Chelmsford – Wealdstone 1 (1.57 @Stanleybet) 7/10
Here we have a great home team, title candidates Chelmsford (1:1 at play-off candidates Margate, 4:1 at home against Boreham Wood, 7:0 at home against Maidstone, 1:1 at title favourites Billericay, 0:1 at play-off candidates Hornchurch and finally 2:0 at home against top-of-table East Thurrock) who have a 100% home record so far and, on the other side, struggling Wealdstone (4:1 at relegation candidates Folkestone, 1:1 at home against on/off Wimbledon, 2:4 at home against Margate, 1:4 at relegation candidates Ashford, 3:3 at home against new guys Hastings and finally 1:0 at also on/off Staines outfit). The odds are a bit short of course, but the fair odds should be 1.40 max for the home win so I'll be taking this bet and expecting a strong home win. Chelmsford enjoyed a fine pre-season, brought in a couple of quality players from leagues above and the best players from last season stayed with the club. They have a lot of players for a Ryman Premier team and a big squad is very important at this level. Wealdstone has some problems with injuries and discipline and I think they will have to look for points elsewhere. Btw, Pinnacle is offering 1.83 for (-1), but I don't like those odds (the stake is refunded if Chelmsford wins by one goal only).
FT 3:1
Havant & Waterloovile – Bromley 1 (2.20 @Stanleybet, Skybet, Bwin, Blue Square) 5/10
(-1) Havant & Waterloovile – Bromley 1 (4.22 @Stanleybet) 1/10
Havant & Waterloovile are probably the biggest title favourites in Conference South this season. At home they're almost unbeatable (just two home defeats last season). They already brought me some profit this season a couple of times and the league's best scorer from last season, legendary Rocky Baptiste, scored twice in the last round. Havant started the season with a tough home draw (0:0 against play-off candidates Braintree) and then won one and lost one away match (1:0 at Dorchester, 0:2 at Cambridge). After that, they came back home and played a great match against strugglers Hayes & Yeading (won 4:1). Eastbourne away fixture ended 2:2 and then in the last round Havant showed their strength once more, winning 3:0 against Thurrock at home (it could've easily been even a bigger win). Manager Baird brought in a couple of quality players over the summer and that's why their last season's second best striker Pacquette started from the beginning just once this season (Slabber came from Stevenage and Griffiths came from Fisher). No suspensions for Havant finally and 2.20 looks big for any Havant home match (and there are better teams then Bromley in Conference South).
Bromley were the play-off winners in Ryman Premier last season and made a nice start in Conference South. After picking up just two points in first three matches (1:1 at home against also newly promoted Bath City, 1:2 away defeat at Braintree, 2:2 away at struggling Sutton) they started winning (2:1 at home against Bognor Regis, 3:0 away at Fisher, 2:1 at home against Hayes & Yeading) but those were three easy matches compared to this away fixture at mighty Havant. Bromley manager Goldberg brough in a couple of good players over the summer, but a couple of important players left the club too (standard defender Sobers, standard midfielder Watts, their best scorer from last season Boot...). I think Bromley has some kind of a chance for a play-off spot this season, but Havant, on the other hand, must win their home games against play-off candidates. I wouldn't take this bet if odds were below 1.90 but 2.20 is another story. Bromley did manage to win against struggling Hayes & Yeading in the last round, but their defending was shaky & nervous and they scored both goals in the second half. I must also take a handicap win for a single unit because of the monster odds.
FT 1:0
Hendon – Maidstone 1 (1.62 @Skybet) 5/10
Hendon was in the lower half of the table last season but this season they are apparently playing another kind of football because they're currently league leaders. Now who would have guessed that in pre-season period or after the 1st round (0:0 draw away at Heybridge)? Not many. In the 2nd round they've beat Leyton at home (2:1) and then just kept on winning (3:2 at home against Tonbridge, 2:1 away at Harrow). East Thurrock (away) managed to beat them 3:2, but then in the last round Hendon did a great job at home against play-off candidates Hornchurch, beating them 3:1 (forwards Haule and O'Sullivan are btw scoring regularly, O'Sullivan scored five time already). After Maidstone, Hendon will be playing against much tougher outfits and that's why they simply have to win this time (Margate and Ramsgate are a lot better teams than Maidstone, Leyton, Tonbridge and Harrow – Hendon's only true accomplishment so far is a 3:1 home win against Hornchurch) if they want to stay on top of the league for a bit longer.
