CC League One 17th Sep

[Swooperman]

Walsall/Chesterfield

At first I was all for Walsall, but looking in I've bizarrley gone the other way & have a hunch for Chesterfield now, although this is not a definite bet for me yet.

Walsall - Darren Wrack has broken his shin & will be missing for ages. Julian Bennett is still suspended & Roper is struggling with a hamstring injury. Crucially Steve Staunton is also a question mark, & together with Wrack that would be a blow.

Chesterfield - Defenders Bailey & Downes again miss out, but Kovac could cover. Sammy Clingan is likely to make his first start.

H2H's dead level, 27-22-27. Walsall won 3-0 in this fixture last year, Chesterfield winning @ their place 1-0.

Being local to me I've been speaking to walsall lads today & theyre not looking forward to this, they seem to think Chesterfield are a real bogey team, but I must admit that you cant really see that from outside.
Walsalls home record in the last 6 is decent 4-1-1, whilst Chesterfield have won 2 of the last 6 away, losing the others. Indeed Chesterfield havent drawn for 10 games.

I do see this as the kind of game that walsall mess up in & I cant back them here after thought, indeed I have a hunch for the away team, who score & concede in equal measure but that 3-0 won over an injury hit Bournemouth must have raised confidence even facing the 5 goal Matty Fryatt.

Staunton & wrack out swings it for me

[Swooperman]

Port Vale have 3 players back. Bell, & Abbey have trained this week, & Mark Innes is also back. They still miss Hulbert, Walsh, Sam & Matthews

[crowie]

Not my thoughts here lads, I am staying away from these league but here's Sporting Life thoughts on a couple mentioned above.

Dropping into League One and Port Vale look outstanding value at 10/11 to get the better of Colchester at Vale Park.

There is an old saying in football, no not the one about Sven being useless, although this one is just as accurate,: “if you don't concede goals, you don't lose matches.”

Simple stuff, and this is exactly what Port Vale have gone about doing at home this season.

Four games gone on their own patch and Martin Folye's men have picked up 10 points from a possible 12, scoring five and letting in zero.

Last season their home form was also solid and with better performances on the road this time around, Vale are up near the top of the table with 14 points in the bag, and a good campaign looks on the cards.

Nathan Lowndes has made a great start to the season with five goals already to his name and bearing in mind that high-flying Brentford and Rotherham have already been seen off at Vale Park this season, it's hard to see why the Valiants are such an attractive price with Bluesq and totesport.

Colchester are hardly setting the world alight, currently sitting in 15th place and with just one win from their last six games and no away win from four, just why are Vale 10/11 shots?

Anyway, who are we to moan when there is good value to be had, and the simple message is to back the men from the Potteries to make it four home wins from five home games this year.

Staying in League One and Walsall can earn their third home win of the season when they take on Chesterfield at Bescot Stadium.

The Saddlers slipped to a 2-1 defeat at in-form Yeovil last weekend, but before that Paul Merson's outfit had lost just one of their opening seven games and had recovered well from a recent 5-2 drubbing by league leaders Swansea, to record clean sheets against Bournemouth and Swindon.

Matty Fryatt has once again been the star man for Walsall with five goals to his name already, and another profitable season looks in store for a player that is destined to make it a higher level of football.

But that is in the future and this is now, and Merson must be delighted that Fryatt is still at the club as well as being fairly happy with how his side have started the season, after not enjoying the best of campaigns last time around.

The former England international has built up a steady blend of youth and experience at the club and while he is not willing to discuss what his side can achieve this season, there is some genuine optimism around Bescot Stadium, and the home fans will be expecting maximum points from this one.

After losing five of their first six games the Spireites have bounced back with two wins from their last three games, to see them move up the table to 16th spot.

However, with 15 goals already conceded from eight games another tough season looks in store for Roy McFarland's troops and this game should go the way of the home side, especially if Chesterfield can't manage to keep young Fryatt quiet.

[Swooperman]

Forest/Rotherham

Now, I saw ODM had this on about tuesday in the TC & thought....worth a look ??

