With a few League 2 sides playing in the FA Cup Fourth round we are left with just nine matches in the bottom tier on Saturday but that doesn’t mean we are devoid of betting opportunities.
Saturday’s remaining matches are as follows:
Accrington v Bristol Rovers
Wimbledon v Yeovil
Crawley v Mansfield
Hartlepool v Exeter
Leyton Orient v Cambridge
Luton v Notts County
Morecambe v Newport
Plymouth v Wycombe
York v Stevenage
This actually looks like a really good card with a number of home sides to be confident in and a couple of other matches which just scream out as having goals so we can really get stuck into this one.
Two home sides I was very tempted by were Crawley and Luton. Crawley might be languishing in mid-table but that isn’t down to their home form which is very good but Mansfield had a morale boosting win in midweek which is just enough to put me off the hosts there.
Luton have begun to turn things around under Nathan Jones. They’ve not conceded a goal since he took over and conceding goals was their big issue earlier in the season. They host a Notts County side who have also changed their manager so we need a bit of time to assess them. While Luton won well last week we could do with seeing how they cope with breaking a side down at home before piling in on them.
Given Morecambe’s heartbreaking defeat in midweek I’m tempted by Newport up there but although Newport have improved under Warren Feeney they also lost in midweek so I’ll leave that alone. Exeter look just a little short but I wouldn’t be surprised were they to beat Hartlepool while the York vs Stevenage game could have any result.
Looking at where I think there will be goals and the AFC Wimbledon vs Yeovil game originally looked a prime contender but Yeovil are missing one or two and Wimbledon are looking solid in defence so I’ll pass that one over and go for goals elsewhere.
Accrington and Bristol Rovers have been two of the better sides in the division this season and I fancy goals when they meet. Accrington have scored two or more in five of their last eight matches and seven of their last 10 have had over 2.5 goals in them.
Bristol Rovers have scored two or more in six of their last nine so they are prolific when it comes to goals and the possess the second leading scorer in the division in the form of Matty Taylor so their threat is there for all to see.
Accrington have been excellent at home this season and are averaging over two goals a game on their own patch this season but they have conceded a few. Rovers average 1.5 goals per match on the road so the statistics show us we should expect goals here.
Usually matches between these two have a low scoring outcome to them but this match has a different dynamic to most of their past meetings. They will have been when both sides have been nervy and struggling to stay in the division but it is different here. Both are confident and going well and I expect at least three goals in that one.
Leyton Orient look to have responded well to Kevin Nolan taking over in the hotseat. They have won their last two matches and haven’t conceded a goal in them and they will be confident of turning over Cambridge on home soil.
I’m confident they will too. They have added defensive stability this week with the signing of Shaun Brisley and we know they have goals in them. Jay Simpson is a goal machine this season and there are other scoring options so given their defensive improvement we should start taking the O’s more seriously again.
I saw Cambridge at first hand a couple of weeks ago and to say they were limited would be doing the word a disservice and they will be even more limited going forward from here with the news that Barry Corr has had knee surgery and is out for the rest of the season.
Cambridge have been ok on the road this season but they are now winless in four matches and I fancy that to become five matches after this one.
Plymouth are looking good to seal automatic promotion this season and the signing of Daniel Nardiello in midweek was a significant statement that they mean business for the rest of the campaign.
Plymouth’s only defeat in their last seven matches came against the leaders Northampton and they had a good draw at Bristol Rovers last week so they are in excellent form and I expect them to kick on against Wycombe.
Wycombe have generally been good on the road under Gareth Ainsworth but they have lost two of their last three away from Adams Park and their last three matches overall so the Chairboys just look in a mini slump.
This is probably a game they could do without with resources starting to get a little stretched and the sale of Matt Ingram won’t have helped their cause too much. I’ll take the home side to continue their good form and get the job done here.
Back Accrington vs Bristol Rovers – Over 2.5 goals for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with Bet365
Back Leyton Orient (-0.25AH) to beat Cambridge for a 5/10 stake at 1.76 with BetVictor
Back Plymouth (-0.25AH) to beat Wycombe for a 4/10 stake at 1.94 with BetVictor
