The last full midweek round of fixtures in Skybet League 2 takes place on Tuesday night and it could be an unhappy night for the likes of York City who will be relegated from the Football League should they lose at home to Portsmouth.
Elsewhere the race for the automatic promotion spots behind Northampton and the charge for the playoffs is really starting to encapsulate the imagination and so this promises to be another defining fixture list for many sides.
Tuesday’s fixtures are as follows:
Barnet v Notts County
Cambridge v Morecambe
Carlisle v Luton
Dag & Red v Wimbledon
Exeter v Mansfield
Hartlepool v Accrington
Leyton Orient v Plymouth
Newport v Oxford Utd
Northampton v Crawley
Stevenage v Bristol Rovers
Wycombe v Yeovil
York v Portsmouth
Top of the table
Northampton won the title on Saturday and they surely have another party to enjoy when they face travel shy Crawley at Sixfields but behind them it is really getting interesting. Oxford head to Newport needing a win to calm any nerves around the Kassam while Bristol Rovers can steal a march in the race when they head to Stevenage.
Accrington and Plymouth are the other two genuine challengers for the top three at the minute but they both face tricky and testing encounters away to Hartlepool and Leyton Orient respectively.
Meanwhile there are a gang of teams looking for the final playoff spot. AFC Wimbledon are in control of their own destiny and should remain so after a trip to Dagenham while Wycombe, Exeter and Leyton Orient will be praying they have the chance to take advantage of a slip up when they host Yeovil, Mansfield and Plymouth respectively. Carlisle have dropped away alarmingly and their game against Luton is must win.
Bottom half
The trap door finally opened for John Still’s Dagenham side on Saturday. I’m sure they will want to go out with a bang and build something for next season but I’m not sure a home game with Wimbledon will yield much joy.
York have to beat Wimbledon to give themselves any chance of avoiding the drop but their fate is secured it is just a matter of when it is actually confirmed. I’m expecting that confirmation to come after their home match with Portsmouth on Tuesday night.
Newport play host to Oxford while Stevenage host Bristol Rovers. Yeovil head to Wycombe and Morecambe face a long trip to Cambridge but realistically with York doomed those four sides are playing for very little now.
Betting
I’m going to go on the attack on Tuesday night in what looks like a decent little card with quite a bit of value around. That value begins with Barnet at home to Notts County.
In both matches won and points gained Barnet are the third best side in the division on their own patch and having been there recently I can totally understand why. Notts County are the third worst travellers in the division with just one point from their last five road trips and they go into this game off the back of a 5-0 absolute hiding at Mansfield on Saturday.
Records this season suggest Barnet are great things here yet somehow we can get fantastic value on them on a draw no bet line which I’m always more willing to take at this stage of the season especially in a game where neither side are playing for anything. Of the two though the match might mean more to Barnet. They’re at home and new to the league so every position is an achievement for them. I fancy they’ll pile more misery on the Magpies.
Luton were good to us on Saturday and they head to a Carlisle side whose goals have suddenly dried right up all of a sudden which will be music to the ears of those Town fans making the long journey up.
Carlisle have just two goals from their last four matches and ended with nine men on Saturday so two players will be suspended for this match. They are also carrying a few injuries which doesn’t help too so that is a concern for the home side.
Luton have won seven out of nine on the road under Nathan Jones with wins at Leyton Orient, Plymouth and Oxford in that run. They look a much happier, more fluent and more confident side on the road and with the profit margin on a draw on our side I have to stick with the Hatters there.
Exeter are flying at the minute. They are really charging for the playoffs and who knows if there are stutters above them they might just get there. One thing is for sure they have to beat Mansfield on Tuesday night and I think they will.
I’ve mentioned time and again how little I rate Mansfield and a good win on Saturday isn’t going to sway me from those thoughts. Exeter are undefeated in their last 10 matches which includes a home win over Plymouth and good results against Portsmouth and Carlisle and I’m expecting a home win there.
Oxford might have lost on Saturday but they are worth taking to bounce back on Tuesday night. They weren’t that bad against Luton. They just came unstuck in a five minute spell of madness but a trip to Newport is a perfect way to bounce back.
Newport look like they’ve run their race for this season with six defeats on the spin and while I’m not a fan of big handicaps at this stage of the campaign Oxford’s last two away wins have been 5-1 and 3-0 at places where the home side have a good record. That should translate into a comfortable win here.
Tips
WON – Back Barnet (0AH) to beat Notts County for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with 188bet
WON – Back Luton (+0.25AH) to beat Carlisle for a 4/10 stake at 1.84 with 188bet
Back them here:
Back Exeter to beat Mansfield for a 4/10 stake at 2.05 with Betfred
Back them here:
Back Oxford to beat Newport for a 4/10 stake at 1.75 with Bet365
Back them here:
