# 2018–19 EFL League One

The 2018–19 EFL League One (referred to as the Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th season of the Football League One under its current title and the 26th season under its current league division format. Fixtures were released on 21 June 2018 and the opening round of matches was played on 4 August 2018. The league season ended on 4 May 2019.
The summer transfer window closed five days after the start of the season, on 9 August 2018, following a vote by all 72 clubs in the Football League. However, clubs were able to make loan signings until 31 August.

## Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2017–18 season:

## Teams

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Accrington Stanley | Accrington | Crown Ground | 5,057 |
| AFC Wimbledon | London (Kingston upon Thames) | Kingsmeadow | 4,850 |
| Barnsley | Barnsley | Oakwell | 23,009 |
| Blackpool | Blackpool | Bloomfield Road | 17,338 |
| Bradford City | Bradford | Valley Parade | 25,136 |
| Bristol Rovers | Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,300 |
| Burton Albion | Burton upon Trent | Pirelli Stadium | 6,912 |
| Charlton Athletic | London (Charlton) | The Valley | 27,111 |
| Coventry City | Coventry | Ricoh Arena | 32,609 |
| Doncaster Rovers | Doncaster | Keepmoat Stadium | 15,231 |
| Fleetwood Town | Fleetwood | Highbury Stadium | 5,311 |
| Gillingham | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium | 11,582 |
| Luton Town | Luton | Kenilworth Road | 10,336 |
| Oxford United | Oxford | Kassam Stadium | 12,500 |
| Peterborough United | Peterborough | ABAX Stadium | 15,314 |
| Plymouth Argyle | Plymouth | Home Park | 12,500* |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 21,100 |
| Rochdale | Rochdale | Spotland Stadium | 10,500 |
| Scunthorpe United | Scunthorpe | Glanford Park | 9,088 |
| Shrewsbury Town | Shrewsbury | New Meadow | 9,875 |
| Southend United | Southend-on-Sea | Roots Hall | 12,392 |
| Sunderland | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 48,707 |
| Walsall | Walsall | Bescot Stadium | 11,300 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | High Wycombe | Adams Park | 10,137 |
*reduced for that season as club work on ground

## Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Manager$^1$ | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
| Accrington Stanley | John Coleman | Seamus Conneely | Adidas | Wham |
| AFC Wimbledon | Wally Downes | Deji Oshilaja | Puma | Sports Interactive |
| Barnsley | Daniel Stendel | Adam Davies | Puma | C.K. Beckett |
| Blackpool | Terry McPhillips | Andy Taylor | Erreà | BetSid |
| Bradford City | Gary Bowyer | Josh Wright | Avec Sport | JCT600 |
| Bristol Rovers | Graham Coughlan | Tom Lockyer | Macron | Football INDEX |
| Burton Albion | Nigel Clough | Jake Buxton | TAG | Prestec UK Ltd |
| Charlton Athletic | Lee Bowyer | Chris Solly | Hummel | BETDAQ |
| Coventry City | Mark Robins | Michael Doyle | Nike | Midrepro |
| Doncaster Rovers | Grant McCann | James Coppinger | FBT | LNER |
| Fleetwood Town | Joey Barton | Nathan Pond | Hummel | BES Utilities |
| Gillingham | Mark Patterson | Gabriel Zakuani | GFC Leisure | Medway Council |
| Luton Town | Mick Harford | Alan Sheehan | Puma | Indigo Residential (Home), Star Platforms (Away), Northern Gas & Power (3rd) |
| Oxford United | Karl Robinson | Curtis Nelson | Puma | Singha Beer |
| Peterborough United | Darren Ferguson | Alex Woodyard | Nike | Mick George |
| Plymouth Argyle | Kevin Nancekivell | Gary Sawyer | Puma | Ginsters |
| Portsmouth | Kenny Jackett | Brett Pitman | Nike | University of Portsmouth |
| Rochdale | Brian Barry-Murphy | Callum Camps | Erreà | Crown Oil Ltd |
| Scunthorpe United | Andy Dawson | Rory McArdle | FBT | British Steel |
| Shrewsbury Town | Sam Ricketts | Mat Sadler | Erreà | The Energy Check (Home), Shropshire Homes (Away & 3rd) |
| Southend United | Kevin Bond | Mark Oxley | Nike | Prostate Cancer UK |
| Sunderland | Jack Ross | George Honeyman | Adidas | BETDAQ |
| Walsall | Martin O'Connor | Adam Chambers | Erreà | HomeServe |
| Wycombe Wanderers | Gareth Ainsworth | Adam El-Abd | O'Neills | Cherry Red Records (Home), Utilita (Away) |
* $^1$ According to current revision of List of current Premier League and English Football League managers.

## Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Barnsley | José Morais | Sacked | 6 May 2018 | Pre-season | Daniel Stendel | 6 June 2018 |
| Bradford City | Simon Grayson | End of contract | 8 May 2018 | Pre-season | Michael Collins | 18 June 2018 |
| Fleetwood Town | John Sheridan | End of contract | 2 June 2018 | Pre-season | Joey Barton | 2 June 2018 |
| Sunderland | Robbie Stockdale | End of caretaker spell | 25 May 2018 | Pre-season | Jack Ross | 25 May 2018 |
| Shrewsbury Town | Paul Hurst | Signed by Ipswich Town | 30 May 2018 | Pre-season | John Askey | 1 June 2018 |
| Doncaster Rovers | Darren Ferguson | Resigned | 4 June 2018 | Pre-season | Grant McCann | 27 June 2018 |
| Blackpool | Gary Bowyer | Resigned | 6 August 2018 | 12th | Terry McPhillips | 6 August 2018 |
| Scunthorpe United | Nick Daws | Sacked | 24 August 2018 | 18th | Stuart McCall | 27 August 2018 |
| Bradford City | Michael Collins | Sacked | 3 September 2018 | 17th | David Hopkin | 4 September 2018 |
| AFC Wimbledon | Neal Ardley | Mutual consent | 12 November 2018 | 23rd | Wally Downes | 4 December 2018 |
| Shrewsbury Town | John Askey | Sacked | 12 November 2018 | 18th | Sam Ricketts | 3 December 2018 |
| Bristol Rovers | Darrell Clarke | Mutual consent | 13 December 2018 | 21st | Graham Coughlan | 6 January 2019 |
| Luton Town | Nathan Jones | Signed by Stoke City | 9 January 2019 | 2nd | Mick Harford | 10 January 2019 |
| Peterborough United | Steve Evans | Sacked | 26 January 2019 | 6th | Darren Ferguson | 26 January 2019 |
| Bradford City | David Hopkin | Resigned | 25 February 2019 | 23rd | Gary Bowyer | 4 March 2019 |
| Rochdale | Keith Hill | Sacked | 4 March 2019 | 22nd | Brian Barry-Murphy | 4 March 2019 |
| Scunthorpe United | Stuart McCall | Sacked | 24 March 2019 | 18th | Andy Dawson | 24 March 2019 |
| Southend United | Chris Powell | Sacked | 26 March 2019 | 20th | Kevin Bond | 2 April 2019 |
| Walsall | Dean Keates | Sacked | 6 April 2019 | 22nd | Martin O'Connor | 8 April 2019 |
| Gillingham | Steve Lovell | Sacked | 26 April 2019 | 13th | Mark Patterson | 26 April 2019 |
| Plymouth Argyle | Derek Adams | Sacked | 28 April 2019 | 21st | Ryan Lowe | 5 June 2019 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Luton Town (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 13 | 6 | 90 | 42 | +48 | 94 | Promotion to the EFL Championship |
| 2 | Barnsley (P) | 46 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 80 | 39 | +41 | 91 | Promotion to the EFL Championship |
| 3 | Charlton Athletic (O, P) | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 73 | 40 | +33 | 88 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Portsmouth | 46 | 25 | 13 | 8 | 83 | 51 | +32 | 88 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 5 | Sunderland | 46 | 22 | 19 | 5 | 80 | 47 | +33 | 85 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 6 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 76 | 58 | +18 | 73 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 7 | Peterborough United | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 72 | |
| 8 | Coventry City | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 65 | |
| 9 | Burton Albion | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 66 | 57 | +9 | 63 | |
| 10 | Blackpool | 46 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 50 | 52 | −2 | 62 | |
| 11 | Fleetwood Town | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 58 | 52 | +6 | 61 | |
| 12 | Oxford United | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 58 | 64 | −6 | 60 | |
| 13 | Gillingham | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 61 | 72 | −11 | 55 | |
| 14 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 51 | 67 | −16 | 55 | |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 54 | |
| 16 | Rochdale | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 54 | 87 | −33 | 54 | |
| 17 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 55 | 67 | −12 | 53 | |
| 18 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 51 | 59 | −8 | 52 | |
| 19 | Southend United | 46 | 14 | 8 | 24 | 55 | 68 | −13 | 50 | |
| 20 | AFC Wimbledon | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 50 | |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle (R) | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 56 | 80 | −24 | 50 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 22 | Walsall (R) | 46 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 47 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 23 | Scunthorpe United (R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 53 | 83 | −30 | 46 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 24 | Bradford City (R) | 46 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 49 | 77 | −28 | 41 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
* ↑ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the EFL Championship.

