CREWE v STEVENAGE – Pick: 1 AH-0.25 – 04 January 2013

Crewe to de-rail Stevenage play-off hopes

League One/Two Tips

Football – England – League One

Saturday 5th January 2013 – Kickoff:  1500hrs

I’m off to Gresty Road at Crewe again on Saturday to see if Crewe can make it three League One wins in a row when they take on Stevenage who suffered a 0-1 loss at Walsall on New Years Day.

Crewe recorded a good win themselves on Saturday when they beat Carlisle United 1-0 and if they pick up another three points again this afternoon they could be knocking on the door of the top six and a possible play-off place could be in the offing.

Crewe have lost just once in League One in their last seven matches with straight wins over Crawley Town, Preston NE, Bury, Oldham Athletic and of course Carlisle United and they stand every chance of getting something against a Stevenage outfit who have dropped out of the play-off reckoning and now find themselves in a mid-table position.

Crewe’s home record is also a strong one which stands at  7-2-3  14/10 and they possess a strong defensive unit which is second only to Swindon Town (8 goals conceded) in terms of number of goals conceded at home this season. In fact, The Railwaymen have kept five clean sheets at home so far including shut-outs in their last three home matches (2-0 v Crawley, 1-0 v Bury and 1-0 v Carlisle United).

Stevenage’s promising start to the season where they racked up eleven League One matches without defeat has gone up in smoke in recent weeks and they travel north to Crewe in an attempt to avoid a fourth successive league defeat.

Previous losses to Crawley Town 1-2, Coventry City 1-3 and Walsall 0-1 has cost Stevenage valuable ground on their play-off counterparts and they now find themselves five points adrift of sixth placed MK Dons in what is a very competitive league.

Stevenage’s away record also stands at  7-2-3  15/11 with a goal or two different from Crewe’s, but the overriding factor here is their inconsistency on the road in recent weeks; wins at Yeovil Town and Hartlepool United have been offset by defeats at Sheffield United and Walsall and against a Crewe side who have their tails up at the minute they could struggle again here today.

Crewe have been impressive lately and with their solid defensive record at home this gives them the edge here in my opinion in what could be a 1-0 home win for The Railwaymen.

Pick:  Crewe AH-0.25 @ 1.93 Pinnacle