With the new football season just a day away, it is time to delve into the betting markets and try to win some cash. Followers of our tips last year would’ve picked up on Huddersfield who finished in the top 3, but sadly Port Vale fell apart after Micky Adams’ departure having looked set to claim promotion. York weren’t quite consistent enough and ended up 8th, but overall we were on the right lines and will hope for better luck this time.
Starting in League Two, Crawley are big favourites with the bookies due to their seemingly bottomless pot of money. They’ve made some decent signings but I’m still not convinced they are strong enough right now to run away with the title. If things don’t go their way you can bet they will splash out again in January, but there is plenty of value elsewhere and we’ll be giving them a wide berth.
Gillingham’s transfer activity certainly caught our attention this summer but we’ve decided against a flutter for now with the news Adam Birchall will be out for several months. Although they have plenty of ability in midfield, it seems Kedwell will have to lead the attack alone for the time being and goals may be hard to come by. Keep an ear to the ground though – if they acquire another good striker an each-way bet at 18/1 with William Hill could pay off.
Relegated sides don’t tend to fare particularly well in the surroundings of League Two, but Swindon and Bristol Rovers could buck that trend this year. Both have recruited well, although it remains to be seen how quickly a team can be built from these individuals. There is also the risk, like Port Vale last year, that a good start could see their young managers Di Canio and Buckle being courted by clubs higher up the ladder.
One side who are sure to be rattling in the goals this season is Oxford United. They’ve retained the prolific Constable and added the likes of Deane Smalley and Jon-Paul Pittman. Potter and Craddock could come of age this season, and with the experienced Duberry and Capaldi added to their already decent defence, a good season awaits. With that in mind, we’re going to take an each-way bet at 14/1 with William Hill.
If you’re looking for something a bit longer, then Southend United are the best option at 28/1. Although Barry Corr is injured at the moment, they have added Neil Harris, Jemal Johnson and Liam Dickinson to their squad. Financial worries could bite them, but if they manage to finish the season unscathed I’ll be very surprised if they aren’t in the top 7.
In the top scorers market, there is a huge amount of choice. Crawley’s Matt Tubbs is as short as 4/1 in some places and although he should score well, he is untested at this level. Keep an eye on Crawley’s team sheets though and if Tyrone Barnett starts, he is a great pick at 40/1 with bet365. He scored 13 in a poor Macclesfield side last season and can surely better that this time around.
It is difficult to choose between Oxford’s forwards with Constable, Craddock and Smalley all capable of 20 goals, but they could easily end up sharing the burden. All are well-priced though and represent good value. Even better value is the Daggers own Josh Scott, a whopping 80/1 with several firms including Betfred and BlueSq. It is unusual for us to bet on the Daggers, but this is an astounding price when you consider Tomlin, Nurse and Williams are all shorter, so we’ll go each-way on the big man.
Into League One and Huddersfield understandably lead the betting after last season’s 3rd place finish. However, they’ve lost Anthony Pilkington and won’t have the benefit of Afobe this time, and they were already struggling for goals at home last season.
We’ll also steer clear of the turmoil at Sheffield United who have financial problems and some very highly-paid players who they will almost certainly want to offload. It is difficult to see them mounting a promotion campaign with many young and untested players likely to play a part. Another side who may flatter to deceive is MK Dons. On paper they’ve done well to add to a squad which finished 5th last time, but I still feel they may be missing the spark which will take them to the next level.
Instead we’ll side each-way with Charlton at 9/1. Their squad is finally taking shape and although there are question marks over Chris Powell’s management, they surely have enough about them to mount a promotion campaign. The likes of Danny Green, Rhoys Wiggins, Mikel Alonso and Danny Hollands should make things very exciting at the Valley this season and it is hard to see such a talented squad not making the top 3.
Those looking for a longer-odds bet should check out Brentford at 16/1. New manager Rosler has wasted no time in adding quality to an already decent squad and Clayton Donaldson should certainly bang the goals in. It is worth taking the 20/1 each-way that last season’s League Two top scorer repeats the feat at the higher level. Also with Preston likely to mount a challenge, Neil Mellor is a good bet at 25/1.
There seems to be very little value in the Championship this year with Leicester and West Ham looking set to fight it out at the top of the table, and they are priced accordingly at just 4/1.
However looking slightly further down, could Brighton “do a Norwich” and secure a 2nd successive promotion? After taking League One by storm last season, they have added some very good players such as Craig Mackail-Smith and Will Buckley. There is a buzz around the club with Gus Poyet’s canny management and a move to their impressive new stadium. There is a concern that Poyet could be a leading candidate for the first Premiership vacancy that arises this year, but William Hill’s 22/1 is very generous and we’ll again go each-way on that.
Anybody feeling particularly brave can put Brighton, Charlton and Oxford in a £5 e/w accumulator and come out with around £475 if they all make the top 3. Good luck!
