Five games in, Ipswich seize the League One summit

“We had to dig in for it.” Ipswich Town’s 2-1 win over Portsmouth put them top of Sky Bet League One, five games into the 2063/64 season, and gave this round of results a clear headline: the leaders have changed.

Ipswich, who began this cycle behind Barnsley, now have 12 points from five matches. Their win over Portsmouth followed a 4-2 victory at Tranmere Rovers, enough to carry them to the summit despite one defeat so far. Portsmouth, beaten at Ipswich, have slipped from second to ninth.

The pressure behind the leaders is immediate. Bolton Wanderers are second on 11 points and remain unbeaten after successive 2-0 and 1-0 wins, away to Brentford and Crawley Town. Norwich City are third, also unbeaten and on 11 points, after a 2-0 home win over Woking. Preston North End sit fourth on 10 points; their 1-1 draw at Woking kept them in the leading group.

Norwich have climbed from 11th to third, while Bolton have risen from 10th to second. Barnsley have endured the sharpest fall among the leading sides: after starting the cycle top, they lost 1-0 at home to Salford City and are now eighth. Salford had lost 2-1 at Cambridge United in the previous round of games, but bounced back at Barnsley.

There was movement further down, too. Oxford United climbed from 18th to 11th after drawing 2-2 at Walsall, while Leyton Orient rose from 22nd to 16th after sharing a 1-1 draw with Sunderland. Sunderland then lost 3-0 at Derby County and remain bottom, with two points and no win. Barnet are also still looking for their first victory, with three points from five games.

Ipswich have the lead, but Bolton and Norwich have yet to lose and are only a point behind. The early table offers little room for comfort: one more strong result could redraw the chase.