Football – England – League One
Thursday 7th May 2015 – Kickoff: 1945hrs
Chesterfield earned a vital point away at Sheffield United on the last day of the season which booked their place in the forthcoming play-offs. Chesterfield lost just once in their last nine League One matches which saw them over the line, but they were without a win in their last three of the regular season.
An earlier draw with Oldham Athletic 0-0 away from home and a 2-0 home defeat to League One champions Bristol City – which brings me onto my next observation.
The Spireites registered an inconsistent 3-0-4 8/11 at home against top third opposition in League One, while their overall home record finished at 12-4-7 42/26.
On home turf, Chesterfield lost four of their last nine so their inconsistency wasn’t limited to just against the top teams in the division towards the end of the season.
Preston North End will need to re-group after yet another promotion near-miss as they were pipped at the post by MK Dons on the last day of the season as a result of a 1-0 defeat away at relegation-threatened Colchester United.
That win for Colchester saved them from the drop into League Two while Preston North End will need to dust themselves off and focus on the play-offs. Their form was extremely solid prior to the defeat at Colchester as they’d put together an eighteen-match unbeaten run which almost gained them automatic promotion.
Preston’s record away at top third teams finished on 3-2-2 9/5 which also isn’t great but they were unbeaten in their last three against such opposition with wins at MK Dons and Bradford City 2-0 and 3-0 respectively, along with a 1-1 draw at Fleetwood Town.
Despite Preston’s recent disappointment, I still reckon they’re well placed under manager Simon Grayson to progress into the play-off final, and they’re worth a shout with the round ball tonight to take them to Deepdale for the second leg. Preston could edge this perhaps 1-0.
Pick: Preston North End AH0 @ 1.78 Ladbrokes
