Latest League One Odds: Five Safe and Five Fight at the Top

The promotion race is looking tantalising in League One, and this weekend's results have only furthered the attractiveness of the situation, especially if you are one of the top five.

Birmingham Dominating On and Off the Pitch

After a draw last time out against Northampton, Birmingham will have wanted (probably the only team in the division where needed doesn't exist) to return to winning ways against Shrewsbury at home.

They did just that, emphatically, firing four goals past the visitors with Alfie May bagging himself a late brace. Every week, this team further shows why they are the league leaders and the title is all but theirs now, if it wasn't already.

Nine Team Play-Off Picture

It's best to just dive into the picture at this point, given how much action there is to talk about. So, we head to Wrexham, who currently sit second in the division.

A 2-0 win against Exeter has really got me considering the chances of them actually going up automatically. Given that I was a bit unsure of their away form, in recent months, they have stepped it up a notch and have been superb away from the Racecourse.

As cliche as it is, getting wins like that against struggling teams like Exeter are what make a huge difference at the top, and it's a result that carries a lot of weight.

However, the Red Dragons are not being given the luxury of a gap, as Wycombe are hot on their heels - how the turntables turn! In fact, we can repeat a lot of the same about Wrexham's win against Exeter here, only this time, a home win against Lincoln, who were expected to contend for the play-offs.

Certainly not a dominant result, but a clean sheet is huge for the Chairboys, and it is now just about consistency, something which they have been good with all year.

Following Wycombe is Charlton, who easily dispatched of Huddersfield at the weekend, with a 4-0 scoreline in one of the division's early kick-offs.

The Addicks have been phenomenal in recent months, and taking advantage of the Terriers' situation like they did is a massive result. Certainly a way to put your stamp on things.

Stockport also managed to get themselves three big points against Burton Albion, who have been a bit of a mixed bag in recent weeks. In a season where many overlooked the Hatters a little, they have made that play-off place their own in recent weeks.

Here, in my opinion, is where things get really interesting.

Between sixth-placed Reading and 10th-placed Blackpool, there are only five points, and any of the teams in this region can certainly end in that sixth-placed spot.

A win this weekend meant the Royals find themselves topping that bunch, with three points being missed by the previous hosts of that seat - Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers. The Yorkshire outfit's loss allowed Charlton's position to become more secure, whilst the latter's loss to Blackpool invited them into the race.

It is all to play for between those sides, whilst the others above are surely looking forward to May now...

Inevitable Fate for Two

At the bottom, it has normally been a case of seeing who is the worst of a bad bunch, rather than the best, and this much was true once again this weekend.

Things are looking really inevitable for Shrewsbury now, and whilst you can maybe take some solace in the fact that their defeat came against Birmingham, it seems like their time in League One is heading towards a really clear end.

Eight points behind other teams in the relegation zone already, the chapter is done.

Cambridge then have a slight gap, sitting on 31 points, but failing to beat Northampton is a perfect summary as to why they are struggling at the bottom of the table. The U's could have picked up three huge points at the bottom of the division, and failing to do so, you have to feel, puts them in a vulnerable spot.

For Crawley, though, things are looking much brighter. After a 5-1 defeat to Huddersfield earlier this month, I thought they would only be heading one way, however, they have pulled things back with back-to-back wins, and a 4-0 victory against Rotherham has certainly helped to pull that goal difference back. A huge result indeed.

Finally, we go to Burton Albion, who were beaten by a 10-man Stockport side by a goal. I have been quite interested in their situation since Christmas, and I still think they are the most likely of the four to break out of the relegation zone, even despite this loss.

There is a six-point gap between Bristol Rovers and the two teams best fighting to avoid relegation, and I don't think that gap will be extended, if anything it is only going to close.