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!

So this weekend we’ll try to return to form with tips in the FA Cup and Football League. Starting with the league matches, in the Championship just 3 matches go ahead this weekend. Whilst I have a sneaking feeling Palace could upset Norwich’s applecart, it is one to steer clear of for betting purposes. So the first game our money goes on is Preston’s visit to Scunthorpe. The bottom two sides will both be desperate for the win but with Preston picking up a few draws on the road and Scunthorpe struggling badly at home, we’ll take Preston in the draw no bet at 6/5.

The only remaining game in this division promises to be a cracker as top side QPR visit Hull. Although QPR are 5 points clear, they’ve stuttered a little on the road in recent weeks and with Hull desperate to break into the playoff places and sporting a miserly defence on their own patch, this could easily end in a draw at 12/5. Some of you may also fancy a few quid on under 1.5 goals at 23/10.

Nothing takes our fancy in League One so straight into League Two, Aldershot take a fairly short trip to Gillingham. The Gills’ home form and the Shots’ away form are both very even so the draw looks too good to turn down at 11/4.

Our last bet in the Football League is a goalscorer bet. Top dogs Chesterfield are hosting Bradford whose away form is shocking of late. It all points to a home win but the bookies chalk it up at a prohibitive 8/11. However, with talisman Jack Lester missing in the last match, Deane Smalley came in to net twice. He also scored in two successive games at the start of the month and must surely play even if Lester is fit. Take 11/4 for him to score at any time.

Lastly our FA Cup bet, which will be a treble. Despite many clubs bizarrely resting first team players in the competition, even if Owen Coyle does so his Bolton side should bounce back from their Chelsea defeat to beat poor travellers Wigan. Sheffield Wednesday play host to Hereford and whilst the Bulls have seen a big upturn in form in recent weeks, Hillsborough is an unforgiving place even for League One sides. Lastly, Spurs take their mixed away form to Fulham but should still have too much for the west Londoners. Take Spurs, Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton at a combined 6.25.

Ignoring the Prem this week, our focus in the Championship is on Swansea’s trip to Sheffield United. The Swans are flying high at the moment whilst the Blades are languishing precariously near the foot of the table. Swansea have a decent away record overall but more impressive is their 5 wins and a draw from the last 6 on the road. Take 6/4 on them adding to their tally of victims.

Another form team on paper at the moment is Derby, who have won 5 of their last 6 home matches. They’ve actually taken a little dip over the last couple of weeks though with that sole defeat coming 2 weeks ago followed by an away loss at Norwich. Cloughy will be desperate to get back to winning ways and what better opportunity than against poor travellers Reading at 6/4.

Into League 1 and tonight Brighton play host to Notts County. County are on the up at the moment with 3 successive wins, but crucially these have all been at Meadow Lane. Brighton on the other hand are top of the league and unbeaten at home, so take them to win at 10/11.

In west London, Huddersfield visit Brentford tomorrow. Although we’re not going to call the result of this game due to the unpredictability of both sides, there is a good bet in the anytime goalscorer markets. Jordan Rhodes has scored 6 in his last 4 games for the Terriers and is 2/1 to net against his former club.

Finally we look at League Two, where Wycombe travel to Southend. The Shrimpers are struggling this season whilst the Chairboys sit in the playoff places going into the game. Wycombe have actually been better on the road this season and so the 13/8 on them notching up a win is a good price.

The Gillingham v Chesterfield game is our last bet this week. The Gills are on a good run at the moment but Chesterfield are showing no signs of letting up in their pursuit of the title. It promises to be a tight affair so the 4/5 on under 2.5 goals is a fair shout.

The first game to catch the eye is Bolton’s trip to Wigan. Bolton haven’t conceded in their last 3 matches against the Latics, and with Wigan in poor home form until a win over Wolves, there isn’t much reason to suggest anything will change here. Bolton have started the season well so take them in the draw-no-bet at 6/5. The brave amongst you may also fancy in-form Elmander to score at any time, priced 12/5.

