Arsenal were within a whisker of becoming the second English side in succession to win the Champions League but came unstuck in the final against eventual winners Barcelona.

Bolton Wanderers continued to prove themselves as a top Premiership club despite financial restrictions preventing manager Sam Allardyce from taking the club on further.

Following the heroics of the 2004/05 campaign, last season was disappointing by comparison.

Middlesbrough’s league form suffered last season due to their involvement in the later stages of various cup competitions.

Portsmouth survived the drop last season after languishing in the bottom three for much of the campaign.

Reading stormed the Championship last season and lost just two league matches all campaign.

Watford enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes following the appointment of Adrian Boothroyd last summer.

Wigan Athletic, like West Ham United, enjoyed an excellent first season in the Premiership, finishing tenth and reaching the Carling Cup final.

Of the three teams relegated from the Premiership last season, Birmingham look perhaps the best equipped to make an immediate return to the top flight.

Peter Taylor is the new man in charge at play off losers Crystal Palace this season following Iain Dowie’s defection to Charlton Athletic.

Queens Park Rangers finished one place above the bottom three last season but were eight points clear of their nearest rival, third from bottom Crewe Alexandra.

Similarly to Coventry City last season, Southampton endured a torrid time at the beginning of the campaign.

Wolves have been mooted as one of the favourites for promotion for the past two seasons following their short, one season, stint in the Premiership.

Cheltenham Town won promotion to League One via the play offs at the expense of Grimsby Town and manager John Ward feels they are better equipped to compete in the division than last time around.

At one stage last season it looked as though Chesterfield could cement a play off place but they faded away towards the latter part of the season and finished in their more recognisable place in the lower half of the table.

Nottingham Forest were the firm bookmaker’s favourites to win League One last season following their relegation from the Championship which gave them the dubious honour of becoming the first European winners to play outside it’s country’s top two divisions.

After a shaky 2004/05 campaign, manager and Port Vale stalwart Martin Foyle defied the odds and made the Valiants a solid mid table team last season.

Scunthorpe United has a solid first season in League One following their promotion a year before and finished in a respectable twelfth placed position.

Tranmere Rovers endured a dismal campaign last season following their play off failure in the 2004/05 season.

Yeovil Town survived their first season in League One following their two promotions in three seasons from the Conference.

After winning the Conference by 12 points in the 2004/05 season, Barnet have found the step up to the Football League a difficult one.

Boston United were tipped as a dark horse choice to win League Two last season after the relatively high profile signings of former Premiership duo Julian Joachim and Noel Whelan.

Following two seasons of struggle after their promotion from the Conference in 2004, manager Mark Wright has overhauled the squad in a bid to build a team capable of challenging at the upper end of the table.

Darlington have just missed out on a play-off berth for the last two seasons and need to find that little extra to break into the top seven places in the division.

Hartlepool United crashed out of League One last season after two unsuccessful play-off bids, in which they lost 4-2 to Sheffield Wednesday in the 2004/05 final and 3-2 on aggregate against Bristol City in the 2003/04 semi final.

Hereford United made a return to the Football League after finishing as Conference runners up for the last three seasons in a row.

Notts County have found themselves in the lower reaches of League Two for the past two seasons following their relegation from League One and new boss Steve Thompson faces an uphill battle to improve matters this term.

Rochdale have been an inconsistent side over the last few seasons in League Two. One season they look as though they could make an impact in the play offs and the next they are languishing in mid table.

Shrewsbury Town missed out on the play-offs by three points last season but manager Gary Peters feels he has a squad that is ready to push for promotion next season.

Stockport County survived relegation by three points last season after staging a comeback to battle their way out of the bottom two.