Maidstone are the last season's Ryman One South League champions and this is their first season in Ryman Premier League. They didn't quite start their Premier campaign as they would have like it – they're bottom of the table with five defeats (their goal difference in that five matches is 0:18) and a 3:0 home win against Carshalton. First they've lost at home against Horsham (0:2), then away at new guys Hastings (0:4), then away at Chelmsford (0:7), then came that single win against relegation candidates Carshalton, but after that Maidstone again lost at home against Staines (0:1) and finally away at Ramsgate (0:4). Maidstone will be without midfielder Tydeman and defender McNish, both due to suspension (and also without striker Wilkins, a local football legend who left the club the day before yesterday – their manager brought in a replacement from Chatham yesterday but he's more of a midfielder than a scorer) and anything but a home win would be one of the biggest surprises in Ryman Premier this season (maybe even the biggest because Wimbledon defeats keep on happening and don't surprise that much anymore). In the next two rounds Maidstone will get a fair chance to pick up some points (they're playing at home against Tonbridge and Boreham Wood) but I don't think they could pull a major surprise away from home, at top-of-the-table Hendon, without a couple of standard players (they have some injury problems too). Maidstone supporters agree with me (''First six games took place over 18 days. I would guess that this hasn't left much time for training between games, which is where things can be sorted out. After the Hendon game there is a weeks breathing space before the FAC, which is maybe what is needed by the coaches...'').
This is what Maidstone's supporters wrote after their last defeat:
''A very poor performance tonight. Poor discipline, completely devoid of ideas, tactically non existant, basic errors again. Dare I say it??? Maybe time for a change...''
''Enough is enough now, its time we woke up to the fact the side is poor and needs changing the players that weve signed pre season are nowheres near the standard our defence is shaky to say the least and our forward line up probably even worse but the lack of discipline even worse still...''
''We were toothless, spineless and had no discipline. I think we need a new centre back and a striker...''
''In all honesty, I don't think that the players are that bad although we desperately desperately need a decent striker. We lost tonight because of poor discipline and basic errors which need to be seriously looked at...''
''Its bad enough losing but when you don't even compete........thats bad!!!!...''
FT 2:1
Kettering – Boston OVER 2.5 (1.83 @Pinnacle) 5/10
Kettering – Boston OVER 3.5 (2.63 @Blue Square) 1/10
Kettering is kicking some serious ass in Conference North this season (they finished the last season 2nd but failed to promote to Conference National via play-off). They have 6-0-0 (they're the only Conference North outfit with a 100% record so far), a goal-difference 19:6 and they are coming back home after a great away result at Leigh RMI (4:1 away win, brought us some profit, thank you very much). All of their games were OVERs except the first match of the season (1:0 away win at Stalybridge). Results after that 1st round look like this – 3:2 at home against Hucknall, 6:0 at home against Vauxhall, 3:2 away at Worcester, 2:1 at home against Tamworth and finally 4:1 away at Leigh RMI. In their three home matches they have a 11:3 goal-difference. Kettering had an August from a fairytale, they won all of their eight matches, including three friendly games (including their 1:0 home win against almost full-strength MK Dons). Another important fact – everybody scores for Kettering, not just strikers Rawle, Westcarr, Marna, Burton and Malcom, but also midfielder and captain Solkhon (scored a winning goal in the 1st round), experienced midfielder Brady (summer signing), defender Dempster (scored three goals already), midfielder Bridges (summer signing), winger Hall... No suspensions, one or two players are still not 100% fit but Kettering has a big squad so it's not a problem...
Boston didn't have a fairytale-like beginning of the season after being demoted two divisions down. They're mid-table now and they could easily end this season mid-table too. Their results are average (2:0 at home against Workington, 2:3 away at Harrogate, 1:1 away at Telford, 1:1 at home against Hinckley, 1:2 away at Alfreton, 2:1 at home against Barrow) but except for the 1st round, Boston scored and conceded in every match. I expect a lot of goals and Kettering should have enough motive against yesterday's league 2 club. Boston manager Taylor assembled the squad for this season in very short time and they have to start playing some football soon if they want a play-off spot. I don't know, the odds for a home win are a bit short because sooner or later Kettering will lose a point or three and that's why I'll be taking this OVERs instead of a normal or a handicap home win. Nevertheless, I expect a result 3:1, 3:2, 4:1, something like that...
FT 3:0
Post je objavljen 07.09.2007. u 23:57 sati.