Gary Smee
BBC Sport

Charlton will be looking for some stability under their new boss Ben Garner after a season of change in 2021-22.

Nigel Adkins was sacked in October following two wins from their opening 13 games and Addicks legend Johnnie Jackson left the club at the end of the season after he could only guide them to 13th in the table.

Garner has brought in some new recruits from his former side Swindon in Jack Payne, Mandela Egbo and Joe Wollacott, and he'll need them to settle quickly.

Charlton's fans, and owner Thomas Sandgaard, crave success and it's unlikely anything but a push for promotion will satisfy either.

Peter Matthews
BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Cheltenham Town commentator

Having finished in their highest ever league position in 2021-22, Cheltenham will look to consolidate their place in League One in 2022-23.

Many will predict a season of struggle after the departure of highly impressive manager Michael Duff to Barnsley, but the Robins may yet continue to surprise.

Wade Elliott, a key member of Duff's backroom staff has been promoted to head coach, which will ensure continuity and early signs seem positive.

Image source, Getty Images

Much will depend on another good season from Alfie May, whose 26 goals in all competitions was a major factor in a team that scored regularly.

At the other end of the pitch, shoring up a defence which was too easy to breach last season, particularly away from home, will be critical if the Robins are to continue to punch above their weight.

Hear full commentary of every Robins match live on BBC Radio Gloucestershire DAB.

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby Sport

Wow… finally there is some actual football to talk about.

The NEW Derby County start life in the third tier for the first time since 1985-86. Like 36 years ago, that was following financial turmoil and narrowly missing oblivion. It was Arthur Cox who masterminded that resurgence from third division to first in two seasons back then, and new interim manager Liam Rosenior has a blank canvas to try and emulate him.

Twelve signings and a loan have made the Rams' squad look healthier than when they had just four players at the turn of the month. The acquisition of Conor Hourihane is a coup for Derby as the 31-year-old will have had a few suitors casting an eye.

Led by 37-year-old Curtis Davies, the balance of youth and experience should be well-equipped to compete in League One, but there is no expectation on Rosenior to succeed immediately.

Supporters are just relieved that the EFL season is starting and that Derby are part of it. It really became that desperate. Season ticket sales have reached 15,000 already and a good start to the season could see that climb further.

Commentary of every Derby County match can be found in Sportscene on BBC Radio Derby DAB, FM and Freeview

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

After half a decade of near misses and play-off final defeats, Exeter City finally won promotion out of League Two last season.

But being a fan-owned club with a hefty increase in the bill for their training ground has affected their ability in the transfer market.

So far just experienced former Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Jamal Blackman and Southampton youngster Kegs Chauke have come in for the Grecians’ first third-tier campaign in 10 years.

But Exeter have kept almost all of the side that narrowly missed the League Two title, with highly-rated players such as Matt Jay, Josh Key and Sam Stubbs all eager to prove themselves.

While they will probably not be pushing for promotion, expect a few upsets from Matt Taylor’s side.

Phil Gittins
BBC Radio Lancashire

Having watched the Cod Army cling on to their League One status by the skin of their teeth on the final day of last season, chairman Andy Pilley acted swiftly in the summer to capture Celtic legend Scott Brown, to fill the vacant hotseat at Highbury.

With echoes of the bold decision that saw Joey Barton cut his teeth on the Fylde coast, the Scot, in his first full managerial role, is charged with the task of returning Town to the upper half of the table.

And he has wasted no time in adding to a squad already blessed with the impressive youthful talents of Paddy Lane, Cian Hayes and Carl Johnston, to name just a few.

Six additions have been made to date including the exciting captures of highly sought-after Brendan Wiredu and Callum Morton, who starred while on loan during the first half of the last campaign.

Brown's appointment will undoubtedly inject passion and drive into the club, and attract no shortage of media attention.

It is ambitious without doubt. Whether it proves inspired time will tell, but how it begins will definitely be a crucial factor.

