sports Interactive
Barrow	Pete Wild	Niall Canavan	Puma	JF Hornby & Co.
	Mark Hughes	Richie Smallwood	Macron	JCT600
Carlisle United	Paul Simpson	Morgan Feeney	Erreà	Bimson Haulage
Colchester United	Ben Garner	Tommy Smith	Macron	Workhorse Group
Crawley Town	Scott Lindsey	Ben Gladwin	Adidas	The People's Pension
Crewe Alexandra	Lee Bell	Luke Offord	FBT	Mornflake
	Grant McCann	Tom Anderson	Elite Pro Sports	Eco-Power Group
Gillingham	Neil Harris	Stuart O'Keefe	Macron	MEMS Power Generation
Grimsby Town	Paul Hurst	Luke Waterfall	Macron	myenergi
Harrogate Town	Simon Weaver	Josh Falkingham	New Balance	Strata
	John Askey	Nicky Featherstone	Erreà^[2]	Suit Direct
	Richie Wellens	Darren Pratley	Puma^[3]	Multiple charities
Mansfield Town	Nigel Clough	Ollie Clarke	Surridge Sports	One Call Insurance
Newport County	Graham Coughlan	Mickey Demetriou	Hummel	Pure Vans
Northampton Town	Jon Brady	Jon Guthrie	Hummel	University of Northampton
	Jimmy McNulty (interim)	Ethan Ebanks-Landell	Erreà	Crown Oil Ltd
Salford City	Neil Wood	Ashley Eastham	Castore	TalkTalk
Stevenage	Steve Evans	Carl Piergianni	Macron	Prime Gaming
	Dave Challinor		Puma	VITA Group
Sutton United	Matt Gray	Craig Eastmond	O'Neills	Angel Plastics
Swindon Town	Michael Flynn	Charlie Austin	Puma	First City Nursing and Care
Tranmere Rovers	Ian Dawes	Kane Hemmings	Mills	Essar
	Mat Sadler	Donervon Daniels	Erreà

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in the table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
AFC Wimbledon	Mark Bowen^[4]	End of contract	7 May 2022	Pre-season	Johnnie Jackson^[5]	16 May 2022
Hartlepool United	Michael Nelson	End of caretaker spell	8 May 2022		Paul Hartley^[6]	3 June 2022
Crawley Town	Lewis Young				Kevin Betsy^[7]	6 June 2022
Barrow	Phil Brown^[8]	End of contract	12 May 2022		Pete Wild^[9]	27 May 2022
Salford City	Gary Bowyer^[10]	Sacked	17 May 2022		Neil Wood^[11]	20 May 2022
Swindon Town	Ben Garner^[12]	Signed by Charlton Athletic	8 June 2022		Scott Lindsey^[13]	20 June 2022
Rochdale	Robbie Stockdale^[14]	Sacked	18 August 2022	24th	Jim Bentley^[15]	29 August 2022
Hartlepool United	Paul Hartley^[16]		18 September 2022	23rd	Keith Curle^[17]	18 September 2022
Colchester United	Wayne Brown^[18]		18 September 2022	21st	Matt Bloomfield^[19]	30 September 2022
Crawley Town	Kevin Betsy^[20]		9 October 2022	24th	Matthew Etherington^[21]	27 November 2022
Newport County	James Rowberry^[22]		10 October 2022	18th	Graham Coughlan^[23]	20 October 2022
Doncaster Rovers	Gary McSheffrey^[24]		17 October 2022	12th	Danny Schofield^[25]	20 October 2022
Crewe Alexandra	Alex Morris^[26]	Demoted to assistant manager	4 November 2022	16th	Lee Bell^[27]	4 November 2022
Crawley Town	Matthew Etherington^[28]	Mutual Consent	29 December 2022	20th	Scott Lindsey^[29]	11 January 2023
Swindon Town	Scott Lindsey^[30]	Signed by Crawley Town	11 January 2023	8th	Jody Morris^[31]	31 January 2023
Colchester United	Matt Bloomfield^[32]	Signed by Wycombe Wanderers	21 February 2023	18th	Ben Garner^[33]	2 March 2023
Hartlepool United	Keith Curle^[34]	Sacked	22 February 2023	22nd	John Askey^[35]	23 February 2023
Tranmere Rovers	Micky Mellon^[36]		19 March 2023	14th	Ian Dawes^[37]	4 May 2023
Rochdale	Jim Bentley^[38]		27 March 2023	24th	Jimmy McNulty (interim)	27 March 2023
Walsall	Michael Flynn^[39]		19 April 2023	15th	Mat Sadler^[40] (interim)	19 April 2023
Swindon Town	Jody Morris^[41]		1 May 2023	10th	Steve Mildenhall and Gavin Gunning (Interim)	1 May 2023

Play-offs

See main article: 2023 English Football League play-offs.

