Blue Square Bet Premier weekend betting preview from Blue Square
We may have paid out on Crawley Town ‘winning’ the Blue Square Bet Premier but there are still plenty of markets concerning the division available on the Blue Square website.
We have betting ‘without Crawley Town’ which will pay out on any side that finishes second to Crawley OR beats them to the title. Luton are currently the strong odds-on favourites at 1/4 in that market. We are still offering promotion odds, a market in which two selections will be paid out as winners – the league champions AND the play-off winners. There are also a number of special Crawley Town markets which focus on Conference records. We offer 7/2 that they can extend their current unbeaten run of 20 to 29 and beat Altrincham’s record of 28 from the early 90’s. We also ask if Crawley can break Aldershot’s points haul of 101 from the 2007/08 season. That is looking increasingly likely and we offer just 1/3 that Steve Evans’ side can amass 102 points or more. The Sussex side have also been lethal in front of goal with prolific striker Matt Tubbs leading the way. Blue Square offer 2/1 that Crawley finish on a ‘goals for’ total of over 100. It has only been done three times in Conference history – Barnet 103 in 1990/91, Stevenage 101 in 1995/96 and Hereford 103 in 2003/04 – Yeovil went close in 2002/03 when scoring exactly a century. All of those clubs managed that feat within a 42 game season, whilst Crawley will have four extra games to set a new benchmark.
Crawley step into their final ten matches of the season with a tricky looking away fixture at Gateshead on Saturday. They’ll be favourites at a price of 4/7 having been beaten only three times in the league this season. Never by more than a one goal margin (the same can be said for their season overall including their trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup). Gateshead have only lost two of their last 13 league fixtures and are priced at 9/2. The last three of Gateshead’s matches in the division have ended in draws and it’s 13/5 that they extend that record to four.
Richard Money mentioned something called ‘Team Luton’ in his interviews ahead of their midweek win at Rushden & Diamonds. He was certainly proved right by that display at Nene Park from both the playing squad and over 1000 travelling fans as The Hatters battled to a 1-0 victory. As readers of these previews will know – I’ve found it hard to call Luton at various stages of the season and I give them wholesome credit for proving me wrong in midweek. That credit of course will not mean a thing to Money and his team – it’s points that they are after and they’ve kept alive their slim title hopes. A long trip to Southport awaits on Saturday where I fancy the home side to get a point at odds of 9/4.
I saw Mansfield Town play at Histon in midweek and their boss Duncan Russell was right to be ‘disgusted’ with their first half performance. The Stags trailed the ten-man home team by two goals to nil at the break and didn’t look like they would have scored had the ref played 45 hours let alone 45 minutes. Russell’s rage did the trick though and they went on to win the second half and the match with a Louis Briscoe hat-trick. A much tougher game awaits them at the weekend and I have to fancy visitors Kidderminster Harriers to punish any sloppiness at a price of 11/8.
Grimsby Town were hit by a late blow from Gateshead in midweek as promotion hopes stuttered with a 2-2 draw. Ten points off the play-off zone with two games in hand on the majority of teams still offers a glimmer of hope but they will need to beat Tamworth on Saturday at odds of 8/13. Two injury hit and very tired sides meet at Kingsmeadow where the best bet between AFC Wimbledon and Rushden & Diamonds looks a low scoring draw. A goalless game is offered at 9/1 and a 1-1 stalemate at 11/2. Barrow are unbeaten in March and take a run of four straight wins into a weekend home fixture against Bath City. The visitors have been inconsistent of late and you’d have to fancy a home win at 6/5 here.
Cambridge United have been indirectly affected by the injury woes of both Luton Town and AFC Wimbledon as they have had loan players Dan Walker and Ricky Wellard recalled. With only one defeat in their last six matches it looked as though the U’s had settled into an outfit good enough to creep further away from the relegation zone. Their win over York City last weekend was indeed their first against top half opposition since last April’s home win over Mansfield in the previous campaign. The visit of Forest Green Rovers now becomes a difficult assignment and I can see another game featuring very few goals – 0 or 1 goal/s in the game is 5/2 and a goalless draw is just 7/1.
FA Trophy finalists and favourites Darlington are the 8/15 match favourites at home to Altrincham on Saturday. It won’t be as easy as those odds suggest as Alty have won their last two matches. Darlington have only lost once in their last 14 league games but 50% of those ended in draws and that’s the value call here at 13/5. Eastbourne Borough are the slight 13/8 outsiders at home to Kettering Town as they desperately search for another three points to stave off relegation. Fleetwood Town are the 5/4 favourites away at Hayes & Yeading United, but I feel that Garry Haylock’s hosts will have enough to gain a draw at 12/5. York City are the shortest priced favourites of the weekend at 1/3 as they welcome Histon to Bootham Crescent. The visitors have started recent matches well only to fall behind and you doubt they will get any such charity from a York team who rarely let things slip at home.
On Sunday Wrexham host fellow Welsh outfit Newport County at The Racecourse. Wrexham are the 8/11 favourites as they look to stay in the top five with a valuable win. Newport have slowly got into gear this year after an awful start to life without Dean Holdsworth but I couldn’t fancy them on this trip to the North of the country.
ALAN’S BEST WEEKEND TREBLE
KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS to winat Mansfield Town
BARROW to beat Bath City
WREXHAM to beat Newport County
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