Betting Special: Could Preston be the dark horses in this season's League One title race?

The Lilywhites are in safe hands under the command of Simon Grayson, and Al Hain-Cole thinks the former Leeds boss could well win his fourth promotion from the division

With the League One season set to kick off this Friday, fans have just a few days left of excited anticipation before the real hard work begins for their teams.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be demanding an instant return to the Championship after suffering the embarrassment of two consecutive relegations, and their side are currently BetVictor’s 4/1 (5.00) favourites to win the title.
Kenny Jackett’s men were joined by Peterborough United on their descent to the third tier, and the Posh are fancied at 7/1 (8.00) to achieve their third League One promotion in six seasons by finishing top of the pile.

Bristol City were the other side to drop out of the Championship, and manager Sean O’Driscoll’s know-how at this level sees them just a touch behind at 8/1 (9.00) to clinch top spot.

Nobody will be more keen to go up than Brentford following last season’s dramatic collapse on the final day against Doncaster, and they are on offer at 8/1 (9.00) to banish that memory by winning the division.

Sheffield United have been threatening to make the step back up to where a side of their stature really belongs for a couple of years now, and you can back them at 10/1 (11.00) to end two seasons of League One football by taking home the trophy.

Those same 10/1 (11.00) odds are also on offer for MK Dons to reach the second flight for the first time in their short history in the best possible way, adding more sheen to young manager Karl Robinson‘s impressive reputation.

However, one man who has already accrued extensive experience at this level is Simon Grayson, having previously led Blackpool, Leeds and Huddersfield to promotion from the division, and this asset could turn Preston into a genuine dark horse.

With Kevin Davies and Iain Hume leading the line, the Lilywhites have as formidable a strike force as any in the division, and are well worth a flutter at 14/1 (15.00) to scoop a surprise title after two years at this level.

Rotherham and Bradford may have only just come up from League Two, but are next in line at 16/1 (17.00) and 25/1 (26.00) respectively to outdo all the rest and make it two promotions on the bounce.