Semi-Finals

First leg

Second leg

2–2 on Aggregate. Stockport County wins 3–1 on penaltiesCarlisle United won 3–2 on Aggregate.

Final

See main article: 2023 EFL League Two play-off final.

Season statistics

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Andy Cook	Bradford City	28
2	Sam Hoskins	Northampton Town	21
3	Kristian Dennis	Carlisle United	20
4	Dan Agyei	Crewe Alexandra	16
	Luke Armstrong	Harrogate Town
6	Omar Bogle	Newport County	15
	Josh Gordon	Barrow
8	Kyle Wootton	Stockport County	14
9	Danny Johnson	Walsall Mansfield Town	13

Hat-tricks

See main article: List of EFL League Two hat-tricks.

Player	For	Against	Result	Date	Ref
Danny Johnson	Walsall	Hartlepool United	4–0	30 July 2022	^[42]
Billy Waters	Barrow	Colchester United	3–1	1 November 2022	^[43]
Matt Smith	Salford City	Grimsby Town	1–4	29 December 2022	^[44]
Charlie Austin	Swindon Town	Rochdale	4–4	19 March 2023	^[45]
Dan Kemp	Hartlepool United	Grimsby Town	1–4	7 April 2023	^[46]
Josh Gordon	Barrow	Crawley Town	4–0	10 April 2023	^[47]

Awards

Monthly

Month	Manager of the Month		Player of the Month		Reference
August	Richie Wellens	Leyton Orient	Sam Hoskins	Northampton Town	^[48]
September			Andy Cook	Bradford City	^[49]
October	Michael Flynn	Walsall	Paddy Madden	Stockport County	^[50]
November	Johnnie Jackson	AFC Wimbledon	Billy Waters	Barrow	^[51]
December	Dave Challinor	Stockport County	Kyle Wootton	Stockport County	^[52]
January	Matt Bloomfield	Colchester United	Conor McAleny	Salford City	^[53]
February	Dave Challinor	Stockport County	Dan Kemp	Hartlepool United	^[54]
March	Jon Brady	Northampton Town	Callum Hendry	Salford City	^[55]

Annual

Award	Winner	Club
Player of the Season	Sam Hoskins^[56]	Northampton Town
Young Player of the Season	Junior Tchamadeu	Colchester United
Manager of the Season	Richie Wellens^[57]	Leyton Orient