The Mirror today has run a story saying that Megson is on his last chance here, & he has alienated the squad totally, Gary Holt is apparently considering retiring rather than continueing to play under Megson
...he is out with broken ribs though.
One major plus point is that Russel Hoult has signed on a months loan & goes straight in, & hes a decent keeper. John Curtis has declared himself fit, & Jack Lester could return but Cullip & Holt are out.
Rotherham still miss Minto & Monkhouse, but Colin Murdock returns to the squad.
The h2hs are massively 1 sided, overall being 17-11-6 in Forests favour, & at the City Ground its 9-2-1-32-17.
Forests last 6 @ home are w2, d1, l3. 8-9
Rotherhams last 6 away w2, d2, l2 but theyve only scored twice in that run, but they have only lost once in the last 7 games, winning 4.

Tempted with Rotherham...its just Russel Hoult stopping me

[A.M.P]

Right.

I'm off to betfair, but before I do I'm going to list the prices i want:

Blackpool: 3.75
Scunnie: 3.0
Swansea 2.9
Brentford 3.8

Here I go...

[thetwotwins]

I have to concur with Chris and others on the Scunthorpe selection; my local bookies is a Corals who are "only" going 6/4 but I was tempted to drive five miles to the Ladbrokes to pick up the 7/4 - I make Scunthorpe favourites for the game: two stand-out comparisons in recent games are Scunthorpe beating Port Vale 2-0 (home) and Huddersfield 4-1 (Away) while in the last few weeks Doncaster have lost 1-2 Huddersfield at home and 0-2 to P Vale (Away). Not an exact science as I've said before and all that but.....

I think that Scunthorpe's defeat of Port Vale franks the form as they are a very in form team (although granted have best form at home) and I agree with the RP tip posted by Crowie above.

Someone mentioned Bristol City looking like a draw - theyve drawn 4 of their last six while the oppo have drawn 3 of their last 6....could be right.

[A.M.P]

Well....

I got on 3/4 with those targets...

1 pt each on:

Blackpool (please god no!) @ 4.5 crazy odds. Remember Barnet?!!!

(Though Blackpool are a bit of a bogey team for BCFC. I remeber one game at home in the 90's where they had a player sent off and still went on to beat us 1-0)

Scunnie I got for 3.05

Swansea 2.94

One of those then to break even really....

AMP

[Swooperman]

Tempted by Yeovil, won the last 2, centre half Efe Sodje back in after suspension. Phil Jevons fully fit.
Bradford have a full squad out though, bar Ricketts in goal. Hmmmm.....maybe not tbf

[Bigkegman]

Three for me this week and I don't normally get involved in leagues i know jack schitt about.

Scunthorpe, Barnsley and Tranmere.

[kompressaur]

Where's Slick The Statman with his killer stats?

[mrmuzeman]

Price on Scunny meandered up to 3.20 on betfair

Id have taken the straight win instead of the DNB if that price had been there last night.

[christianu]

Doncaster vs Scunthorpe 2pts@2/1
Port Vale vs Colchester 1pt@3/1
Hartlepool vs Swansea 1pt@7/4

Scunny was just too obvious wasnt it? Colchester saved my skin in this league.

[slick]

Where's Slick The Statman with his killer stats?

Thats it no more stats from me as both went tits up.

I tried to play clever by looking at the stats and picking a couple of bets, unless its a proven system stats are worth nothing as its better to know the teams and have that bit of intuition like i did from the off with the Swansea over 2.5's.

Stats are ok if ure doing the pools but they dont take into account injuries and team changes etc, i'll have a butchers next week and do a stats thread and let it run for 10 weeks to see the results but i wont post them as picks.

when Man City were in the lower leagues i knew the teams off by heart as i watched them week in week out as it interested me, what we need is a few guys whose teams are from the lower leagues and get them posting as they will know a lot more than me and any stats.

I aint saying stats are useless just that its always better to be in the know and that usually comes about following ure own team and the league they are in.

was talking to some Bury fans today and they were all for getting stuck in posting once Electric hits their neck of the woods.

[Swooperman]

2 down @ half time, but Chesterfield came through for me & Yeovil were damn unlucky......