Billy Hunt
BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Forest Green commentator

This time last year I wrote about Forest Green’s somewhat unknown new manager Rob Edwards coming in and needing a striker or two to bolster the squad he had inherited.

A new striker wasn’t brought in and Forest Green won the league. This year, somewhat unknown manager Ian Burchnall is now in charge and it looks like he needs a striker to bolster the squad he has inherited.

The ‘Matt Attack’ of Jamille Matt and Matty Stevens scored 47 goals between them last season and are both still at the club.

But Stevens is out inured until at least Christmas time and, apart from Josh March, their back-ups in the squad have moved elsewhere.

Image source, Getty Images

The shock departure of Edwards leaving within days of lifting the League Two trophy last season rocked the club a little.

They’ve lost some of their star players from the title-winning squad and although recruitment has been steady, Reece Brown re-joining the club after three years away is a popular choice.

Survival in Forest Green’s first ever season in League One will be enough for the fans.

Hear full commentary of every Rovers game live on BBC Radio Gloucestershire 1413 AM

Graeme McLoughlin
BBC Radio Suffolk

There's plenty of optimism around Portman Road, with more than 25,000 set to be in attendance when Kieran McKenna's side kick-off against Bolton on Saturday.

The manager has played a big part in generating this feelgood factor, Ipswich having played plenty of attractive football since his arrival at the club late last year. It's not been quite the summer of change from 12 months ago, although Town have still brought in half a dozen new faces, with one or two more likely before deadline day.

Image source, Mike Egerton/PA Wire

Former Rotherham striker Freddie Ladapo, Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules and Jamaica international Greg Leigh have all enjoyed encouraging pre-seasons and are set to feature on the opening day.Town have also secured longer-term deals this summer for a few key players, namely defender Luke Woolfenden and last year's player of the season Wes Burns.

Hopefully the departures of both James Norwood to Barnsley and Joe Pigott on loan to Portsmouth, won't come back to haunt them.Top six should be the aim, and will be the minimum requirement from many supporters, who hope this will be Town's last campaign in the third tier for quite some time.

Rob Makepeace
BBC Radio Lincolnshire sport

It’s hard to know what to expect from the Imps this season as it’s been all change over the summer.

After Michael Appleton’s departure on the final day of last season, Mark Kennedy was appointed into only his second first-team head coach role, after that short spell with Macclesfield.

Last season’s squad was hit by injuries so keeping key players out of the treatment room will be vital, with City having not the biggest squad.

Regan Poole was a revelation at centre-half towards the end of last season and if Lincoln are able to get through the transfer window without losing him, he could be the inspiration they need.

Anthony Scully’s goals will be the other key component of whether it’s a year of success or struggle.

Luke Ashmead
BBC Three Counties Radio sport

Missing out on last season’s play-off final was a bitter pill to swallow for Dons fans. Add to that the departure of two key players in Harry Darling and Scott Twine, and the exodus of loan players, MK supporters could be forgiven for being down in the dumps.

Not for the first time though the club’s sporting director Liam Sweeting and head coach Liam Manning appear to have recruited very well, with 13 players through the door.

Fans are relishing the prospect of continued quality on the pitch combined with a real chance for promotion. You’d be foolish to bet against it. I think top six is a minimum requirement.

Derek Quinn
BBC Radio Lancashire Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Morecambe face a second season in League One with the majority of the pundits once again marking them as favourites for relegation.

It is something that the Shrimps are used to as they have been defying the odds for years now and are still punching above their weight against some pretty big hitters.

After a good start last season, following promotion from League Two, they endured a torrid time in the middle of the campaign before Stephen Robinson jumped ship to take over at St MIrren and former boss Derek Adams returned.

Safety was ensured with three wins in five games towards the end of the campaign, meaning the Shrimps survived by just two points on the final day of the season.