Notes and References

1. Web site: Teaming up with hummel again! .
2. News: Hartlepool new kit supplier . Hartlepool United FC . 29 April 2022 . 10 May 2022.
3. News: Leyton Orient to partner with Puma from the 2022/23 season . 7 December 2021 . 7 December 2021 . Leyton Orient.
4. Web site: Mark Bowen departs for a new role elsewhere .
5. Web site: The wait is over! New manager confirmed. www.afcwimbledon.co.uk. 16 May 2022. 13 June 2022.
6. Web site: Pools appoint Paul Hartley. www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk. 3 June 2022. 13 June 2022.
7. Web site: CLUB APPOINT KEVIN BETSY AS MANAGER. www.crawleytownfc.com. 6 June 2022. 13 June 2022.
8. Web site: Club Statement: Phil Brown. www.barrowafc.com. 12 May 2022. 14 May 2022.
9. Web site: Pete Wild Appointed As Barrow Manager. www.barrowafc.com. 27 May 2022. 13 June 2022.
10. Web site: Club Statement (17/05/2022). salfordcityfc.co.uk. 17 May 2022.
11. Web site: Neil Wood announced as new Head Coach. salfordcityfc.co.uk. 20 May 2022. 13 June 2022.
12. Web site: Club Statement: Ben Garner Departs. www.swindontownfc.co.uk. 8 June 2022. 13 June 2022.
13. Web site: BREAKING: Scott Lindsey appointed as Town's new Head Coach. www.swindontownfc.co.uk. 20 June 2022. 21 June 2022.
14. Web site: Club Statement (18/08/2022). rochdaleafc.co.uk. 18 August 2022.
15. Web site: Jim Bentley Appointed As First Team Manager. www.rochdaleafc.co.uk. 29 August 2022. 29 August 2022.
16. Web site: Club Statement - Paul Hartley and Gordon Young . www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk. 18 September 2022. 18 September 2022.
17. Web site: Keith Curle appointed interim manager. www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk. 18 September 2022. 19 September 2022.
18. Web site: U's appoint Bloomfield. www.cu-fc.com. 18 September 2022. 18 September 2022.
19. Web site: Club Statement - Wayne Brown. www.cu-fc.com. 18 September 2022. 18 September 2022.
20. Web site: Club Statement - Kevin Betsy & Dan Micciche. www.crawleytownfc.com. 9 October 2022. 10 October 2022.
21. Web site: Matthew Etherington takes over as Crawley Town boss as Lewis Young leaves. BBC Sport. 27 November 2022. 27 November 2022.
22. Web site: Newport County part company with management team. www.newport-county.co.uk. 10 October 2022. 10 October 2022.
23. Web site: Graham Coughlan appointed Newport County manager!. www.newport-county.co.uk. 20 October 2022. 20 October 2022.
24. Web site: CLUB STATEMENT: Rovers part company with Gary McSheffrey. Doncaster Rovers. 17 October 2022. 17 October 2022.
25. Web site: Danny Schofield named new Rovers head coach. Doncaster Rovers. 20 October 2022. 20 October 2022.
26. Web site: Alex Morris steps down as First-Team Manager . Crewe Alexandra. 4 November 2022. 4 November 2022.
27. Web site: Lee Bell appointed First Team Manager. www.crewealex.net. 1 December 2022. 1 December 2022.
28. Web site: CLUB STATEMENT : MATTHEW ETHERINGTON & SIMON DAVIES. www.crawleytownfc.com. 29 December 2022. 29 December 2022.
29. Web site: SCOTT LINDSEY APPOINTED AS MANAGER. www.crawleytownfc.com. 11 January 2023. 11 January 2023.
30. Web site: CLUB STATEMENT: Scott Lindsey and Jamie Day depart. www.swindontownfc.co.uk. 11 January 2023. 11 January 2023.
31. Web site: Jody Morris confirmed as new Swindon Town Head Coach. www.swindontownfc.co.uk. 31 January 2023. 31 January 2023.
32. Web site: Club Statement. www.cu-fc.com. 21 February 2023. 21 February 2023.
33. Web site: Garner Appointed Head Coach. www.cu-fc.com. 2 March 2023. 2 March 2023.
34. Web site: Keith Curle: Relegation-threatened Hartlepool United sack manager. . 22 February 2023 . 22 February 2023.
35. Web site: Pools appoint John Askey. www.hartepoolunited.co.uk. 23 February 2023. 23 February 2023.
36. Web site: Club Statement: Micky Mellon. www.tranmererovers.co.uk. 19 March 2023. 19 March 2023.
37. Web site: Ian Dawes appointed new Tranmere Rovers Manager . Tranmere Rovers. 4 May 2023. 4 May 2023.
38. Web site: Club Statement. www.rochdaleafc.co.uk. 27 March 2023. 27 March 2023.
39. Web site: Club Statement: Michael Flynn. www.saddlers.co.uk. 19 April 2023. 19 April 2023.
40. Web site: Michael Flynn: Walsall sack head coach after one league win in 20 games. BBC Sport. 19 April 2023. 19 April 2023.
41. Web site: CLUB STATEMENT: Town part company with Jody Morris and Ed Brand. www.swindontownfc.co.uk. 1 May 2023. 1 May 2023.
42. Web site: Walsall 4–0 Hartlepool United. BBC Sport. 30 July 2022. 30 July 2022.
43. Web site: Barrow 3–1 Colchester United. BBC Sport. 1 November 2022. 9 November 2022.
44. Web site: Grimsby Town 1–4 Salford City. BBC Sport. 29 December 2022. 29 December 2022.
45. Web site: Rochdale 4–4 Swindon Town: Charlie Austin scores four but Robins held. BBC Sport. 18 March 2023. 18 March 2023.
46. Web site: Grimsby Town 1–4 Hartlepool United. BBC Sport. 7 April 2023. 7 April 2023.
47. Web site: Barrow 4–0 Crawley Town. BBC Sport. 10 April 2023. 10 April 2023.
48. Web site: Sky Bet EFL August Manager and Player of the Month winners. November 12, 2022. EFL. en.
49. Web site: Sky Bet EFL September Manager and Player of the Month winners. November 12, 2022. EFL. en.
50. Web site: Sky Bet EFL October Manager and Player of the Month winners. November 12, 2022. EFL. en.
51. Web site: Sky Bet EFL November Manager and Player of the Month winners. December 29, 2022. EFL. en.
52. Web site: Introducing your Sky Bet EFL December Manager and Player of the Month winners. February 6, 2023. EFL. en.
53. Web site: Sky Bet EFL January Manager and Player of the Month winners. www.efl.com. 10 February 2023. 10 February 2023.
54. Web site: Sky Bet EFL February Manager and Player of the Month winners. www.efl.com. 10 March 2023. 10 March 2023.
55. Web site: Sky Bet EFL March Manager and Player of the Month winners. www.efl.com. 7 April 2023. 7 April 2023.
56. Web site: Middlesbrough's Chuba Akpom takes Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season. www.efl.com. 23 April 2023. 24 April 2023.
57. Web site: O'S SCOOP UP PRIZES AT THE EFL AWARDS. www.leytonorient.com. 23 April 2023. 24 April 2023.