Fulham take on West Brom at the Hawthorns tomorrow in an intriguing encounter. The Baggies are flying high at the moment after some excellent results against the division’s leading lights, whereas the Cottagers are the division’s draw specialists, sharing the points on 6 occasions already this season. A point would suit both sides so the draw is again worth backing at 12/5.

In League One, Peterborough travel to London for their match with Brentford. The Bees are in the mire at the moment, not helped by some rather shaky home form. The Posh don’t exactly travel well making this game difficult to call, but with former Dagger Mackail-Smith in sparkling form he can be backed at 6/1 to open the scoring, taking the each-way for a bit of insurance.

Staying in this division, Huddersfield have overcome a dip in form with 3 consecutive wins. They travel to Plymouth who aren’t firing on their own patch, so back the Terriers at 7/5, saving some cash to back Anthony Pilkington at 7/2 to score at any time – he’s scored 4 in his last 3.

Finally into League Two, where Bury host Southend United. The Shakers have average home form but have been scoring plenty of goals, netting 24 times in 12 games. This is mainly due to 10-goal striker Ryan Lowe who can be backed at 6/5 to score at any time, particularly good when you consider he is also the penalty taker.

This week we’re going to concentrate on the Premiership and start with Chelsea’s lunchtime trip to Manchester City. Chelsea have been in scintilating form so far this season but this is the first real test of their title credentials. City have spent big this summer but are still struggling to find the right formula amongst their vast array of talent. This is why the visitors shouldn’t be missed at odds against, which you are unlikely to see many times this season. The west-Londoners are available at 6/5 and we’ll take that.

The next match that caught our eye is Fulham playing host to Everton. The Toffees have had a nightmare start to the season with injuries to all their strikers, whilst Fulham have also suffered with Zamora and Dembele out of action. Everton have lost narrowly on the road twice this season and will be desperate to register their first away point, whilst games at the Cottage are typically tight affairs. The draw is too good to miss at 12/5.

The final Saturday game in the top flight is Spurs’ visit to West Ham. Spurs are surprisingly odds-against, possibly due to the Hammers’ midweek cup win and Tottenham’s impending European Cup tie. However ‘Arry won’t want to give his old club any change here and they are superior in all departments. Spurs to win at 11/10 is well worth a look.

Sunday afternoon sees a tasty Midlands derby on offer as Wolves play host to Aston Villa. Wolves have a reputation for being somewhat robust and this could easily dissuade the flair players in the Villains’ ranks. Wolves haven’t lost at home but haven’t exactly played the division’s leading lights, and Villa will be looking for their first away point after a narrow loss at Stoke and their absolute disaster at St James’ Park. Villa are good odds to win the match so we can afford a bit of insurance, backing them in the draw-no-bet at 4/5.

Into the Championship and most matches here should be swerved. Burnley are odds-on to beat an erratic Bristol City, Reading are prohibitive odds to beat Barnsley and many games look too close to call. However, one game we’ll have a go at is Preston’s trip to Coventry. Coventry are unbeaten at home this season and last week had a good win at Bristol City. Preston meanwhile have lost all 3 games away from home, conceding 9 in the process. They also struggled badly at Bradford in the cup so Coventry look good at 11/10 to take all 3 points.

Finally in League One, Walsall take a trip to Hartlepool this weekend. Pools fans will have seen 14 goals at Victoria Park already this season whilst The Saddlers have have seen 11 on the road. The home side will be under pressure to get 3 points from a bottom-half clash and this should spell goals again. Take over 2.5 goals at 19/20.

Starting in League One, there’s some tasty encounters with our own home match against Leyton Orient probably the pick of the bunch. It will be the first time we’ve met in a league fixture, and both sides will be going all out for local bragging rights. However, we won’t be betting on our own team’s matches!

Instead, have a look at Peterborough’s trip to Tranmere. Without wishing to be overly harsh, the Trannies showed themselves to be a pretty limited side last weekend and only a lack of concentration from ourselves gifted them a point. Posh on the other hand are flying high at the top of the table, and whilst their odds of evens are prohibitive, there’s always the goalscorer markets. Former Dagger Craig Mackail-Smith is on fire at the moment with 4 in his last 3 matches, and he’s 2/1 to score at any time. Looks good to me!

