Salford meekly lost the playoff final and that was the end of days for Karl Robinson as he was sacked. Peter Cklamovski was not the obvious replacement, but the Australian left behind the Malaysia national side for a crack at League Two with the rebranded Ammies, who are back in their traditional orange. Macaulay Langstaff has arrived with the task of providing the goals to finally get Salford up and few would bet against the striker.
Chesterfield fell short in the playoffs, too, but Paul Cook remains one of the best managers at this level, although the loss of Armando Dobra could be significant. Securing the veteran forward Andy Cook was important for Grimsby as they seek to push on and his influence could be telling if he plays enough games. Lee Grant did not get much chance to prove himself at Huddersfield so will be desperate to do so at Walsall, especially after a promising start by knocking Championship side Bristol City out of the EFL Cup.
Rotherham are the more intriguing bet, having brought in Steve McClaren as director of football and Alex Bruce as head coach in an attempt to revitalise the club. Losing Sam Nombe was a blow, but his transfer fee should allow investment. Jon Brady knows what he is doing and could do nothing to keep Port Vale up, but arguably has the most complete squad at this level with Max Watters and Kyle Dempsey standout summer signings.
The promoted teams start on the backfoot after managerial changes, as Rochdale lost Jimmy McNulty, while York decided to sack Stuart Maynard midway through preseason, much to the consternation of the fans. Diligence in recruitment, however, gives them optimism, especially Dale bringing back Cian Hayes.