Football – England – League Two
Saturday 7th March 2015 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Having lost three of their last four in League Two, rock-bottom club Hartlepool United will again be tested to the limit this afternoon by visitors Burton Albion despite holding home advantage at their Victoria Park ground.
Defeats against Stevenage, Bury and Tuesday night’s away loss at Dagenham & Redbridge have left Hartlepool firmly on the bottom of the league table, and some seven points adrift of Tranmere Rovers and the safety position of 22nd place. Amongst the recent defeats though, Hartlepool did manage a narrow 1-0 home win over AFC Wimbledon.
Hartlepool’s home record stands at 5-4-8 16/25 and they’ve won four of their last five at Victoria Park as manager Ronnie Moore’s influence has begun to take effect.
Visitors Burton Albion have suffered back-to-back defeats in League Two with losses against Accrington Stanley and Newport County, but they’ll be looking to bounce back against the bottom team in the division here this afternoon.
Burton still remain in one of the automatic promotion places despite these two recent defeats, and are level on points with leaders Shrewsbury Town. The Brewers know they can’t afford another slip-up here today with the likes of Wycombe Wanderers breathing down their necks, so they should be up for this one.
Burton’s away record stands at 7-5-5 23/21 and they’ve lost just once in their last seven away from home. Forwards McGurk and Akins are likely to provide the bulk of Burton’s attacking threats.
Despite Hartlepool’s encouraging results lately at home, Burton Albion should possess more quality than their hosts today and so I’ll back them to bounce back with a win here, perhaps a 1-0 victory.
Pick: Burton Albion straight win @ 2.10 Bet Victor