The only team better off than Posh at the moment are Sheffield Wednesday and they travel to Brentford on Sunday, who find themselves at the wrong end of the league. Whilst I wouldn’t bet against Brentford kick-starting their season, I do think that the match will yield goals regardless of the result. Wednesday hit 5 on the road last week whilst The Bees were busy leaking 3. So take over 2.5 goals at 11/10.

Whilst we’re at it, Neil Mellor seems to have become Wednesday’s first-choice in league matches and was rested for the Paint Pot in midweek. He has far too much for this level and he can score at any time at odds of 9/5.

Dropping down to League Two, there are a lot of seemingly close matches this weekend. Aldershot/Northampton is a decent bet for a draw, whilst Barnet will desperate to keep it tight against Cheltenham who have seen goals flying in at both ends. Shrewsbury host Rotherham in the division’s standout fixture and whilst we would perhaps favour the Shrews at 13/10, it is probably wise to steer clear.

However, one match that looks good for the draw at 12/5 is Bury‘s match against Gillingham. The Gills have had 2 draws on the road so far, whilst Bury have stuttered at home. Neither side are seeing many goals so under 2.5 at 8/11 is also a bet worth looking at for the adventurous amongst you!

Last time out we picked 2 teams in League 2, and both of them agonisingly denied us a return. Firstly Rotherham’s patchy home form meant they couldn’t sustain a challenge, and Bury’s complete capitulation from 2nd in February to nowhere in May snatched away our each-way chances.

Looking at the transfer market, I can’t see Aldershot being as strong after the loss of Hudson and Donnelly, and it is probably too much to ask for Morecambe to improve again this season. Bradford have been installed as favourites with Peter Taylor’s revolution in full swing, and 3rd favourites Wycombe look good to mount a promotion push after making several shrewd signings. We were very close to backing Shrewsbury Town at 16/1 due to their impressive list of signings and installation of fans’ favourite Graham Turner as manager, however their lack of a top goalscorer is a worry.

Therefore we’re having half a point each-way on Port Vale at 14/1. They had a big bonus in holding onto striker Marc Richards, and have added namesake Justin Richards to help share the goals. Their defence last season was miserly and will form the basis of their push. Although there are slightly better odds elsewhere, we’ve gone with PaddyPower’s 4 places on the each-way market rather than the usual 3. For those who like to spread their interest, Northampton at 12/1 are also worth a look.

In our very own League 1 (still sounds great, doesn’t it?), Southampton have rightly been installed as favourites but are much too short to back. Sheffield Wednesday’s array of talent makes them worthy 2nd favourites, and if everything goes as expected you would imagine everybody else is fighting for 3rd downwards. However the rest of the division looks quite open and even teams like Brentford at 40/1 or Leyton Orient at 80/1 could spring a surprise and push towards the playoffs.

However they are unlikely to trouble the automatic places and so we’re going for half a point on Huddersfield Town each-way at 8/1. Only 3 places paid on this one with Coral but they definitely have the quality with good signings added to an already impressive squad.

In the Championship, Gordon Strachan’s mini-Scotland outfit are favourites followed by last season’s surprise package Nottingham Forest. However there are lots of contenders for the promotion spaces, with QPR adding quality to a squad which Neil Warnock had already invigorated, and Reading coming off the back of a brilliant end to last season.

We’re going to side with Bristol City though for our each-way chance. They finished close behind the Royals last season in 10th and have added David James, Nicky Hunt, Albert Adomah and Sam Vokes. Although they can be found at 20/1, we’ll take Blue Square’s 16/1 with the offer of 4 places.

Down to the Conference, and Luton are again favourites to win the division. They should manage to get out this time around, but big-spending Crawley will be gunning for them. Newly relegated Grimsby and Darlington are also short odds for an immediate return to the Football League but as we know, the ex-League sides often find it tough going.

However one ex-League side who can finally climb back out of non-league are York City. They finished 5th last time after being outsiders for the title at one stage, but find themselves 12/1 for the title this season. Rumours surround the future of star striker Brodie but if they can hang onto him until at least January, you can definitely see them hitting the top of the table. Again Blue Square will pay 4 places each-way.

