Darlington vs Port Vale
FreeToday’s featured game is the League Two encounter between Darlington and Port Vale. Hosts Darlington are on a horrible run of form and are deservedly bottom of the League Two table currently. Visitors Port Vale had a sluggish start to their campaign but have gathered some momentum and good results of late and currently occupy thirteenth place in the League Two table.
Darlington have played twenty-one League Two games this season and won just twice. With that record in mind, it’s really not very difficult to see why they’re doing so badly. In addition to that record, Darlington have also managed to lose seventeen of those games, which again indicates perfectly why they’re doing so badly. They average scoring less than a goal per two games and concede over two goals per game too. They’ve lost their last five games consecutively and haven’t even managed to score in their last four whilst averaging conceding nearly four goals per game over their past five games. To put it bluntly; Darlington are good cannon fodder for any opponent in this division currently.
Port Vale are a mid-table side that have a knack of being quite the handful to overcome, particularly when playing away from home. Port Vale have only lost two out of twelve away games all season, managing four wins along the way. It speaks volumes when you consider that Port Vale’s away form is actually better than their home form! Port Vale owe a great deal of success on the road to their impressive defensive record which has seen them concede just over a goal per away game all season, which isn’t bad when you consider that their goalscoring record matches that, although it does explain why they tend to draw more than they win! Port Vale have won two out of their last four games, losing just once, so have gained some momentum ahead of this encounter. They won at relegation battlers Grimsby Town last match and Grimsby Town are the only side in the division that currently comes close to being as bad as Darlington are so I can’t see Port Vale failing to win here as well.
Although this has a small percentage chance of being a draw, you have to feel that Port Vale have enough in their favour to win at a side that concedes goals for fun and has abandoned of survival hope a long time ago.
Verdict: Port Vale to win at 6/5.
Saturday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Accrington Stanley vs Gillingham – home win at 6/4.
Hosts Accrington Stanley enter this game with four wins from their last five games, granting them considerable momentum. They’ve impressed me this year with their unbreakable spirit despite the financial ruin that the club is in so I can only take off my hat in respect to their players for their continued efforts. A run in the FA Cup is exactly what a club like Accrington Stanley need right now so expect extra motivation from them in this game today.
In addition to the above information, visitors Gillingham have one of the worst away records in League One, albeit the division above League Two where Accrington Stanley dwell! Gillingham have lost ten out of twelve away games in League Two this year, drawing the other two games. Whereas this record won’t last forever, it does start to play upon the players’ minds and will affect their game. Every English club side loves a good cup run and I doubt that Gillingham are any exception but I think Accrington are going to be more motivated and have better momentum for this encounter. Let’s put it another way; if there’s going to be a shock today then here is one of the places I’d expect to find it!
Verdict: Accrington Stanley to win at 6/4.
Porthmadog vs Bangor City – away win at 4/5.
Lowly Porthmadog are third from bottom in the Welsh Premier League and enter this game on the back of four defeats in their last five games. They’ve already lost eleven out of seventeen games this season and don’t look likely to improve on that record with only Newi Cefn Druids having scored fewer goals than they have. Porthmadog average conceding nearly two goals per game and only bottom-placed Caersws have a worse record when it comes to conceding goals. Porthmadog have already lost five out of nine home games and frankly look easy picking for any semi-decent side.
Visitors Bangor City are at the very least a “semi-decent side” – I’d class them as one of the top seven sides in Wales currently, actually. They’ve been playing extremely well of late and have now won four games consecutively and are one of the highest scoring sides in the Premier League at the present time. With four wins on the road this season already, Bangor City are one of the division’s better away sides and are perfectly placed to enhance that record. No side has scored as many as they have away from home this season with an average of two goals scored per away game. Their goals conceded record is also large, hence the reason they’re eighth in the table and not in the top two, but this record should be less relevant against a poor Porthmadog side.
This was definitely a contender for game of the day because I cannot see anything occurring here other than a Bangor City win.
Verdict: Bangor City to win at 4/5.
Fulham vs Swindon Town – both sides to score at 6/5.
Fulham enter this FA Cup tie at Craven Cottage on the back of a 2-1 defeat at league leaders Chelsea. Whereas this is far from a poor result, it did bring an end to Fulham’s run of two consecutive clean sheets against two of the most potent sides in the English Premier League, which will have brought them back down to earth just a little. Roy Hodgson is set to give some of his fringe players a game in this encounter so Fulham’s usual relentless efficiency will be curbed slightly for this game. Nonetheless, I expect the London-based club to win this game because Roy Hogdson is a superb tactician and they should have too much for Swindon Town.
