Scottish League Two Season Predictions 25/26 - Kai Watson's 1-10
Kai Watson 
The new football season is almost upon us, and to help you get prepared, we've got two weeks of season predictions from our experts, giving you the lowdown on summer moves, and who is catching their eye. Covering Scottish football on Free Bets, we have Kai Watson, an expert on all things Scotland, and for this week, the floor is his. We begin here with Scottish League Two season predictions, followed by League One, Championship and Scottish Premiership this week.
Then next week, be sure to come back as we've got even more for football betting fans!
Our EFL expert Gab Sutton will bring his popular 1-24 series exclusively to Freebets.com! He'll showcase the Championship, League One and League Two, giving full season predictions for all.
First up though, Scottish football predictions from Kai Watson, focusing on League Two.
Scottish League Two Season Predictions 25/26
The new Scottish football season is upon us and that means one thing, prediction time! I’m going to cover all of the Scottish leagues from League Two and up, starting from the bottom and working my way up (Gretna style).
It’s still earlier in the summer transfer window so a lot can change but this is currently how I predict things to go.
East Kilbride - 1st
1st - East Kilbride FC - Back to back promotions are a popular thing in the Scottish leagues, particularly at the lower levels. Mick Kennedy has a reputation for his teams playing the ‘right’ way and his EK side are always a good watch.
They stood out in the Lowland League and I think they’ve made some really strong additions to their squad for the new season. They signed Dumbarton’s player of the year for last season in Mouhamed Niang, James Lyon from Kelty Hearts, Jack Healy from East Fife and Keir Foster from Bo’ness who impressed against them in the Lowland League last season.
That’s a group of players that don’t only add quality but also a lot of depth, particularly in attacking areas. East Kilbride now have plenty of options both in the striker position and on the wings, an exciting prospect at one end of the pitch at least!
Erik Sula from Stirling also adds a plethora of experience to a back line which lacks any real experience at this level.
Not to mention adding some excellent firepower up top in Ouzy See, formerly of Edinburgh City, who scored eight goals in League Two last season and is a big physical presence that can also play a bit.
If they can play the same style of play that they did last year, I think there’s a chance they’ll blow away a lot of teams in the league, even if they can’t keep teams out, they should have no problems out scoring them.
*East Kilbride are currently favourites with betting sites to win the League Two title.
Elgin City - 2nd
2nd - Elgin City - After a fourth placed finish last season, Allan Hale’s Elgin City side weren’t this high on my prediction until I properly looked into some of the business they’ve done this summer.
This kicked in when it was announced they had signed Josh O’Connor (it was previously announced that he had signed for East Kilbride but ‘contract issues’ prevented it) whom I believe is a terrific signing for this level. His move to Crusaders didn’t work out but he showed enough, for me at least, with Hibs at youth level to show he has the tools to play at a higher level than League Two.
On top of that they have also signed former Aberdeen ‘keeper Tom Ritchie who spent the first half of last season on loan at Bonnyrigg Rose and kept three clean sheets in twelve appearances. The second half of the season he spent with Aberdeen and even though he was on the bench the whole time he would’ve gained invaluable experience in training, I think he’ll be the best goalkeeper in the league.
20-year-old Connall Ewan is another good prospect they’ve brought in, he was on loan there in 23/24 and spent last season in League One on loan at Inverness, getting him on a two-year deal is great business.
I also think that Miko Virtanen is a brilliant signing for the midfield. He’s never dropped as low as League Two and has three Scottish Premiership, 60 Scottish Championship and 46 Scottish League One appearances under his belt. He’s adding to a midfield already containing Mark Gallagher and Russell Dingwall which may give them the best midfield in the league.
The only reason I’m predicting that East Kilbride win the league over them is due to Mick Kennedy’s style which I think will translate well. I think it will be tight at the top with these two battling it out across the season.
Annan Athletic - 3rd
3rd - Annan Athletic - Annan suffered a tough end to last season in the League One Relegation Play-Off. They got through the Semi-Final, just, against Elgin City but fell to promotion master Dick Campbell’s East Fife side in the final, 4-3 on aggregate following a 3-2 First Leg loss.
Bouncing straight back up is something else that often happens in the lower divisions, unless teams lose most of their squad, which Annan haven’t, so far at least. They’ve managed to keep captain and top scorer Tommy Muir who started the season at centre back and ended it playing as a striker. He’s made nearly 200 appearances for the club and is a true club legend.
Tommy Goss was a key player up top in the 23/24 season, scoring ten League One goals, but missed a lot of football last season, so he’ll be a great player to have from the start of the season as a goal threat. Having a reliable goalscorer at this level can be the difference between winning a title or sitting in the middle of the pack.