Finally, if anybody is optimistic enough to back all of our selections, the best accumulator odds are with Coral who will pay a whopping 36854/1 on the win! You can also back that each-way, which would return 323/1 if they all come in the top 3 in their respective leagues.

We’re not going to be deterred though and our confidence (stupidity) leads us to committing further money to the bookies this weekend. We’ll avoid the Prem this week after last week’s woes, with the temptation to again back a Tottenham draw with Everton being ignored.

In the Championship, Watford take on Newcastle at Vicarage Road. The Hornets have been pretty decent at home this season despite their mid-table position, and coupled with the Magpies’ recent fondness for away draws, we’ll take the 12/5 about the draw.

In League One, there’s a Friday night match between Southend and Charlton which should be a close game. Southend find themselves bottom of the form table but Charlton have stuttered recently with only 1 win in 6 which explains the 13/10 on offer for the Addicks. To give ourselves a bit of insurance, take 4/6 on Charlton draw no bet.

We’ll dip into the Conference for the next two offerings, with Luton travelling to Crawley on Saturday. Crawley have been good at home with their away form explaining their mid-table position, and despite Luton’s good away record they’ve draw most of their matches when visiting the better sides. That makes 12/5 on the draw worth taking. Elsewhere, Ebbsfleet are top of the form tables and take on lowly Barrow. Take Fleet to win at 11/10.

Our last bet this week is a cheeky accumulator attempt. Our four home teams are Notts County, Sheffield United, Coventry and York which gives odds of 21/4 when combined.

You can tell it has been a long time since we offered our tips, because the Manchester City/Liverpool return match is this weekend! City have 6 wins from their last 6 at home, and Liverpool have struggled for goals away from home without Torres. Therefore City look too good at 6/4 to win.

Staying in the Prem, and Tottenham visit Wigan on Sunday. Wigan drew at home to Bolton in midweek on a frankly awful pitch which hindered both sides. Spurs should find the same problems, and coupled with their patchy form and Wigan’s fondness for a home draw, 5/2 for the draw is a decent punt.

Down into the Championship, and Newcastle host Preston. The Magpies have made a habit of some crushing home wins whilst Preston’s away form isn’t up to much. Over 2.5 goals is the bet here at 21/20.

In League One, Tranmere have quietly improved their form after being the early-season whipping boys for just about everybody. Whilst they remain in trouble, they’re now only a couple of wins from mid-table and they host Leyton Orient who have been steady if unspectacular on their travels. The draw at 12/5 is worth taking.

A slightly more risky bet in League Two is on offer in the Rotherham/Torquay game on Friday night. Despite their excellent side, Rotherham have tended to lose concentration at various times this season and have displayed vulnerability at home. Torquay tend to lose by the odd goal at the moment, and with Rotherham’s front two of Le Fondre and Pope not lacking in the goals department, a 2-1 home victory at 8/1 is a nice little tempter.

First stop is the Prem and this week plenty of managers are going to be nursing players injured on international duty. Steven Gerrard should be fit after missing an England friendly (what a massive shock), but Torres is still out. Liverpool have been pretty rubbish lately and Man City could get back to winning ways at Anfield – they look big at 7/2 considering the array of talent they have at their disposal. Man for man they’re just as good, if not better, than ‘Pool, so we’ll take that price.

Also on offer in the Prem is Fulham to draw at Birmingham. Brum are short of goals but also keep it tight at home, whilst Fulham have already eeked out 3 draws on their travels. 23/10 looks great value.

Another draw bet worth having a look at is Middlesbrough against Nottingham Forest. Forest have the distinction of being the only team unbeaten away in the Championship, whilst Boro continue to stutter. The signing of Dave Kitson should lift them, but both sides will surely be happy with a point here so 12/5 looks good.

Tonight sees Swansea take on Derby in Wales. The Swans are back on form after early-season wobbles, whereas Derby have been utterly awful on their travels, losing 6 of 8 games. Swansea beat Cardiff last time out in a hard-fought game and should follow this up with another three points at a very fair 8/11.