Blackpool and Fleetwood Town not among bookies' favourites for top six

Fleetwood Town reached the play-offs last season but the bookies don't expect them to repeat the feat

Fleetwood friendly off after positive coronavirus tests at Huddersfield

Looking at the shortest odds that are offered for both sides to win promotion to the Championship, Fleetwood are tipped to finish eighth, with Blackpool’s odds ranking them 10th.

Fleetwood were gearing up for an attempt at the automatic promotion places before last season was prematurely ended by the pandemic.

Town had recently beaten a host of sides in and around them in the league and were sitting fifth in the table, unbeaten in 12 matches.

The points-per-game model which decided the final standings saw them drop to sixth place before losing their play-off semi-final to the eventual winners, Wycombe Wanderers.

Blackpool finished the season in 13th place, having replaced manager Simon Grayson with Neil Critchley shortly before lockdown.

In the end, the Tangerines were 15 points outside the play-off places.

Though there is still more to be done in the transfer market for all of the teams in the third tier, Sunderland are the current favourites to secure promotion.

Peterborough United are the second-favourites, despite neither side having made it into the play-offs last season.

Portsmouth are next in line followed by Oxford United, who beat them on penalties in their play-off semi-final last season.

Newly-relegated Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town round off a predicted top six.

Town are kept out of the play-offs by another newly-relegated side, Hull City, who signed Lewie Coyle from the Cod Army this month.

The final relegated side from the Championship, Wigan Athletic, are the team tipped to separate the two Fylde coast outfits.