Adams was quick to see the side's problems. They conceded a shocking 88 goals and the Scot has bolstered his options there this pre-season with signings such as Farrend Rawson, Donald Love and Max Melbourne.

The greatest move for the Shrimps, however, may be the fact they have managed to keep Cole Stockton, who scored a superb 26 goals last season.

Adams will be desperate for someone else to share the burden with Stockton this season and if he can, the Shrimps may well provide a few more shocks along the way.

As ever there have been a number of managerial changes at EFL clubs over the summer.

But how much do you know about some of the new men in charge. Have a go at our quiz and share your scores using #bbcefl on social media.

Jerome Sale
BBC Radio Oxford’s sports editor and Oxford commentator

This feels like a big year for Oxford on and off the field, after three close-but-no-cigar seasons in League One.

With big-hitting shareholders in the Far East coming to the fore, there will an element of expectation about Oxford. That’s despite a number of players leaving in the summer - notably Mark Sykes and Luke McNally, who have joined Bristol City and Burnley respectively.

It’s also despite Oxford again trying to do battle in a division where they are by no means minnows, but are dwarfed by the likes of Derby and Sheffield Wednesday.

Their incoming signings have been late in pre-season, but their fixture list in the early weeks looks kind. By the end of the campaign they will also hope they have planning permission for a new stadium near Kidlington.

BBC Radio Oxford has commentary on every Oxford United game – listen live in Oxfordshire on 95.2FM, DAB digital radio and Freeview channel 722

Peter Swan
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire sport

Peterborough United are back in familiar surrounds for the 2022-23 season.

Having failed to make the grade at Championship level Posh return to the third tier, but with Darren Ferguson gone and Grant McCann reinstalled for a second spell as manager.

Despite relegation, they’ve retained much of their promotion-winning squad from 2020/21, and boast two former League One golden boot winners in Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Marriott. Clarke-Harris in particular has been looking very sharp during pre-season.

Image source, Getty Images

Injuries and fitness issues were a huge problem for Posh last season, so they’ll be hoping for much better luck in that area. Influential midfielder Jack Taylor has battled repeated hamstring trouble over the past two years, and when Taylor isn’t available Posh have tended to struggle.

With the club counting the cost of relegation, investment over the summer has been modest, and the squad does look light in a couple of areas – most notably at full-back. However, Posh will fully expect to be in the thick of the promotion mix come May.

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire will be following Peterborough United home and away throughout the upcoming season

Alan Richardson
BBC Radio Devon

Having gone so close to making the play-offs last season, when they just missed out on the final day despite reaching the 80-point mark, the Pilgrims will hope to go one better this season.

Once again they appear to have recruited well over the summer, and an impressive pre-season suggests that they should be there or thereabouts again in what will be Steven Schumacher’s first full season in charge at Home Park.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent

There’s more optimism around Portsmouth compared to 12 months ago but, given the spending power of the top few teams in League One, it would need something very special for Pompey to go up automatically.

Head coach Danny Cowley has always made it clear he’d need three transfer windows to shape his squad and he’s made a few key additions this summer, with Marlon Pack bringing Championship experience back to his hometown club and Colby Bishop joining from Accrington to lead the forward line.

There are still a few further signings needed but this summer has been more about reshaping the squad, compared to last summer’s rebuild.

This is Portsmouth’s sixth season in League One and 10th outside the top two divisions – too many for a club of this size, but getting out of the third tier seems to be getting harder, not easier. Realistically the play-offs are the goal for this campaign.

Every Portsmouth match is live on BBC Radio Solent on digital radio and Freeview 722 with Andy Moon and former Blues striker and manager Guy Whittingham

Phil Bowers
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

The joy at Vale’s dramatic promotion through the play-offs has been tempered by a frustrating summer where the club have admitted they missed out on several transfer targets.

Having also lost academy product James Gibbons, the squad looks a little thin. Reinforcements for the front line and an experienced goalkeeper are the priorities.

