Exclusive: Don Goodman drops prediction involving Middlesbrough, Stockport County & Swindon Town | OneFootball

Goodman has issued three sides who could be 'ones to watch' in the EFL in 2025/26

Despite it being just over two weeks since the play-off final weekend drew the 2024/25 EFL season to a close, many supporters and pundits are already hedging their bets regarding the upcoming campaign.

In the Championship, the trio of Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton are preparing for life back in the division after just one season in the Premier League, whilst there is plenty of excitement regarding Birmingham City and Wrexham's respective predicaments, having been promoted with plenty of financial backing alongside League One play-off winners, Charlton Athletic.

The third-tier is still home to plenty of fallen giants, with Luton Town preparing for life at this level for the first time in six years alongside Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City, whilst Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale, Bradford City and AFC Wimbledon all basked in the glory of promotion from League Two.

Crawley Town, Bristol Rovers, Cambridge United and Shrewsbury Town all failed to avoid the drop into the fourth tier, whilst Barnet and Oldham Athletic ended their respective hiatus' from the EFL, completing an exciting lineup of 72 clubs across the three divisions.

Once again, plenty of drama and unpredictability is likely to play out when the 2025/26 season gets underway in early August, and FLW asked Sky Sports pundit, Don Goodman, to issue a trio of sides who he believes could catch the eye.

Don Goodman issues "impossible" early season prediction involving Middlesbrough, Stockport County and Swindon Town

Whilst the 59-year-old found this an extremely tough call at such an early stage of the summer, with very little transfer business conducted thus far, he believes that developments at Middlesbrough, Stockport County and Swindon Town could be an intriguing watch in the coming months.

"An impossible question at this time of the year really, because probably, nearly all the squads are going to look very, very different to how they do at the moment," Goodman exclusively told FLW.

"But, I would expect an awful lot better from Middlesbrough next season in the Championship if they can keep the majority of that group together and add to it with some quality," he added.

"In League One, I love what Dave Challinor is doing at Stockport County, and I would hope that they would be able to go again. The big thing for them is keeping hold of him because he's a manager that I rate very, very highly.

"And in League Two, what a job Ian Holloway did last season (at Swindon Town)," Goodman stated. "They built a massive amount of momentum from when he walked through the door, so I would expect Swindon Town to back him, and expect them towards the top end of League Two."

Middlesbrough, Stockport County and Swindon Town predictions are down to mixed circumstances

As Goodman alluded to, many will expect Boro to, once again, invest heavily in an already high-quality squad on paper, although reports have linked creator-in-chief, Finn Azaz, with a potential move to the Premier League, whilst Rob Edwards is now favourite to take over from the recently-departed Michael Carrick.

Edwards' CV has yielded mixed fortunes thus far, having guided Forest Green Rovers to League One in 2022, before proving Watford's owners wrong at bitter rivals Luton Town, guiding the Hatters to the Premier League just months after being sacked at Vicarage Road, before failing to halt the slide after a season of top-flight football, leaving Kenilworth Road in January.

Stockport were one of the most entertaining sides to watch in League One last term before an agonising play-off semi-final defeat to Leyton Orient on penalties, and many would expect the Cheshire side to be among the play-off picture next season, although the likes of Huddersfield Town, in particular, have already looked to make plenty of waves in the transfer market.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Holloway enjoyed a strong start to his tenure in Wiltshire, winning 16 of his first 37 matches as the Robins moved away from relegation danger with a 12th-place finish, ending the season with just 2 defeats in the final 13 games, as well as defeating Walsall, Doncaster and Bradford in the process.

The 62-year-old signed a new deal until the end of 2027/28 in March, highlighting his commitment to the cause. And, with a handful of contract extensions and new signings already in order during the early-off-season period, meaning that in 12 months' time, Goodman's shout may not be a million miles away.