# 2019–20 EFL League One

The 2019–20 EFL League One (referred to as the Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons) was the 16th season of Football League One under its current title and the 28th season under its current league division format.
Newly promoted Bury were expelled from the EFL on 27 August 2019, due to financial issues at the club. They could not satisfy the requirements of their notice of withdrawal issued by the EFL for this deadline date. The league operated with 23 teams for 2019–20, with three teams being relegated to League Two for the 2020–21 season, rather than the usual four. Bury did not fulfil any of their league fixtures for the season, as they were all postponed, so no results were expunged.
Financially troubled Bolton Wanderers entered administration and had been threatened with expulsion but were saved in a buy-out on 28 August. Bolton failed to fulfil their fixture against Doncaster Rovers on 20 August. They called off the game 26 hours before kick off without informing the EFL or Doncaster, claiming concerns over younger players' welfare. On 21 November, they were issued with a five-point deduction suspended for 18 months in relation to the Doncaster postponement, as well as a postponement in the 2018–19 season against Brentford in the Championship.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was temporarily suspended on 13 March. On 3 April 2020, this suspension was extended indefinitely.
On 9 June, clubs voted to curtail the season, meaning the final table would be calculated by a points-per-game method with the play-offs being played behind closed doors.

## Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2018–19 season.

## Stadiums

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Accrington Stanley | Accrington | Crown Ground | 5,057 |
| AFC Wimbledon | London (Kingston upon Thames) | Kingsmeadow | 4,850 |
| Blackpool | Blackpool | Bloomfield Road | 17,338 |
| Bolton Wanderers | Horwich | University of Bolton Stadium | 28,723 |
| Bristol Rovers | Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,300 |
| Burton Albion | Burton upon Trent | Pirelli Stadium | 6,912 |
| Coventry City | Birmingham | St Andrew's | 29,409 |
| Doncaster Rovers | Doncaster | Keepmoat Stadium | 15,231 |
| Fleetwood Town | Fleetwood | Highbury Stadium | 5,327 |
| Gillingham | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium | 11,582 |
| Ipswich Town | Ipswich | Portman Road | 30,311 |
| Lincoln City | Lincoln | Sincil Bank | 10,120 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | Milton Keynes | Stadium MK | 30,500 |
| Oxford United | Oxford | Kassam Stadium | 12,500 |
| Peterborough United | Peterborough | London Road Stadium | 15,314 |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 19,669 |
| Rochdale | Rochdale | Spotland Stadium | 10,500 |
| Rotherham United | Rotherham | New York Stadium | 12,021 |
| Shrewsbury Town | Shrewsbury | New Meadow | 9,875 |
| Southend United | Southend-on-Sea | Roots Hall | 12,392 |
| Sunderland | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 49,000 |
| Tranmere Rovers | Birkenhead | Prenton Park | 16,789 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | High Wycombe | Adams Park | 10,137 |

## Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Manager$^1$ | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
| Accrington Stanley | John Coleman | Seamus Conneely | Adidas | Wham |
| AFC Wimbledon | Glyn Hodges | Will Nightingale | Puma | Sports Interactive |
| Blackpool | Neil Critchley | Jay Spearing | Erreà | Blackpool Council (home: "VisitBlackpool.com"; away: "Get Vocal") |
| Bolton Wanderers | Keith Hill | Jason Lowe | Infinity Apparel | Home Bargains |
| Bristol Rovers | Ben Garner | Ollie Clarke | Macron | Utilita Energy |
| Burton Albion | Jake Buxton | Jake Buxton | TAG | Prestec UK Ltd |
| Coventry City | Mark Robins | Liam Kelly | Hummel | Allsopp & Allsopp |
| Doncaster Rovers | Darren Moore | Ben Whiteman | Elite Pro Sports | LNER |
| Fleetwood Town | Joey Barton | Paul Coutts | Hummel | BES Utilities |
| Gillingham | Steve Evans | Max Ehmer | Macron | MEMS Power Generation |
| Ipswich Town | Paul Lambert | Luke Chambers | Adidas | Magical Vegas |
| Lincoln City | Michael Appleton | Lee Frecklington | Erreà | SRP Hire Solutions |
| Milton Keynes Dons | Russell Martin | Dean Lewington | Erreà | Suzuki |
| Oxford United | Karl Robinson | John Mousinho | Puma | Singha Beer |
| Peterborough United | Darren Ferguson | Mark Beevers | Nike | Mick George |
| Portsmouth | Kenny Jackett | Brett Pitman | Nike | University of Portsmouth |
| Rochdale | Brian Barry-Murphy | Callum Camps | Erreà | Crown Oil Ltd |
| Rotherham United | Paul Warne | Richard Wood | Puma | Embark Group (Home), Mears (Away & 3rd) |
| Shrewsbury Town | Sam Ricketts | David Edwards | Admiral | Tuffins Supermarkets (Home), Shropshire Homes (Away) |
| Southend United | Sol Campbell | Mark Milligan | Nike | Paddy Power (unbranded) $^2$ |
| Sunderland | Phil Parkinson | Grant Leadbitter | Adidas | Children with Cancer UK |
| Tranmere Rovers | Micky Mellon | Scott Davies | Puma | Essar |
| Wycombe Wanderers | Gareth Ainsworth | Matt Bloomfield | O'Neills | Cherry Red Records (Home), Dormeo (Away) |
* $^1$ According to current revision of List of current Premier League and English Football League managers.
* $^2$ Southend's shirt does not display Paddy Power's logo as part of the bookmakers "Save Our Shirt" campaign.

## Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Gillingham | Mark Patterson | End of caretaker spell | 4 May 2019 | Pre-season | Steve Evans | 21 May 2019 |
| Bury | Ryan Lowe | Signed by Plymouth Argyle | 5 June 2019 | Pre-season | Paul Wilkinson | 2 July 2019 |
| Doncaster Rovers | Grant McCann | Signed by Hull City | 21 June 2019 | Pre-season | Darren Moore | 10 July 2019 |
| Blackpool | Terry McPhillips | End of contract | 5 July 2019 | Pre-season | Simon Grayson | 6 July 2019 |
| Bolton Wanderers | Phil Parkinson | Resigned | 21 August 2019 | 23rd | Keith Hill | 31 August 2019 |
| Southend United | Kevin Bond | Resigned | 6 September 2019 | 22nd | Sol Campbell | 22 October 2019 |
| Lincoln City | Danny Cowley | Signed by Huddersfield Town | 9 September 2019 | 5th | Michael Appleton | 20 September 2019 |
| Sunderland | Jack Ross | Sacked | 8 October 2019 | 6th | Phil Parkinson | 17 October 2019 |
| AFC Wimbledon | Wally Downes | Mutual consent | 20 October 2019 | 21st | Glyn Hodges | 23 October 2019 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | Paul Tisdale | Mutual consent | 2 November 2019 | 21st | Russell Martin | 3 November 2019 |
| Bristol Rovers | Graham Coughlan | Signed by Mansfield Town | 17 December 2019 | 4th | Ben Garner | 23 December 2019 |
| Blackpool | Simon Grayson | Sacked | 12 February 2020 | 15th | Neil Critchley | 2 March 2020 |
| Burton Albion | Nigel Clough | Resigned | 18 May 2020 | 12th | Jake Buxton | 18 May 2020 |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Coventry City (C, P) | 34 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 48 | 30 | +18 | 67 | 1.97 | Promotion to the EFL Championship |
| 2 | Rotherham United (P) | 35 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 61 | 38 | +23 | 62 | 1.77 | Promotion to the EFL Championship |
| 3 | Wycombe Wanderers (O, P) | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 59 | 1.74 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Oxford United | 35 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 61 | 37 | +24 | 60 | 1.71 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 35 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 53 | 36 | +17 | 60 | 1.71 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 6 | Fleetwood Town | 35 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 51 | 38 | +13 | 60 | 1.71 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 7 | Peterborough United | 35 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 68 | 40 | +28 | 59 | 1.69 | |
| 8 | Sunderland | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 48 | 32 | +16 | 59 | 1.64 | |
| 9 | Doncaster Rovers | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 54 | 1.59 | |
| 10 | Gillingham | 35 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 42 | 34 | +8 | 51 | 1.46 | |
| 11 | Ipswich Town | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 52 | 1.44 | |
| 12 | Burton Albion | 35 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 48 | 1.37 | |
| 13 | Blackpool | 35 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 45 | 1.29 | |
| 14 | Bristol Rovers | 35 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 38 | 49 | −11 | 45 | 1.29 | |
| 15 | Shrewsbury Town | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 31 | 42 | −11 | 41 | 1.21 | |
| 16 | Lincoln City | 35 | 12 | 6 | 17 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 42 | 1.20 | |
| 17 | Accrington Stanley | 35 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 47 | 53 | −6 | 40 | 1.14 | |
| 18 | Rochdale | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 39 | 57 | −18 | 36 | 1.06 | |
| 19 | Milton Keynes Dons | 35 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 37 | 1.06 | |
| 20 | AFC Wimbledon | 35 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 39 | 52 | −13 | 35 | 1.00 | |
| 21 | Tranmere Rovers (R) | 34 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 36 | 60 | −24 | 32 | 0.94 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 22 | Southend United (R) | 35 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 39 | 85 | −46 | 19 | 0.54 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 23 | Bolton Wanderers (R) | 34 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 27 | 66 | −39 | 14 | 0.41 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 24 | Bury (D, R) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −12 | — | Club expelled |
* ↑ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the EFL Championship.
* 1 2 Bolton Wanderers deducted 12 points for entering administration.
* 1 2 Bury deducted 12 points for entering into an insolvency event, before later being expelled from the EFL on 27 August 2019. At the time of their expulsion, they had played no matches.

