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Saturday 14^th November (12.05)

English League 1

Huddersfield v Wycombe Wanderers

As there is no Premier League or Championship matches this week we delve into League 1 for our first selection of the week as promotion hopefuls Huddersfield entertain bottom of the table Wanderers in the lunchtime kick off live on Sky Sports.

‘Field’s manager Lee Clark strengthened his pack throughout the summer knowing that big things were expected of his side after their strong end to last season. Amongst his signings were Jordan Rhodes, a young striker who plied his trade with Brentford last season. Rhodes has made the step up remarkably well, scoring 9 goals already this term. He has been ably assisted by Theo Robinsons who joined from Southend and has 5 goals to his name this season. Their partnership upfront has been the cornerstone for Huddersfield’s strong current form which has seen them win 4 of their last 5 games, scoring 16 goals in the process.

Wycombe find themselves cast adrift at the foot of the table, with 1 league win all season and on to their 2^nd manager of the season with Gary Waddock taking over from Peter Taylor. Wanderers main problem before the change in manager was their inability to score goals. Waddock has attempted to rectify that problem and in their last 5 matches in all competitions, they have scored 10 which is a massive improvement. The problem now lies in trying to keep them out at the back, in the same run of games they have shipped 13 which has meant results have not improved drastically. It’s no surprise that they have become more entertaining to watch under Waddock who has a reputation for neglecting the defensive record in favour of his teams going out for the win. It was the same when he was Aldershot manager and it has carried over to his new job.

Huddersfield have been particularly impressive at home this term, unbeaten on their own patch with 5 wins and 2 draws from their 7 league matches, scoring 20 and conceding a measly 3 goals at home all season. Wycombe’s away form is the polar opposite, no wins from 7 and just a total of 3 points on the road all season.

Leeds look likely to runaway with the League 1 Championship this term so it’s a fight for the 2^nd automatic promotion spot and the 4 play-off places. 9 points currently separate the faltering Charlton in 2^nd place and Oldham in 13^th. That gap is next to nothing in this league and Huddersfield will know that they must keep winning to remain in the promotion picture, especially these matches which are at home against struggling opposition. They have had no problems of late achieving this feat with Brentford and Exeter brushed aside with considerable ease.

Waddock looks incapable of changing his style and attacking nature, so with that in mind I’m going to select a couple of bets in favour of the home side in this match. First off, Huddersfield have scored in both halves of their matches at home in 4 of their wins. That bet is a 5/6 chance with William Hill. The other bet I like is Huddersfield on the handicap minus a goal.

They have dismantled the last 3 visitors to their stadium and I can see this being a similar story tomorrow.

My selections: Huddersfield to score in both halves against Wycombe

Best odds available: 5/6 with William Hilll

Huddersfield (-1) to beat Wycombe

Best odds available: 13/10 available with Bet365

Walsall v Stockport County

Another match up in League 1 see’s inform Walsall at home to struggling Stockport County who are in desperate trouble at the wrong end of the table with 3 points from their last 6 games.

Walsall have improved of late and find themselves well in the promotion picture in League 1, just 4 points of the last play-off position. Chris Hutchings brought in 10 players over the summer, with 5 going out. Two of these players are veterans of the lower leagues, Darren Byfield and Steve Jones. The attackers have a total of 9 goals between them this season whilst Jones has scored in each of his last 3 matches. They have been hard to beat at the Bescott, losing only once in the league, however up until the last month, their problem was drawing too many games at home. 4 of their 7 home games have resulted in stalemates this season but their last 3 home games; they have accumulated 7 points from a possible 9.  

Stockport have had massive financial problems to deal with over the last year and it’s been no surprise that these problems have transcended on to the playing and coaching staff resulting in County losing more matches than they’ve been winning. The biggest surprise has actually been that there is currently 3 teams below them in the league, even with Southampton’s 10 points deduction. There has been no less than 16 player departures in the last year with 7 new arrivals in that time .There was no other option available other than to drastically slash the wage bill and the task facing manager Gary Ablett is an unenviable one. They started the season in an adequate fashion with 4 defeats from their opening 11 matches in all competitions. The problem has been with such a small squad, injuries, suspensions and player fatigue hurts even more. Their last 6 league matches have been damaging with 5 defeats from 6, their only success coming against a side below them in the league, Tranmere Rovers.

Walsall have found the knack of turning draws into wins at home whilst Stockport are finding it hard to cope with the demands of Cup football mixed with league matches. With that in mind and the fact Steve Jones is in such good form for the home side means I’m siding with Walsall.

My selection: Walsall to beat Stockport

Best odds available: 5/6 with several bookmakers including Bluesquare