Lincoln City are no longer part of the League One promotion race. The Imps won the division last season with 103 points, 31 wins and a +48 goal difference, earning a place in the Championship. After three games at the higher level, they sit 17th. The division they left behind is already producing a new group of contenders.
After three League One rounds, Blackpool and Huddersfield Town had seven points. Stockport County, Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City followed on six, while unbeaten Notts County had five. Luton Town and Oxford United, both with a game in hand, were on four. For those following Football Bet Ireland, that opening block provided the first reference point for promotion markets without offering anything close to a season verdict.
Five Clubs Made the Strongest Start
Blackpool’s opening under Ian Evatt was the cleanest. They were unbeaten after three games, with seven goals scored and two conceded. A 4–0 home win over Peterborough was the standout result, although Evatt still described the performance as incomplete.
Huddersfield matched Blackpool on points, while Stockport, Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford also established themselves in the early promotion group. Wednesday’s 7–2 victory over Bromley produced the biggest scoreline among the leading sides.
The five clubs reached those positions in different ways:
- Blackpool combined control with an unbeaten start.
- Huddersfield delivered the points expected of a promotion contender.
- Stockport paired continuity with nine goals in three games.
- Sheffield Wednesday matched that attacking output after relegation.
- Bradford relied more on organisation, winning two of their first three.
Leicester City showed why relegation alone guarantees nothing. Another club arriving from the Championship, they managed only two points from three games.
Jack Marriott, Jamal Lowe and Joe Taylor shared the early scoring lead with three goals each. Their ability to maintain that output will become more significant as the sample grows.
Lincoln Left a 103-Point Benchmark
Lincoln’s 2025/26 campaign remains an obvious reference point for the clubs trying to replace them. One hundred and three points is not a routine League One title total. Michael Skubala’s team reached it through 31 wins, ten draws and five defeats, with consistency across the season rather than a late promotion surge.
Their first Championship matches have shown why repeating that control at a higher level is difficult. Lincoln lost 2–1 at Middlesbrough and 3–1 at home to Portsmouth before Ben House scored in a 1–0 win at Bolton.
Three points from nine represents a reasonable early return for a promoted club. House’s winner offered evidence that some of last season’s habits could carry into the Championship, while Reeco Hackett and Adam Reach had already scored.
The EFL Cup provided a smoother transition. Lincoln won 2–1 at Derby and then 4–1 at Blackpool. Their early results therefore look very different depending on the competition.
Promotion Prices Need More Than Three Games
League One betting markets can react sharply to August scorelines. A 4–0 victory or Wednesday’s 7–2 result can shorten promotion prices quickly, while two points from three matches can lengthen the price of a relegated side expected to challenge immediately.
The difficulty is separating a strong result from a repeatable pattern. Lincoln’s 103-point campaign offers a useful comparison because it was built across 46 matches. For the current contenders, defensive stability, squad depth and the ability to collect points during congested weeks should eventually carry more weight than one heavy victory.
The early scoring numbers need similar caution. Stockport and Wednesday reaching nine goals after three games attracts attention, but promotion markets will look different if that output falls away while Blackpool continue conceding at their opening rate of only two goals in three matches.
Individual match markets can move faster. Team news, rotation and home form become more useful once clubs begin playing midweek fixtures, while outright promotion prices require a much larger sample.
Lincoln Have Moved On, but the Standard Remains
Lincoln’s season now belongs to the Championship, where they host Blackburn on Tuesday and Southampton on Saturday after a 1–0 win at Bolton.
Their League One relevance is now historical. Blackpool, Huddersfield, Stockport, Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford are chasing the consistency that produced 103 points.
Three rounds identified the first contenders, not the promotion winners. The clubs Lincoln left behind now have 46 games to see who can come closest to that standard.