## Play-offs

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | final | final | final |
| 3 | Wycombe Wanderers | 4 | 2 | 6 | | | |
| 6 | Fleetwood Town | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | |
| 6 | Fleetwood Town | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Wycombe Wanderers | 2 |
| | | | | | 4 | Oxford United | 1 |
| 4 | Oxford United | 1 | 1 | 2 (5) | 4 | Oxford United | 1 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 1 | 1 | 2 (4) | | | |

## Results

| Home \ Away | ACC | WIM | BLP | BOL | BRI | BRT | COV | DON | FLE | GIL | IPS | LIN | MKD | OXF | PET | POR | ROC | ROT | SHR | STD | SUN | TRA | WYC |
| Accrington Stanley | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 7–1 | | 2–0 | | | | 0–1 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | |
| AFC Wimbledon | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | a | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | | 0–0 |
| Blackpool | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | | | | 3–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 1–1 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | 3–4 | 0–0 | | 2–1 | | 0–5 | | 1–0 | 0–0 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| Bristol Rovers | 3–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | | 1–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Burton Albion | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | — | 0–0 | | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 3–1 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | | 4–2 | |
| Coventry City | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1–1 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | — | 3–2 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | | 3–1 |
| Fleetwood Town | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | | 2–2 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Gillingham | | 1–2 | 2–2 | 5–0 | | 1–2 | | 2–1 | | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | | 2–0 |
| Ipswich Town | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | | 1–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 1–4 | | | 0–2 | 3–0 | | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 |
| Lincoln City | 2–0 | | 1–0 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | | | 2–0 | 0–0 | 5–3 | — | 1–1 | 0–6 | 2–1 | 0–2 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | |
| MK Dons | | 2–1 | | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 |
| Oxford United | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | | | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–0 | | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | — | 1–0 | | 3–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Peterborough United | 4–0 | 3–2 | | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–1 | | 4–0 | 3–0 | | 4–0 |
| Portsmouth | | 2–1 | | 1–0 | | 2–2 | 3–3 | | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Rochdale | 2–1 | | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | | | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | | 1–2 | | 0–3 |
| Rotherham United | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 6–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 4–0 | | 2–2 | | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | | | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 0–2 | | | | 3–4 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | 4–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | |
| Southend United | 0–1 | 1–4 | 1–3 | | 3–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–7 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | | 0–3 | 2–2 | | — | | 0–0 | |
| Sunderland | | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | — | 5–0 | 4–0 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 0–3 | | 2–2 | 1–2 | | | | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | | 3–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | | 1–0 | 4–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | — |

## Season statistics
### Top scorers

    As of 10 March 2020
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Ivan Toney | Peterborough United | 24 |
| 2 | Armand Gnanduillet | Blackpool | 15 |
| 2 | Ian Henderson | Rochdale | 15 |
| 2 | Paddy Madden | Fleetwood Town | 15 |
| 5 | Mohamed Eisa | Peterborough United | 14 |
| 5 | Matt Godden | Coventry City | 14 |
| 5 | Freddie Ladapo | Rotherham United | 14 |
| 5 | Tyler Walker | Lincoln City | 14 |
| 9 | Jonson Clarke-Harris | Bristol Rovers | 13 |
| 9 | Matty Taylor | Oxford United | 13 |
| 11 | James Henry | Oxford United | 12 |

### Hat-tricks

    As of 1 January 2020
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Scott Fraser | Burton Albion | Oxford United | 4–2 (A) | 20 August 2019 |
| Chris Maguire | Sunderland | AFC Wimbledon | 3–1 (H) | 24 August 2019 |
| Joe Jacobson | Wycombe Wanderers | Lincoln City | 3–1 (H) | 7 September 2019 |
| Ivan Toney | Peterborough United | Rochdale | 6–0 (H) | 14 September 2019 |
| Tariqe Fosu | Oxford United | Lincoln City | 6–0 (A) | 21 September 2019 |
| Marcus Forss | AFC Wimbledon | Southend United | 4–1 (A) | 12 October 2019 |
| Paddy Madden | Fleetwood Town | Burton Albion | 4–1 (H) | 19 October 2019 |
| Rushian Hepburn-Murphy | Tranmere Rovers | Milton Keynes Dons | 3–1 (A) | 2 November 2019 |
| Matt Godden | Coventry City | Wycombe Wanderers | 4–1 (A) | 29 December 2019 |
| Matt Godden | Coventry City | Tranmere Rovers | 4–1 (A) | 1 January 2020 |