Carlisle

Saturday 19th November

Coventry v West Ham United

Second top West Ham travel to second bottom Coventry tomorrow as the Championship returns from taking a break last weekend due to the International break.

Coventry have endured a torrid season thus far and find themselves just one place off the bottom of the Championship. Doncaster are the only team who sit below the Sky Blue’s at the moment but they have the same number of points so it’s obvious that results need to improve otherwise Andy Thorn will soon be out a job. Their last match was a 4-2 home defeat by league leaders Southampton. The only crumb of comfort they can take from that was they came back from two goals down to level the match, only to lose two late goals. It means that they have not won any of their last five matches – their last win was in the middle of September. At home they have won just two of their seven matches to date, losing three of them. Attendances have been plummeting over the years at the Ricoh Arena and they don’t show any sign of stopping as crowds slip to just over 10,000.

West Ham have adapted to life in the Championship pretty well as the only have one team above them heading into the winter. Sam Allardyce has bought very smartly in his quest to return the Hammers to England’s top flight. The likes of Matt Taylor, Kevin Nolan and John Carew were all playing in the Premier League last season so there experience and quality have been essential. Arguably, however, the most exciting signing thus far has been Sam Baldock from MK Dons who has bagged five goals from his first nine league games. Baldock notched his fifth of the season last time out against Hull in an impressive 2-0 victory at the KC Stadium. It was West Ham’s fifth away win from eight games having just lost once, incidentally against the current league leaders. Allardyce has shored things up at the back and employed plenty of attacking threat which has struck a very effective balance, especially away from home.

Coventry will be hoping that their more experienced players come to the fore and turn in a performance tomorrow. Gary McSheffery is one such player who has simply disappointed this term. A player of his calibre should have more than one goal by this stage but it’s just further proof of how much the club as a whole have been struggling. It’s fallen up on a less experienced player to get the goals with top scorer Lukaz Jutkiewicz the only player in the squad to have hit more than one goal in the league all season. It’s clear what has to change if they have any desire to climb the league in the short term.

West Ham will be hoping to close the gap at the top but know that if they do drop points, there are several teams waiting to take advantage as the challenge for the automatic promotion spots hot up. The squad they have at their disposable may well prove vital come the end of the season as the likes of Henri Lansbury, David Bentley and Papa Bouba Diop have not yet hit top gear. Another shrewd signing has been the loan deal which brought Manuel Almunia to Upton Park. The Arsenal goalkeeper has yet to taste defeat at his new club and was outstanding in the win over Hull.

I’m confident that West Ham will be raring to go after the week’s break whilst Coventry, in my opinion, are on a very slippery slope at the moment so I think the away team will be taking maximum points back home with them tomorrow evening.

My Selection: West Ham to beat Coventry

Best odds available: 4/5 available with William Hill

English League One

Sheffield United v Carlisle

A resurgent Carlisle travel to Yorkshire to take on Sheffield United as both sides look for the points in their quest from promotion to the Championship.

Danny Wilson who took over the job as manager in the summer is not having it all his own way as he did earlier in the season. Sheffield United were roundabout the top two for much of the early part of the season but recently they are slipping down the table. They are still in a healthy enough position but will be hoping to climb the table again and challenge for the automatic promotion spots which their supporters will be expecitng, especially as rivals Wedensday are also performing well at the moment. Although they are not quite in the same vein of form they were in earlier in the campaign they have only one league game in their last seven. Their home form is decent with five wins and just two defeats from nine matches. Their last home match in the league was a 4-4 thriller with Exeter. It was an entertaining match for the neutral but Wilson will be determined to shore things up at the back.

Carlisle had been on a run of five defeats from six matches in September but they are coming strong now with just one loss from their last nine games in all competitions. Greg Abbott celebrated his third year in charge this month and he can look back on what he has done with some amount of pride. He led his side to Wembley two years in a row and after losing heavily the first time around, they won the Football League Trophy in March with a 1-0 win over Exeter. Despite their slow start this season they are looking like they can mount a challenge for a play-off position. Currently 10th, they are only three points off of sixth place so are definitely one of several clubs in the mix as the season begins to hot up.