However, Swindon Town are no slouches themselves and are currently sixth in League One. They’ve been performing above all expectations and have only lost once in their last five games as they enter this tricky tie with Fulham. However, Swindon Town average scoring two goals per game in their last five games so they’re certainly a potent side of late. Swindon are a very resilient outfit and I thoroughly expect them to prove a stern test for Hodgson’s second string today by scoring at least one goal.
Although I do ultimately expect Fulham to progress here, I can’t help but feel that both sides are going to score in this game due to momentum and general efficiency so the below odds look rather tempting!
Verdict: Both sides to score at 6/5.
Accumulator fodder – AEL Limassol, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Manchester City, Stoke City, Southampton, Liverpool, Norwich City, Bournemouth, Valencia, Barcelona, Llanelli.
As ever, if there are any questions/explanations required then feel free to post a comment! For the complete picks listing, see below!
Cypriot Division 1:
Enosis Neon Paralimni vs APOP/Kinyras (6) over 2.5 goals
AEL Limassol vs Ethnikos Achnas (9) 2-0
English FA Cup:
Bristol City vs Cardiff City (6) 1-1
Tottenham Hotspur vs Peterborough United (9) -1.75 handicap
Brentford vs Doncaster Rovers (5) 1-0
Middlesbrough vs Manchester City (8) -1.75 handicap
Stoke City vs York City (8) under 2.5 goals
Huddersfield Town vs West Bromwich Albion (6) over 2.5 goals
Milton Keynes Dons vs Burnley (6) 2-1
Nottingham Forest vs Birmingham City (6) 0-0
Preston North End vs Colchester United (5) 1-1
Aston Villa vs Blackburn Rovers (8) -1.75 handicap
Portsmouth vs Coventry City (7) 2-0
Sunderland vs Barrow (8) 2-0
Wigan Athletic vs Hull City (6) over 2.5 goals
Everton vs Carlisle United (8) 2-0
Sheffield Wednesday vs Crystal Palace (5) 1-1
Blackpool vs Ipswich Town (6) 0-0
Fulham vs Swindon Town (8) 2-1
Scunthorpe United vs Barnsley (5) 1-1
Southampton vs Luton Town (8) 2-0
Millwall vs Derby County (5) 1-0
Plymouth Argyle vs Newcastle United (6) 1-1
Leicester City vs Swansea City (6) 0-0
Bolton Wanderers vs Lincoln City (7) 2-0
Accrington Stanley vs Gillingham (6) 2-1
Torquay United vs Brighton & Hove Albion (6) 0-1
Reading vs Liverpool (9) 0-2
English League One:
Leyton Orient vs Yeovil Town (5)
Walsall vs Charlton Athletic (6)
Wycombe Wanderers vs Norwich City (8)
English League Two:
Bournemouth vs Northampton Town (8)
Bradford City vs Cheltenham Town (6)
Chesterfield vs Shrewsbury Town (6)
Darlington vs Port Vale (7)
Grimsby Town vs Bury (6)
Hereford United vs Crewe Alexandra (5) both sides to score
Macclesfield Town vs Morecambe (5)
Rochdale vs Rotherham United (6) over 2.5 goals
International Friendlies:
Qatar vs Mali (6) 1-2
North Korea vs Iran (7) 1-0
Scottish Premier League:
Dundee United vs Aberdeen (4) 1-1
Falkirk vs St.Johnstone (6) 0-0
Motherwell vs Hamilton Academicals (7) 0-0
St.Mirren vs Kilmarnock (6) 1-1
Spanish Primera Liga:
Valencia vs Espanyol (8) 2-0
Barcelona vs Villarreal (8) over 2.5 goals
Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla (6) 1-2
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Castellon vs Numancia (6)
Recreativo de Huelva vs Girona (5)
Albacete Balompie vs Hercules Alicante (6)
Cartagena vs Cordoba (6)
Real Union Club de Irun vs Salamanca (7)
Real Betis Balompie vs Huesca (8)
Spanish Segunda B:
Athletic Club de Bilbao II vs Eibar (6)
Welsh Premier League:
Llanelli vs Carmarthen Town (9) 3-1
Porthmadog vs Bangor City (8) 0-2
Rhyl vs Prestatyn Town (8) 2-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!