With that in mind, there’s much expected of fit-again captain Tom Conlon, who missed the second half of last season through injury, and top scorer James Wilson, who, on his day, is easily a Championship striker.

Seasoned pros at this level like Jamie Proctor and David Worrall will also have a part to play, as will defensive lynchpin Nathan Smith.

Great strides are being made off the pitch to revitalise Vale Park, with an extensive renovation programme designed to improve facilities. This includes moving home fans from the Bycars Stand to the Hamil Road End, where away fans have traditionally been housed.

There are great expectations off the pitch in Burslem, the team have a big task to match those expectations on it.

Andy Giddings
Sports Editor, BBC Sheffield

Image source, Getty Images

“Yes, but it’s Wednesday”, is the most common response from anyone who says Sheffield Wednesday will be battling for the League One title this season.

This self-deprecating response, suggesting the Owls will mess up somewhere, comes from generations of underperformance for a club of its size. But, frankly, it’s hard to think that they won’t be up there given the financial outlay this summer.

After raiding Championship newcomers Rotherham United to land striker Michael Smith and defender Michael Ihiekwe, and others, there's a feeling that it could be the year of the Owl in the third tier.

Those two should add goals and defensive solidity to an already-strong squad that enjoyed a great second half to last season, before play-off defeat.

Dealing with pressure and expectation at S6 is often part of the challenge, and so often the problem with Wednesday, but all the elements are there for a good season.

Matthew Hanger: Re 15:34, because blue Colin Fordham wants to join the party early I am guessing his team is a Premier League team and he isn't holding out much hope. Is he an Everton fan?

I think you could be onto something, Matthew. Any Premier League fans who think they could be in the EFL next season are more than welcome here!

Nick Southall
BBC Radio Shropshire sports presenter

Boss Steve Cotterill has recruited well during the summer, in particular in strengthening his defence.

Taylor Moore has signed on loan from Bristol City and Chey Dunkley arrives from Sheffield Wednesday. With Matthew Pennington, Tom Flanagan and George Nurse already at the club, there are now five quality defenders vying for three centre-half positions.

Pacy right-back Julien DaCosta has already impressed in pre-season after joining on loan from Coventry.

Talented midfielder Jordan Shipley also arrives from the Sky Blues and the midfield is further bolstered by the addition of Tom Bayliss from Preston.

Image source, Getty Images

Do they have enough firepower up front? Well Dan Udoh and Ryan Bowman did well last season.

They have the young, exciting Tom Bloxham aiming for a regular start and Cotterill has added Portsmouth striker Aiden O'Brien to his frontline.

He has a good pedigree and his experience in the Championship should bring goals in League One.

I believe this is a stronger squad compared to last season and with a good wind and avoiding major injuries, it’s a squad that can do better than the bookies are predicting as finishing around mid-table.

Mr Dependable, Luke Leahy, will once again be key, as he rightly won many plaudits in the 2021-22 campaign.

Cotterill is one of the best managers in League One, his record speaks for itself. With his Covid illness well and truly behind him, he and Shrewsbury look set to improve on last season’s 18th-place finish.

Signs are positive and a a finish towards the top ten is possible.

You can hear exclusive full match coverage of every Shrewsbury Town game on BBC Radio Shropshire.

Sam Avery
BBC Three Counties Radio's Wycombe commentator

Wycombe missed out on an immediate return to the Championship by just 90 minutes; losing to Sunderland in the play-off final in May.

And there is certainly enough optimism around Adams Park to suggest the Chairboys could be in with a shout of making the play-offs again.

Top scorer Sam Vokes extended his contract at the end of last season, which was celebrated like a new signing by most Chairboys supporters.

The Welsh striker really came into his own in a Wycombe shirt during his first 12 months with the club, and having him fit and firing on all cylinders will be pivotal.

New additions in the coming weeks will be expected, but there is also the hope that the best is yet to come from some of the talented younger players such as Chris Forino and Anis Mehmeti.