Sheffield United brushed aside Oxford United at home in the FA Cup last Saturday scoring three and keeping a clean sheet. It would have been the perfect tonic heading into this match against a team in form. Brammall Lane has definitely been one of the most entertaining grounds on matchdays this term as there have been 34 goals scored in just nine matches. It’s easily the most out of all the League One clubs so it will be no surprise if there are a few goals for the fans tomorrow.

Carlisle have won four and lost just two games on their travels this season so will be heading to Sheffield tomorrow knowing they have a chance against their more illustrious opponents. Like the Blades, the Cumbrians enjoyed a comfortable cup victory last weekend and being on the run they are currently on, will be confident they can cause a shock and go level on points with tomorrow’s opponents.

I can see this match being very open tomorrow and there could be several goals as both sides like to get the ball forward quickly and each have strikers bang in form. Carlisle have a good away record but they have not played many of the better sides thus far. One side they have played who are above them was league leaders Charlton who were far too good and ended up thrashing them 4-0. With that in mind, seeing as Sheffield United have been strong against the lesser lights of League One at home, I am siding with the home side.

My Selection: Sheffield United to beat Carlisle

Best odds available: 19/20 available with William Hill

Scottish Cup

For my third preview this weekend, rather than selecting one team, I am going to suggest a treble as the Scottish First division clubs enter the cup for the first time this season.

Ayr v Montrose

Firstly, my local town club host third division Montrose so will be hot favourites to turn over a side who sit two tiers below them. Ayr are no stranger to cup runs and have already made the semi-final’s of the other cup competition having put out SPL sides Hearts, Inverness and St Mirren. Montrose on the other hand are one of the worst sides in the Scottish Football professional set up. The club are thrid bottom of the third division and have won just four of their 12 league matches. They were 4-0 down last weekend only to come back and draw 4-4 with Stranraer. The main reason for their comeback was the fact their opponents goalkeeper got sent off and they never had a replacement on the bench.

Ayr are not the greatest by any stretch but they should prove far too strong here and are certainly one of the few clubs who target the cup competitions as it provides much needed income.

Ayr are a best priced 4/11 available with William Hill

Bo’ness United v Cowdenbeath

One of three Junior sides left in the competition, Bo’ness, host Division two leaders Cowdenbeath hoping to cause a shock and take their place in the draw for the next round when the SPL teams enter it. Bo’ness playing their league games in the East of Scotland Premier League and are certainly one of the better sides at the at level. This is a big step up though and they will need to raise their game in order to get a result against their league opponents. Cowdenbeath done us a turn last weekend when winning the top of the table clash against Stenhousemuir and although their away form is not as strong as their form on the road, they go into this match as heavy favourites.

Bo’ness are on a bad run of form and have won just one of their five league matches this season. They are currently sitting third bottom so would have been hoping for a better preparation as they head into one of their biggest matches in their history.

League form can often count for little in cup compeitions but when there is also a gulf in class between the two sides, it’s harder to ignore. Hopefully Cowden can oblige for us again this week.

Cowdenbeath are best priced 4/7 available with William Hill

Irvine Meadow v Livingston

The third leg of our treble also see’s a Junior side take on league opposition. Irvine Meadow, who qualified after winning the West Superleague, host First division Livingston at Meadow Park. The Ayrshire club have a big repuation in Junior circles because they were once able to offer a lot more to players than teams in the professional game. That financial clout has gone but they remain successful and lost their first match of the season last Saturday. Livingston are placed higher on the pyramid than Cowdenbeath so the challenge for Meadow is even greater despite being in better form. Livi sit third in the table at the moment and have lost just two league games although they have drawn seven of those.

The task Meadow face is a stiff one because Livingston are a full time professional club so their players do this for a living whilst the junior’s will also have their main occupation as well as playing football at the weekend. This can often be the decisive factor as fitness can tell in these sort of matches.

With than in mind, the away win is added to Cowdenbeath and Ayr to complete our cup treble.

