Weekend Blue Square Premier Preview

By Team BlueSq.com on 12 February 2010 at 07:23

After an exciting midweek programme in the Blue Square Premier the pressure is on at the top and bottom of the table. Alan Alger from the league sponsors picks through the best bets in the weekend matches:

The national headlines focused on Chester City’s failure to turn up at Forest Green on Tuesday night, but their were plenty of positives if they had only looked elsewhere. A match between the pre-season title favourites Luton Town and the current market leaders Oxford United produced a thrilling finish. The Hatters came from a goal behind to win 2-1 in injury time. Stevenage Borough returned to the top of the table with a second half comeback against play-off hopefuls Mansfield Town. Elsewhere Rushden & Diamonds manoeuvred into fourth place with their fifth win in eight. The odds for the title have a tentative feel to them as our traders move to cover any fall out from a Chester expulsion. Luton and AFC Wimbledon would be the big winners in that scenario, with Stevenage and Mansfield suffering more than most. Oxford are no longer odds-on to win the league, but are still clear favourites at Evens. Stevenage remain second favourites but have been cut to 9/4. York City did not play in midweek and remain at 9/2. The big movers are Luton Town after their dramatic win and they are 15/2 from a price of 12/1 just seven days ago.

Luton travel to Eastbourne Borough on Saturday as 4/5 favourites. Hatters boss Richard Money will be drumming into his side that any slip ups at the Priory Ground will undo their hard work from last Tuesday. Luton’s away record is actually better than their home form and although they have frustrated punters when odds on before, I feel they now have the resolve to cope with the pressure of being a big fish in the Conference pond. That was evidenced in their battling win at Barrow and that Oxford comeback. 4/5 is a good price for a third straight win.

Cambridge United are on a losing run of six matches in the league and manager Martin Ling has been at a loss to explain why. Ling remarked after the midweek FA Trophy defeat at Salisbury that his team seem to have a ‘death-wish’! They welcome AFC Wimbledon to the Abbey Stadium and have the ignominy of being outsiders at home to a side only promoted to the Premier in the summer. The 11/8 on offer about an away win is fully justifiable on form and may still underestimate Cambridge’s problems.

Ebbsfleet have improved their form recently and have a good chance of avoiding the drop to the Blue Square South. The Kent side have won four of their last eight matches, but only one of those was at home. That’s the venue for the visit of in-form York and I’d want to be on the away team at 5/6.

Grays Athletic are in freefall and are bottom of the form table, and actual table without deductions. They welcome Salisbury City to Essex and again I feel an away win has been offered at a big price. We can back Salisbury at 5/6 to take all three points against a team who have only gained one from a possible 24 in recent weeks, scoring just 0.5 goals per game in the process.

Two teams that appeal at bigger prices are Stevenage at 13/8 and Tamworth at 6/4. Stevenage travel to in form Rushden, but are a tougher task than recent assignments for Justin Edinburgh’s team. Tamworth host a Mansfield side on a losing run of three matches.

Author: Alan Alger

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