October’s League One Review: Can former Sunderland man fire his struggling side to safety?

Oxford hit form

Our League Cup conquerors were on a frighteningly good run of form in the run-up to Halloween, rising to second in the form table with three wins in four league games.

Karl Robinson seems to have bought intelligently in the summer window and is being duly rewarded as his side have climbed into the play-off positions and a face League Cup quarter-final at home to Manchester City.

Sitting in fifth, the U’s saw off the tough challenges of Rochdale, Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United, scoring 10 goals and conceding only two in the month of October.

With games coming fast and performances continuously improving at the Kassam, few would bet against Oxford upsetting the apple cart this term.

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Bolton ready for a great escape?

A few months ago, Trotters fans didn’t even know if they would have a football club.

Fast forward a mere three months and their hastily put together starting eleven are grinding out some impressive results that may help them perform the most unlikely of miracle escapes.

Buoyed by the return of key striker Daryl Murphy, an impressive draw at home to Blackpool was followed up by a win in the EFL Trophy win over Manchester City under-21s, and a first league win of the season, a superb 2-0 win at promotion-chasing Bristol Rovers.

With Keith Hill moulding a highly competitive team, October’s performances are giving Bolton fans hope that maybe, just maybe, they may not be facing life in the fourth tier next term.

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AFC Wimbledon hit purple patch

After a terrible start to their League One season, the Dons finally managed to put together a run of form that has lifted them out of the relegation places.

Wins over Rochdale and Southend were paired with an excellent 1-0 win over Portsmouth, and although they ended the month with a 1-0 defeat at Burton Albion, three wins on the bounce has helped Wimbledon rocket out of the basement of League One.

This gives new manager Glyn Hodges a base from which to work with, following the sacking of Wally Downes for breaking betting rules at the end of the month.

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MK fail to score all month!

Sitting in 21st position in the league, it was perhaps no surprise to see MK start November by sacking their manager Paul Tisdale.

A horrendous run of form that saw losses at Burton, Bristol Rovers, Fleetwood and Rochdale has sunk them into the bottom three of League One, one point behind rivals AFC Wimbledon.

The most damning aspect of their horrendous October form is perhaps that they didn’t manage to score throughout the entire month, with their goal at the Stadium of Light in September their only strike in six league games.

Grim times for Milton Keynes.

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