It’s one from the Championship and two from League Two as the NTT20 Podcast team select three clubs to win in their Saturday acca…
“Exeter are a different prospect, perhaps the best team in the league, picking up more than two points per game over a 20 game stretch. They should ease past Rochdale here.”
Not wanting to change a winning formula, this exact pick – at this exact price – led last week’s column and provided a comfortable winner. Colchester only mustered a single (blocked) shot, while Exeter coasted to a 2-0 home win in front of their fans.
It’s seven wins, two draws and no defeats at St James’ Park since the start of the year, and Exeter will be grateful for a chance to get back on track after a 0-2 loss at Tranmere. There’s no shame about losing to the best home team in the division.
Their opponents Rochdale have little to play for as the season draws to a close, and aren’t putting up much of a fight away from home. In their last 12 away league games, they’ve lost nine. The three games they didn’t lose were against Scunthorpe, Colchester, Oldham – all teams in the bottom six of the division.
Exeter are a different prospect, perhaps the best team in the league, picking up more than two points per game over a 20 game stretch. They should ease past Rochdale here.
Hungry Lions to feast on Blues
After a 1-6 defeat at Blackpool and three defeats on the spin, it’s something of a surprise that Lee Bowyer continues to lead Birmingham as they prepare for the visit of in-form, play-off chasing Millwall.
The lack of anything resembling structure, skill, grit or desire is stark as Birmingham drift towards the end of another poor campaign, and Bowyer’s response to the poor form has been far from convincing.
They’ve conceded eight goals from set piece situations alone in the last three games, so the arrival of Millwall – who have scored the second most set piece goals in the division – is a huge area of concern.
Millwall are not just a set piece team, with Bradshaw and Afobe up front they have two of the sharpest finishers in the division. The Lions have sixth spot in sight, and the form to give them confidence – no team has picked up more points in the Championship in the last 10 weeks.
Ammies to show no mercy
Salford City’s rise towards the play-offs took a hit over Easter Weekend, losing ground on their rivals. In order to reach the top seven and extend their season, they’ll surely need to win all three remaining games.
This fixture could be the perfect way to start this three game chunk. Salford have a 17-5-6 record against teams beneath them, and they travel to a team on the brink of non-league.
Oldham’s much vaunted ‘Shezzarection’ appears to have flopped. An initial upturn in performances and results under John Sheridan, during which time they went 7 unbeaten, has been followed by 9 defeats in their last 11 games.
The underlying data suggests that Oldham’s performance levels have vanished along with their confidence.
With a four point gap to safety and having played a game more than both teams they’re chasing – it looks as good as over for the Latics. The suspension of talisman Carl Piergianni leaves them looking even less sure of themselves at the back. Goal difference could be important for Salford, and so there’s no chance of them going easy. If Oldham go behind here, things could unravel in front of a furious fanbase.
Source: Betfair UK English Championship