Livingston are a best priced 4/11 available with William Hill

Good Luck

Saturday 10^th October

English League 1

Carlisle v Norwich City

Norwich will be looking to make it 4 straight wins in all competitions when they travel north to take on a Carlisle side who haven’t picked up a league victory since the 5^th of September.

Paul Lambert has had a positive impact since replacing Bryan Gunn as Norwich manager back in August. Incidentally, it was Lambert’s former side, Colchester, who caused Gunn’s sacking when his Canaries side lost 7-1 to them on the opening day of the season. Since Lambert’s arrival, City have climbed the table and currently find themselves in 7^th position, 1 place and 2 points outside of the play-off picture. They have won their last two matches in the league, both at home, by a four goal margin each time. Their last two away matches have been against strong home sides in the shape of Gillingham and MK Dons. The former resulted in a stalemate in a match Norwich may feel they should have taken all 3 points whilst they will also feel aggrieved at not taking something from MK Dons in a match they dominated for large spells.

Carlisle United have found life difficult in the league this year managing only two victories from their 11 matches this far. Their home form, normally quite strong, has let them down with only one win from 5 games whilst losing 3 of those. They have lost to pretty weak sides all in all, Brentford, Exeter and Brighton are not great by any stretch of the imagination and are teams who are likely to be at the same end of the league as Carlisle come the end of the season. Their only success was against the hapless Tranmere who have been brushed aside by most teams already this season whilst they picked up a credible draw with Southampton.

Norwich will be hoping their top scorer and captain Grant Holt is fit enough to start tomorrow as he is instrumental in Lambert’s style of play. The former Celtic and Dortmund midfielder likes his teams to get the ball wide and whip crosses into the box for the target man so Holt’s fitness is key to this game. If, as expected, he does play, I think Carlisle’s defence is in for a very difficult 90 minutes. A big blow to Norwich will be the absence of Stephen Hughes who is on international duty with Scotland. Darrel Russell may well come in to replace Hughes.

Carlisle will be desperate to pick up their first 3 points in more than a month tomorrow and may take some comfort from the fact that their opponents have only notched one victory on the road in the league this term. That statistic, however, is deceptive as Lambert wasn’t in place for one of their two away defeats and his side have shown a big improvement on their travels. With Grant Holt in excellent form I just think Norwich’s attacking flair will be too much and see them home rather comfortably in the end.

My selection: Norwich City to beat Carlisle United

Best odds available: 11/8 available with several bookmakers including bet365

English League 2

Bradford City v Crewe Alexandra

A local derby of sorts with Yorkshire meeting Lancashire at Valley Parade as Dario Gradi takes his troops to face Stuart McCall’s Bradford.

Bradford City had a poor start to the league campaign losing 5-0 to Notts County before dropping a further 5 points in their next two matches. It wasn’t until an extraordinary match at Cheltenham that they picked up their first 3 points of the season winning 5-4. Since then, the Bantams have not looked back and have remained unbeaten since. In this run they have won 4 and drawn 4 which has seen them climb the table to 9^th position, 3 points off 7^th place. Their home form looks patchy when you look at their season stats but when you focus on their last 3 home games it looks a lot more positive with 2 wins and a draw with only one goal conceded. They may not have been playing the strongest away sides but they have been despatched with considerable ease.

Crewe have found things a little tough going since their relegation to England’s 4^th flight of league football. They started the season reasonably well with 4 league victories from their opening half dozen matches. They have, however, lost their last 5 matches in the league which meant that their former manager lost his job as a consequence. Dario Gradi has since taken over again but even his return could not halt the clubs fortunes as Crewe lost out by the odd goal in five last week at home to Rotherham.

Bradford’s upsurge in form cannot be put down to any one great player, it’s been a genuine team effort. Players like Rehman, Williams and O’Brien have provided a solid platform at the back for the likes of Osborne, Evans and Flynn to go forward with a bit of intent at the other end of the park.

