'The strongest it's ever been' - Blackpool, Charlton, Peterborough & Co told League One home truths

All Championship-wannabees have been told they’ll have to navigate their way out of the ‘strongest’ third tier there’s ever been if they want to achieve their ambitions.

That’s not something Seasiders fans will want to hear, with Steve Bruce’s side currently sitting 16th in the table and well adrift of the automatic promotion places currently occupied by leaders Birmingham and Wrexham. They are also four points behind Exeter City, who presently sit sixth and are in possession of the last play-off place.

The words of advice come from new Crawley Town manager Rob Elliot as he attempts to turn the Reds’ campaign around following signs of early-season promise.

That included an opening-day-of-the-season win against Blackpool, which contributed to Neil Critchley’s sacking in August. But since then, the League One new boys have struggled, with just one point collected from their past nine league outings as they sit fourth from bottom ahead of Saturday’s game at Northampton.

Blackpool know all too well the competitive nature of a division that not only includes big-spending Birmingham and Wrexham, but also boasts the likes of Bolton, Monday night’s opponents Wigan, Huddersfield, Charlton, Peterborough and Barnsley.

Indeed, after finding themselves in the play-off positions after a less-than-impressive start to the campaign, they’re now back looking over the shoulders after suffering three straight league defeats - including last week’s humbling at the hands of Posh.

A Bloomfield Road win against the Latics on Monday night will go a long way to help rectify the situation and even keep those teams battling for survival already at bay.

But with most sides already a quarter of the way through their seasons, Elliot’s honest League One verdict will act as a reminder that only consistency in the heat of battle will be rewarded in this toughest of divisions.

Speaking to our sister title, Sussex World, the Crawley boss said: “League One is the strongest it has ever been.

“I think every game is a tough game, there’s no poor teams in the league, every team’s competitive, every team’s got good individuals, every team is well organised so to get three points it has to be earned.”