Tipster Wizard picks out his outright bets ahead of the opening weekend of EFL football.
Bristol Rovers - Top 3 Finish @ 3/1 (England League 2)
Last season was a rollercoaster for Rovers. A poor start under Darrell Clarke unraveled into a dismal run that eventually cost him his job in December, before Steve Evans steadied things and turned form around dramatically in the second half of the campaign, enough to secure a comfortable mid-table finish and leave fans wanting more once the season ended.
That momentum heading into this campaign is the real story. Evans has converted key loan spells into permanent deals, with defender Kofi Balmer and midfield anchor Richie Smallwood both staying on, alongside attacking midfielder Tommy Leigh, all central to that strong finishing run. Several other contributors from that period remain too, including goalkeeper Brad Young, defender Riley Harbottle, and forward Shaq Forde, giving the squad real continuity.
On top of that, Evans has strengthened further with the arrivals of wing-backs Tom James and Ben Purrington, defender Ciarán Kelly, and forwards Bobby Kamwa and Jack Aitchison, additions that look like genuine upgrades in quality and depth.
Goals could be the one thing holding them back. Joe Quigley isn't the type to bag twenty a season, he's more about link-up play and bringing others into the game, so the burden falls on the likes of Fabrizio Cavegn, a genuinely clinical finisher by League Two standards, to make sure that doesn't become a problem, provided Evans finds the right role for him.
Given the trajectory they were on by the end of last season, and the continuity plus smart additions over the summer, there's a genuine case for Rovers carrying that form into a real promotion push this time.
DOUBLE: Salford Top 3 Finish (England League 2) + Boreham Wood Top 7 Finish @ 2/1
Salford City - Top 3 Finish:
Salford's 2025-26 campaign ended in genuine heartbreak, a 3-0 play-off final defeat to Notts County at Wembley that was, by most accounts, one-sided in County's favour. That result cost Karl Robinson his job, with the club turning to Peter Cklamovski, previously in charge of the Malaysia national team, to deliver what the ownership clearly see as unfinished business at the eighth time of asking.
The summer rebuild has been aggressive and pointed. Striker Macaulay Langstaff arrives after a proven scoring pedigree at this level, three separate golden boot-calibre campaigns for Gateshead and Notts County, including a National League scoring record in a single season, before stepping up to Millwall in the Championship. Alongside him comes winger Luke Molyneux from Doncaster Rovers, a player who racked up 40 goals and 37 assists across his last four seasons and was central to Doncaster's League Two title win in 2024-25. Notably, Molyneux turned down Doncaster's contract offer to join Salford instead, a strong signal of the ambition being sold to players at Moor Lane.
Elsewhere, defender Will Aimson, a repeat promotion winner, has bolstered the back line, and the club has strengthened between the posts too, recruiting two new goalkeepers as part of a deliberate shift toward a more possession-based style under Cklamovski.
With this level of squad investment and two genuine difference-makers added in key areas, Salford look built for another serious promotion push, and a top-three finish looks a realistic minimum expectation given the quality assembled.
Boreham Wood - Top 7 Finish:
Boreham Wood's play-off final defeat to Rochdale, decided on penalties after a last-gasp equaliser, will sting, but the numbers from last season tell a more promising story than a straightforward loss suggests. Racking up 90 points put them well clear of the chasing pack outside the automatic spots, a strong foundation heading into the new campaign.
What sets this summer apart is retention. Rather than losing their best players after a near-miss, as has happened before, the club has kept the core of the squad together. Standout performer Abdul Abdulmalik, a class above everyone else in the play-off final, has featured in pre-season, encouraging given the interest he'll likely draw before the window shuts. At just 23, there's a case he stays for one more promotion push first.
The market business has been shrewd rather than extensive, with the front line boosted by Danny Cashman, a proven goalscorer joining on loan from Crawley Town after netting 28 for Worthing. He joins a group already firing, Matt Rush announced himself with an opening-day hat-trick, building on a strong return last season. A few other additions have sharpened things elsewhere without needing a major overhaul.
Manager Luke Garrard has used the play-off disappointment as motivation rather than a hangover, and with two of last season's rivals promoted, the path to another high finish looks clearer. Even should Abdulmalik depart, the firepower of Rush and Cashman, the retained squad, and Garrard's management should keep them firmly in the top-seven picture, with room to push higher if the goals keep coming.