## Play-offs

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 3 | Charlton Athletic (p) | 2 | 2 | 4 (4) | | | |
| 6 | Doncaster Rovers | 1 | 3 | 4 (3) | | | |
| 6 | Doncaster Rovers | 1 | 3 | 4 (3) | 3 | Charlton Athletic | 2 |
| | | | | | 5 | Sunderland | 1 |
| 4 | Portsmouth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Sunderland | 1 |
| 5 | Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | |

## Results

| Home \ Away | ACC | WIM | BAR | BLP | BRA | BRR | BRT | CHA | COV | DON | FLE | GIL | LUT | OXF | PET | PLY | POR | ROC | SCU | SHR | STD | SUN | WAL | WYC |
| Accrington Stanley | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 0–4 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| AFC Wimbledon | 1–1 | — | 1–4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 |
| Barnsley | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Blackpool | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 3–2 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Bradford City | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 1–2 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Burton Albion | 5–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| Coventry City | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 0–4 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| Fleetwood Town | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Gillingham | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | — | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 2–2 |
| Luton Town | 4–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 4–0 | 5–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Oxford United | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Peterborough United | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | — | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–5 | — | 1–1 | 5–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Portsmouth | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | — | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Rochdale | 1–0 | 3–4 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Scunthorpe United | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 5–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 3–3 | — | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Southend United | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 |
| Sunderland | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–5 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Walsall | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–2 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — |

## Top scorers

    As of 4 May 2019
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | James Collins | Luton Town | 25 |
| 2 | John Marquis | Doncaster Rovers | 21 |
| 2 | Lyle Taylor | Charlton Athletic | 21 |
| 2 | Tom Eaves | Gillingham | 21 |
| 5 | Ian Henderson | Rochdale | 20 |
| 6 | Freddie Ladapo | Plymouth Argyle | 18 |
| 7 | Ched Evans | Fleetwood Town | 17 |
| 7 | Kieffer Moore | Barnsley | 17 |
| 9 | Jonson Clarke-Harris | Coventry City/Bristol Rovers | 16 |
| 9 | Cauley Woodrow | Barnsley | 16 |
| 9 | Jamal Lowe | Portsmouth | 16 |

## Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Kieffer Moore | Barnsley | Rochdale | 0–4 (A) | 21 August 2018 |
| Ian Henderson | Rochdale | Gillingham | 3–0 (H) | 15 September 2018 |
| Danny Hylton | Luton Town | Accrington Stanley | 4–1 (H) | 23 October 2018 |
| James Collins | Luton Town | Plymouth Argyle | 5–1 (H) | 17 November 2018 |
| Ivan Toney | Peterborough United | Accrington Stanley | 0–4 (A) | 29 December 2018 |
| Marcus Harness | Burton Albion | Rochdale | 0–4 (A) | 5 January 2019 |
| Andy Cook | Walsall | Gillingham | 0–3 (A) | 19 January 2019 |
| James Collins | Luton Town | Peterborough United | 4–0 (H) | 19 January 2019 |
| Fejiri Okenabirhie | Shrewsbury Town | Bradford City | 4–3 (A) | 29 January 2019 |
| Simon Cox | Southend United | Portsmouth | 3–3 (H) | 16 February 2019 |
| Joe Pigott | AFC Wimbledon | Rochdale | 3–4 (A) | 19 February 2019 |
| Jonson Clarke-Harris | Bristol Rovers | Blackpool | 4–0 (H) | 2 March 2019 |
| Gavin Whyte | Oxford United | Shrewsbury Town | 2–3 (A) | 22 April 2019 |
| Sean McConville | Accrington Stanley | Plymouth Argyle | 5–1 (H) | 27 April 2019 |
Note
(H) = Home; (A) = Away