TITLE CHALLENGERS

This time last year, Steve Evans was preparing for an assault on npower League 2 with his Football League new boys Crawley Town. Fast-forward 12 months and the Scot is again targeting promotion from the same division.

The 49-year-old swapped Crawley for Rotherham United in April and, after watching his former employers go up to npower League 1 automatically, he will be keen to follow suit with the Millers, who finished last term 10th.

A lot has changed at Rotherham over the summer and things are certainly looking good for the club that was in the npower Championship as recently as 2005.

First and foremost, they finally have a stadium they can call home after moving into the impressive 12,000-seater New York Stadium.

The new ground alone will revitalise the club, having spent the past four seasons playing in the soulless Don Valley Stadium, and Steve Evans will no doubt hope to capitalise on the buzz that moving into the new stadium has created.

Matching their off-field transformation, Evans has overseen a complete overhaul of the playing squad with no fewer than 11 summer signings.

Iceland international Kari Arnason has joined from Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen, while defender Ian Sharps has returned to the club after earning promotion with Shrewsbury Town last term.

On the attacking front, strikers Kieran Agard and Kayode Odejayi have both dropped down from npower League 1 to join the Millers, whilst winger Lionel Ainsworth has followed in Sharps' shoes - joining from the League 1-bound Shrews.

The new faces will need to gel, of course, but Steve Evans has proved he is capable of building promotion-hungry squads.

Likely to be challenging Rotherham, are npower Football League newcomers Fleetwood Town.

Similarly to Crawley last term, the Cod Army have arrived on the scene in npower League 2 with big expectations.

They ran away with the Blue Square Premier title last season and have the momentum of five promotions in the last eight years behind them.

The Trawlermen also have the support of a wealthy and ambitious chairman in Andy Pilley - the man responsible for transforming the club and its facilities from a Northern League standard to that of a Football League club.

Their close-season signings certainly show they mean business, too.

Experienced former Preston trio Jon Parkin, Youl Mawene and Barry Nicholson have all joined Micky Mellon's side, as has Colchester United striker Steven Gillespie and Northern Ireland international Damien Johnson, who won promotion from npower League 1 with Huddersfield Town last time around.

ON THE FRINGE

Rotherham and Fleetwood may be the two teams the bookies are backing but there are plenty of other clubs in npower League 2 who could potentially mount a bid for the title.

Last year's Play-Off winners, Crewe Alexandra, finished seventh meaning the three sides that finished above them remain in npower League 2, all vying for promotion.

Defeated finalists Cheltenham Town were arguably the surprise-package of last season and Mark Yates has kept the nucleus of his squad together for another promotion charge.

Yates has added some much-needed firepower to his attacking ranks, too, with the additions of Chris Zebroski and Shaun Harrad, as well as some midfield flair in the shape of Sam Deering, who spent last term with Barnet.

Southend United and Torquay United were the two other sides that lost out in the Play-Offs, despite amassing over 80 points.

The Shrimpers have re-signed talismanic striker Freddy Eastwood, who scored 65 goals in 135 games for the Roots Hall outfit before joining Wolves in 2007, and he will be hungry to repeat their 2005 promotion success.

Torquay, meanwhile, will be hoping to make it third time lucky having lost out in the Play-Offs in successive seasons.

Influential midfielder Eunan O'Kane departed for Bournemouth over the summer and the biggest question mark over whether the Gulls can repeat last season's antics will be if they can replace him.

Looking elsewhere, Oxford United faltered towards the back-end of last season, missing out on a top-seven finish, and they will start this term curtailed by injuries with key players Michael Duberry, Andy Whing, Liam Davies and Peter Leven all sidelined.

It has been all-change at Gillingham with Martin Allen replacing Andy Hessenthaler in the hot seat and they will be looking to challenge again after an eighth-placed finish last season.

Northampton Town and Bradford City have both struggled over the last few years but could feature in the top half this time around.

Aidy Boothroyd has overseen a mini revolution at Sixfields since taking over last November and he has added experienced striker Clive Platt to his squad, as well as the man that lifted the npower League 2 Play-Off trophy with Crewe last term - David Artell.

Bradford, meanwhile, have signed midfield stalwart Gary Jones from Rochdale and 29-year-old striker Alan Connell from Swindon Town, the side he scored 11 goals for last term on the way to collecting a npower League 2 winners medal.

THE NEW BOYS

We've already touched on Fleetwood and their likely push for promotion but don't be surprised to see the other new sides arriving in the division mixing it with them.

Chesterfield and Wycombe have returned after one season away, and will be hoping to make it just a flying visit this time around.

They went up, hand-in-hand, in 2011 so will certainly have the know-how in their respective management teams of how to get out of this division the right way.

On the field, the Spireites have bolstered their strike force with the addition of Marc Richards, who scored 67 goals in 181 league appearances for Port Vale after joining in 2007. He has an extensive knowledge of npower League 2 - something that could prove to be vital.

Wycombe, meanwhile, have chosen to go with experience in their signings with Gary Doherty, who has been appointed as the new skipper, and Matt Spring joining their ranks.

The Chairboys also possess a livewire striker in Stuart Beavon. The former Weymouth hit man bagged 25 goals last term, proving his goal-scoring abilities even in a struggling squad.

Exeter City, another side relegated from npower League 1, have also added some much-needed experience to their team with Paul Tisdale recruiting a number of players well into their 30s.

Tisdale persuaded ex-Leicester City midfielder Matt Oakley not to retire and to instead join the Grecians, along with 36-year-old attacker Jamie Cureton. Both have vast amounts of Football League know-how but whether they have the vigor for a promotion campaign remains to be seen.

Rochdale are also back in npower League 2, a division they have spent the majority of their 105-year existence in.

Manager John Coleman is preparing to start his first full season in charge of the Dale having been appointed in late January. He failed to prevent relegation last term but the Liverpudlian has previously proved his abilities in npower League 2 with Accrington Stanley, guiding them to the Play-Offs in 2011.

While all the attention is on Fleetwood coming up from the Blue Square Premier, it would be silly to look past York City.

The Minstermen are back in the League after an eight-year absence and manager Gary Mills will be looking to use the momentum gained from their FA Trophy exploits and Play-Off triumph last term to drive them to success this time around.

They and Fleetwood certainly have history on their side, with clubs coming up from the Blue Square Premier continuing to do well upon reaching the Football League.

The Cod Army and Steve Evans' Millers may be the favourites but expect the unexpected - anything can happen in npower League 2.