Bradford have won 4 of the last 5 rounds of this fixture but did lose the last time these sides met at Valley Parade. Crewe will come out to attack as they only know how to play one way so I expect goals tomorrow. So as well as advising a bet on Bradford to continue their good form and take all 3 points I think the more than two goals bet is also a very decent shout.

My selections: Bradford to beat Crewe

Best odds available: 10/11 with several bookmakers including Coral

Other selections: More than two goals in the same game

Best odds available: 4/5 with PaddyPower.

Birmingham vs QPR

Saturday 4th October 12.45 k/o

Birmingham entertain QPR in the live lunchtime match in the English Championship. Both sides were amongst the pre-season favourites to challenge for promotion and they should both be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

The home side have turned St Andrews into something of a fortress and the partisan crown can be a huge advantage. The likes of McFadden, Larsson and Jerome thrive upon it and when you add Phillips, Owuse-Abeyie and O’Connor to the mix, there is real competition for places. Alex McLeish will admit himself that they have not hit top form, but they’re incredibly difficult to beat and I believe they’re only one game from giving a team a hammering. I’m not saying that it will come tomorrow but I wouldn’t put it past them.

QPR are an enigma, they come into this game having only taken a point out of 2 home games and have already lost to Sheffield United on the road this year where they were completely outplayed. I think Birmingham are similar to United in the way that they have 2 or 3 players with that extra bit of quality.

Birmingham have only conceeded 1 goal in 4 home games and have won 3 of these without really impressing. They are dogged however and I think they’ll target this as a must win having lost their last home match.

My tip: Birmingham to win at 10/11 with William Hill

Carlisle vs Tranmere Rovers

Saturday 4th October 15.00 k/o

Carlisle have suffered 3 defeats in a row with 1 of these coming at home. They play a side in similarly poor form with Tranmere only won 1 of their last 4 matches. Carlisle’s success in recent seasons has been primarily down to their home form losing only 3 games at home all last season. They’ve won 3 out of 4 this season losing only to Leeds who have also beaten Scunthorpe and Swindon on the road this term.

If they have any realistic hopes of challenging for promotion they can ill afford to go 4 games without a win. The effect on confidence and morale would be huge even at this early stage of the season.

Tranmere are hit and miss and although they done the double over tomorrow’s hosts last season, they tend to be stronger at home. They’ve already conceeded 9 goals in 4 matches on the road this season as well as losing 4 at thome to a poor Colchester side last Friday so there will be goals to be had by Carlisle tomorrow. With the likes of Bridges, Dobbie and Graham available the home side tomorrow, they could take advantage of the visitors leaky backline and should secure all 3 points.

My pick: Carlisle to win at 10/11 with several bookmakers including Coral

Aberdeen vs Hibernian

Saturday 4th October 15.00 k/o

Aberdeen take on Hibs looking for their first home win of the season. Both sides were expected to challenge for 3rd spot this year but have yet to really get their season up and running. Having watched Abderdeen play Celtic last week, there is obvious ability within the team when they attack, however, they are shipping goals for fun at the moment have conceeded 7 in their last 2 matches. They have scored 5 goals in these matches themselves so it is clear where the problems lie.

Hibs were terrible last week at home to Rangers, really poor. If they play like that again then the result is not in doubt, it’ll be a home win. I very much doubt they will play like that again but I can’t see them improving enough to take all 3 points. Much like Aberdeen, the away side have had problems at the back. Their goalkeeper cannot instill confidence amongst his team-mates with his constant flapping and poor decision making. The heart of their defence is soft and they lack real aggression all over the park. Upfront they have goals, Fletcher, Riordan and Nish will score against anyone in the SPL, that goes without saying.

Aberdeen have not lost in their last 7 home games vs Hibs so I wouldn’t put anyone off backing the home side tomorrow. At 13/10 with several bookmakers including Coral, it ranks as decent bet in my opinion.

The bet I prefer is over 2 goals. Both teams have and will score goals this season and they will most certainly concede just as many. 5 of the last 6 meetings between the two have ended with 3 or more goals being scored and I see this continuing tomorrow.

My pick: Over 2 goals at 11/10 with several bookmakers including VCBet