League One latest: Grayson good for another promotion at Preston

Blackpool, Leeds United and Huddersfield Town have all benefited from having Simon Grayson as their boss in League One. Those previous promotions from English football’s third-tier are compelling evidence that the Preston North End manager knows his way around this division.

Preston, who are 3/1 title chances and odds-on at 8/11 to go up with Coral, can close the gap on league leaders Bristol City (13/10 outright) and increase their cushion in an automatic elevation place by beating Swindon Town away.

The West Country club sit fifth among a chasing pack of seven sides headed by MK Dons. Mark Coopers’ men, who are 10/3 for promotion, are not even favourites to beat North End in their November 4th encounter, despite the lengthy trip Grayson and company face.

Swindon are 17/10 for three home points here, but Preston are just ahead of them in the match betting at 8/5. Grayson will be looking to belie North End’s poor record against Town, with odds of 9/4 for a draw.

In Joe Garner, Preston have a proven scorer at this level, and he is 5/1 to finish the season as League One’s leading marksman. He will be a danger that Swindon’s defence must try to stop.

Karl Robinson and the Dons’ promotion chances (13/8), meanwhile, may hinge on hanging onto talented teenage midfielder Delle Ali, as well as loan star strikers Benik Afobe and Will Grigg. Rochdale are perhaps the surprise package of the division under Keith Hill, with their shoestring budget proving no obstacle to Spotland’s small but loyal support dreaming of going up (6/1).

While punters may rightly feel neither they nor Notts County (14/1) will have the stamina to maintain a promotion push, there is definitely more to come from Peterborough United (4/1) and Sheffield United (2/1) in this regard. Both were among the pre-season favourites to go up, and only sit outside the play-off places on goal difference a third of the way through this term.