NORTHAMPTON are the bankers of the weekend and are over-priced at 4-5 with Betfred to see off a Cheltenham side struggling to keep their heads above water in the battle to beat the drop.
I fancied the Cobblers to do well this season, and finally after a poor first half of the campaign they are now kicking into gear and closing in on a play-off spot. They have only lost two of their last 14 matches – two of their last three actually – and with the news that influential midfielder Luke Guttridge should be back in the side after injury they ought to be lumped on to defeat the Robins.
Cheltenham have only lost two of their last nine games, but they have drawn five of those – but take a closer look at some of the teams they have played during that period: Grimsby, Torquay, Barnet, Morecambe, Burton and Bradford, and you will see that their recent record is not as good as it first appears.
On-loan midfielder Matt Thornhill is a doubt for Mark Yates' side and his loss could swing the balance of power firmly in Northampton's court. Also, if Guttridge starts then the 12-1 with Blue Square to score first could be worth a few quid.
Macclesfield could well be the victims of a ROCHDALE backlash following the leaders' shock 3-1 home defeat to Bradford in midweek and the men from Spotland should be backed at 10-11 (Betfred, Blue Square) to rack up their ninth away win of the season.
Dale boss Keith Hill says he may make changes after the Bantams' loss, with Jason Kennedy, Andy Haworth and Kallum Higginbotham all ready to be thrown into action, and it wouldn't surprise me to see his side win by a comfortable margin.
Macclesfield are winless in eight, but have five stalemates in there, so have proved they are a hard side to beat although they find wins difficult to come by and like a lot of sides near the bottom of the table find scoring goals their Achilles heel, with 33 in 30 League games. Ricky Sappleton is their top scorer with six.
I'm sure the reverse to Bradford in the week was just a blip as far as Rochdale are concerned and I'm confident they will net a maximum haul at Moss Rose.
BOURNEMOUTH may have financial worries off the pitch, but on it they remain as focused as ever and I think they can cement their place in the top three with victory at fellow promotion-chasers Shrewsbury, at a very attractive 11-5 (Betfred, Coral).
Despite a lack of players at manager Eddie Howe's disposal – he could only name four subs for the midweek defeat of Barnet – Bournemouth continue to impress most weeks and Howe is helped by the fact his squad scenario is very much a case of quality over quantity and that is keeping them in the top three.
As for Shrewsbury I just cannot work them out as they seem to be the epitomy of inconsistency, although they have produced a few decent performances of late. They are prone though, to the inclusion of a bad display after a few decent ones and this could be that occasion. And throw into the mix the possible absentees of Craig Disley and Shane Cansdell-Sheriff then the Cherries look an even better proposition.
Elsewhere, bet365's 13-10 about a BURY win at Barnet should be snaffled up as should the 8-11 (tote, Coral, Stan James, Betfred) on DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE to inflict further misery on Grimsby Town.