Annan have Tommy’s Goss and Muir, who have shown that they are capable of scoring goals in League One, never mind League Two. They’ve also added former Swedish youth international Joel Mumbongo from Dumbarton, the 26-year-old only scored two League One goals last season so maybe the step down will help him regain his confidence.
There’s something about him but he just hasn’t managed to put it all together in Scotland yet.
Wullie Gibson will be hoping that he can lead his side straight back to League One after their Play-Off heartache at the end of last season and they could be another side that simply out score their opponents.
*Odds available with bet365, you can check our bet365 review to see how they compare to other brands.
Dumbarton - 4th
4th - Dumbarton - Despite starting the season on minus five points due to last season's administration, I still fancy relegated Dumbarton to have a good season. They’ve lost two players to the teams I predicted to finish above them in Niang and Mumbongo but have been busy in the transfer market to replace them.
These are the signings they’ve already made so far;
GK - Oliver Ecrepont - Loan from Ayr
Shay Kelly - Free transfer from St. Mirren
RB - Gordon Walker - Free transfer from East Fife
CB - Morgyn Neill - Free transfer from Alloa
LB - Adam Livingstone - Free transfer from East Kilbride
CM - Dom Docherty - Free transfer from Clyde
Wide Mid/Wingers - Scott Tomlinson - Loan from Ayr
Chris Johnston - Free agent
Scott Honeyman - Free transfer from Falkirk
ST - Ally Roy - Free transfer from Stirling
Thomas Falconer - Loan from St. Mirren
Leighton McIntosh - Free transfer from Al Ahli
Dumbarton have a big squad for League Two standards, but getting these players to gel quickly could have a massive impact on their season, especially with starting in minus points. They have plenty of experience that they’ve kept in the squad and the likes of Neill, Docherty, Johnston, Roy and McIntosh will add to that.
Despite the relegation, manager Stephen Farrell kept his job but he’ll need to show signs that he can get the club straight back to League One to keep the position for the full season.
The depth and experience they have at their disposal make me think they’ll have a good season but just fall short of being champions.
Stirling Albion - 5th
5th - Stirling Albion - Stirling weren’t on my radar until I seen some of the business that they had done. After a sixth placed finish last season, Alan Maybury’s side have recruited well and have managed to sign a player I think could potentially be the best in the league.
Ross Cunningham scored twelve goals and got two assists in League One for Kelty Hearts last season and Stirling have managed to pick him up on a free transfer. He was one of the top scorers in the whole of League One last season but the Binos have somehow managed to convince him to step down a level, an early contender for signing of the season for me.
Russell McLean is not quite the same calibre but I think a great signing for League Two. He managed seven goals and an assist in a really poor Forfar side. Ryan Shanley impressed last season with six goals in two assists, after scoring 19 in 22/23 then nine in 23/24, Dale Carrick only managed five last season. Dale Hilson, on the other hand, only managed one goal last season so McLean can add goals and a massive physical presence in the striker position.
Ex-Celtic youngster MacKenzie Carse is a player I’m a fan of, like Josh O’Connor, his move to Northern Ireland didn’t work out and he moved back to Scotland. Stirling signed him in February and if they manage to keep him I think he’ll be a big player for them this season.
I think Maybury has a good squad at Stirling with some clear stand outs so they’re another who, if they start well and play to their potential, can definitely mount a push for promotion.
Edinburgh City - 6th
6th - Edinburgh City - Towards the end of the window this placing may change but, as of now, I don’t think they’ve added enough quality to push further ahead than they did last season. Michael McIndoe is a very talented young manager and got a lot out of his squad last season but the loss of Connor Young in January really impacted them. Towards the end of the season Ouzy See stepped up to fill Young’s void but he’s also left the club this summer.
James Stokes and Innes Lawson were huge for City last season, with the former contributing four goals and three assists and the latter scoring seven goals with two assists. I’m actually surprised that Lawson looks to be staying in League Two as he’s definitely capable of the step up.
Robbie Mahon will return to the club this summer having previously been there on loan in the 23/24 season and Malik Zaid will also join permanently having impressed enough on loan from Hibs in the second half of last season.
With the squad the way it is they’ll be relying on McIndoe working some of the magic that he did last season but they really need to start investing in some squad depth because they have some quality players in the team that can pull them closer to the top.
Innes Lawson is potentially one of the best attacking players in the league, if they keep him the full window, they need to build around him and strengths.
Spartans - 7th
7th - Spartans - Mixu Paatelainen being named Sporting Director for Spartans definitely wasn’t something that anyone would have predicted but it was announced in April just before the season ended. He has plenty of experience in different managerial roles in all different nations and regions but this is his first time in this role.
