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Fallon: Histon face Lewes

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Stutes tipped to cruise past Lewes

Saturday February 28, 2009

Altrincham v Stevenage Borough

Prices correct at time of writing (4pm Wednesday February 25, 2009).

Home 5/2 Draw 23/10 Away evens

Altrincham beat Woking 1-0 last Saturday and they again have home advantage against a Stevenage side that also beat Woking 1-0 at home on Tuesday night and thrashed Forest Green 4-0 to reach the semi-finals of the FA Trophy. Fourth-placed Borough are in good form at the moment and should win this one but Alty are doing quite well and have 43 points on the board. It was a battling display against Woking rather than an impressive one for Altrincham. I'm going for a draw here. Stevenage will be full of confidence but I reckon it will be 1-1 at Moss Lane.

Verdict: Draw

Barrow v Northwich Victoria

Northwich Victoria fans had some good news this week as they returned to their home ground on Tuesday night for their 0-0 draw against Kettering. They have been out in the wilderness for the last few weeks playing all their matches away from home. Ironically they are away this Saturday when they travel to Barrow. Northwich are still looking doomed as far as the relegation battle is concerned but now Barrow have dropped into the bottom four. This is a game the Bluebirds will be looking to win and I'm going to go with Barrow despite their 2-0 defeat at Histon in midweek. The Cumbrian side did really well in that game until the last 10 minutes when they tired and conceded two late goals. I'm going for a Barrow home win as one of the bankers of the weekend.

Verdict: Home win

Cambridge United v Crawley Town

Home 7/10 Draw 5/2 Away 15/4

This is a really big game in the battle for the play-offs. Third-placed Cambridge United earned a 1-0 win at Grays Athletic in midweek and are on a good run. Crawley have just slipped out of the play-off picture but bounced back with a 5-1 win over hapless Lewes at home in midweek. I think Cambridge will win this one. Crawley are back in contention after their win over Lewes but I don't think they'll make the play-offs and it's Cambridge for me.

Verdict: Home win

Forest Green Rovers v Grays Athletic

Home evens Draw 23/10 Away 5/2

This is a massive game down at the bottom as Forest Green take on Grays, who are third from bottom at the moment but only three points behind Rovers.

Forest Green will have been disappointed not to have taken all three points at Torquay in their 3-3 draw on Tuesday night after leading 3-1, while Grays lost 1-0 at home to Cambridge. Home advantage is crucial here and I'm going for Forest Green to get three points.

Verdict: Home win

Kidderminster Harriers v Eastbourne Borough

Home 10/11 Draw 23/10 Away 11/4

Kidderminster have slipped up in recent weeks on home soil and face Eastbourne at Aggborough in a mid-table scrap.

On the face of it I can't really fancy Eastbourne at all so I'm going for Harriers to continue their good home record although they have dropped home points recently. I'm going for a home win and include this one in your bets.

Verdict: Home win

Lewes v Histon

Home 15/2 Draw 7/2 Away 1/3

Bottom-of-the-table Lewes have just 17 points and are a massive 15 points from safety. Histon are in second place and 15 points behind Burton but have two games in hand. This is another game where I don't think Lewes will get anything. It looks a banker for Histon, who have got the ammunition to win so its three points for the Stutes.

Verdict: Away win

Rushden & Diamonds v Mansfield Town

Home 5/4 Draw 9/4 Away 2/1

Rushden & Diamonds had a much-publicised 9-0 win at Weymouth last weekend. Justin Edinburgh is doing himself no harm at all in trying to get the manager's job on a permanent basis. The Diamonds also beat York 2-0 at home on Tuesday night, while Mansfield are still struggling in the bottom half of the table. Rushden have had some consistency with a couple of wins but can they make it three in a row? I think they can against Mansfield, who have been disappointing this season. I'm taking Rushden to beat the Stags.

Verdict: Home win

Woking v Burton Albion

Home 4/1 Draw 5/2 Away 4/6

There was no midweek game for Burton, who should be fresh as they defend their 15-point lead at the top against Woking. It looks a matter of time before Albion seal promotion, particularly as Histon dropped points at the weekend. Woking have lost their last couple of matches 1-0 against Stevenage and Altrincham. A Brewers win at Woking is one of my bets of the weekend.

Verdict: Away win

Wrexham v Salisbury

Home 4/7 Draw 5/2 Away 5/1

Wrexham are just one place and one point outside the play-off places going into the weekend matches but can go into the top five as Torquay don't play until 5.45pm on Saturday evening, which is live on Setanta. The Red Dragons lost their FA Trophy replay clash 3-1 against Ebbsfleet in midweek, which was a bit disappointing for them but Dean Saunders has got them going well. Saunders is still eyeing a trip to Wembley, but in the Blue Square Premier play-off final. Wrexham will probably be short odds but home advantage will be important and I think they'll beat Salisbury at the Racecourse Ground.

Verdict: Home win

York City v Weymouth

The big news of the week is the plight of Weymouth. Their players refused to play last week because they did not have the right medical cover and they can now find other clubs with the deadline on Tuesday for them to depart the Wessex Stadium. Weymouth had to play the youth team against Rushden & Diamonds last weekend and lost 9-0. It just goes from bad to worse and there is no guarantee that their game at York this weekend will go ahead. It's a real mess down on the South Coast. With 42 points they are far from certain to still be in the Blue Square Premier next season. It was one that caught a few punters out and a late gamble after we'd done the podcast. The bookies got hit but were not completely stung. One or two shrewd backers picked up on it but I don't think any correct scores were landed and it was an amazing win for Rushden. It's a sad story for Weymouth and disappointing so let's hope they resolve their problems otherwise they could easily be sucked into a relegation scrap.

York are now massive favourites for the match because if the game goes ahead, Weymouth will have to field their youth team again. Some of the other teams that have already played Weymouth's first team have expressed concern that other teams who play the Terras during the rest of the season will have an unfair advantage. It's a difficult situation but I think those results will stand. This match is also an important one for York because they are on 33 points and in a relegation battle so they need three points and I think they'll get a home win here.

Verdict: Home win

Angus Loughran Best Bets

Treble

Burton 4/6

Barrow

Kidderminster 10/11

Banker Bet

Histon 1/3