Jackson expects tough League One

By Paul Fletcher

I see a very tight division without any runaway leaders Peter Jackson

Huddersfield boss Peter Jackson thinks the standard in League One this year will be high, but refuses to rule out anybody from the promotion battle.

"I think it will be a difficult season," Jackson told BBC Sport.

"There are favourites but then you look at last season and two surprise teams - Colchester and Southend - went up.

"You could look at a piece of paper and say so-and-so will be strong but nobody picked them up last season and they finished first and second."

In last season's play-off semi-finals Jackson's Huddersfield lost to Barnsley, who went on to become the third team to secure promotion.

The Terriers boss is expecting a strong challenge from Nottingham Forest, who lost only one of their last 13 League games last season, winning eight.

"Nottingham Forest went through a bad patch and changed the manager but then towards the end of the season they picked up," added Jackson.

"I'm also looking at the likes of Bristol City to do well, while Doncaster will be up there and it will be another difficult season for us to go up."

I think League One will be a really tough, hard and wonderful division this season Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore

Forest are now managed by Colin Calderwood, who spoke to Ipswich about their managerial vacancy before taking over at the City Ground.

Gary Johnson, meanwhile, will be in his first full season in charge at Bristol City after taking over at Ashton Gate last September.

Carlisle, Northampton, Leyton Orient and Cheltenham won promotion to League One last season, while Brighton, Millwall and Crewe were relegated from the Championship.

Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore, who was in charge at Oldham last season, is in no doubt that the standard will be much better this season.

Moore told BBC Sport: "I think it will definitely be stronger.

"I thought that last year it was an awful league, very weak, but there are a lot of good sides in it now.

"Brighton, for example, have come down and kept a lot of players.

"After last season Forest know what the league is about now, while Bristol City have bought wisely and also know what it is about."

Jackson and Moore are both confident their teams can mount a serious challenge for promotion.

But they both know they will have to strive for consistency and compete in every fixture if they are to fulfil their hopes of winning a place in the Championship.

Moore concluded: "There won't be an easy game - I think League One will be a really tough, hard and a wonderful division this season."