His name alone could help drive players to the club but I haven’t seen anything within their business which makes me think they’ll push on from the 5th placed finish last season.
Douglas Samuel (MBE) has been the manager of Spartans since 2012, making him the longest serving manager in the Scottish professional leagues having previously spent nine years with Edinburgh Uni. His services not only to the club but to the North Edinburgh Community gained him a well deserved MBE.
Perhaps the best piece of business they have done is keep Blair Henderson at the club. He scored fourteen goals and got four assists in last season's League Two campaign. If they are to progress and improve on last season's performance then they’ll be hoping he can continue that form into next season.
Cammy Russell is another that could also be key considering he scored ten and got three assists, if both of those players start the season firing then they have the capabilities to help them mount a title challenge.
As previously mentioned though, it’s a massive IF both can carry on that form and none of their business so far has really ‘wowed’ me into thinking they’ll be a better side this season.
Clyde - 8th
8th - Clyde - I think Darren Young’s side could be capable of matching their finishing position from last season or maybe going slightly beyond it but I have them at 8th for now.
One of the main reasons for my thinking is having Scott Williamson up front. He was in great form for Kelty Hearts last season, scoring seven in 21 before being recalled by Queen’s Park and sold permanently to Clyde in January. Although he only scored three in eleven for Clyde, I think given a full season at this level he’ll be one of the main contenders for the golden boot.
That’s not to discredit some of the other quality players they have in the squad, Tommy Robson really should be playing above League Two and it’ll be excellent business if Clyde can keep him and keep him fit for the full season.
Andy Murdoch is a midfielder with plenty of experience in the leagues above and adds a calm and composed presence in the midfield next to the likes of Robbie Leitch and Darren Lyon. That is as good a midfield as any in the league, on their day, and could definitely drive them to pick up more points than they should.
Someone like Shay Nevans, though inexperienced, has something about him and if Young can coach him well and unlock his potential that’s another strong attacker in their arsenal.
Clyde do have a good squad and if they start well, could easily be closer to the Promotion Play-Offs than the bottom of the league.
Stranraer - 9th
9th - Stranraer - Chris Aitken’s Stranraer side showed what they could be capable of from the middle of February to March by winning four of six and only losing one. Unfortunately they couldn’t sustain that form but that run, plus Bonnyrigg’s point deduction helped them stay four points clear of bottom of the league.
If they can bring that form at the start of the season then they could improve on last season’s finish, in my opinion. It’s all about getting the forward players firing though which they struggled with last season.
Robbie Foster came in with a good Highland League record but only managed one goal and two assists last season. Deryn Lang only managed four goals and one assist and young striker Ryan Edgar only managed two goals and one assist.
The addition of Sallu Turay from Partick Thistle raised some eyebrows as he was seen as a player that could eventually break through at Firhill. After a trial period and a man of the match performance in a friendly against Crusaders he was signed permanently. He was at Benburb last season and scored nine goals in 16 appearances in the West of Scotland League.
He’ll add plenty of pace and finishing ability to a side that was lacking it last season. He’s one to keep an eye on for the future.
Tommy Sharp from Livingston could also be an astute signing having had an impressive loan spell in the second half of last season at Gala Fairydean, scoring three goals in eleven from midfield.
*Bookmakers have placed Stranraer as complete outsiders on their football betting market for League Two.
Forfar Athletic - 10th
10th - Forfar Athletic - I think losing Russell McLean to Stirling was a huge loss for Forfar. He was one of their few bright sparks last season, his physical presence and seven goals helped them to avoid that bottom spot and I’m not 100% sure the replacements that they have brought in will provide what he did.
Martin Rennie did score six goals last season for Clyde but he’s joining a weaker squad and will be asked to do more, Jim Weir will be hoping he can regain his 23/24 season form. Scott Shepherd only managed two league goals last season for East Fife, Jamie Richardson comes in from Dundee as more of an unknown prospect but did seem to be highly rated at his former club. Could he be the one that fires them to safety?
The loss of Cammy Logan to Partick Thistle could be massive also, a player of real quality that definitely deserves the chance to play full-time football but it’s a huge loss for Forfar. They’ve brought in Lewis Lorimer, who was released by Dundee, as a replacement but filling the gap left by a player who was that important is a big responsibility.
Craig Slater gives them quality and control in the midfield, he’s a player I definitely don’t think should be playing at this level, but I don’t think the quality around him matches his level. They struggled last season, lost two of their best players and although they have tried to replace them, I’m not sure they’ll be any better than last season.
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