Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Feb 14-15

Ten draws: Gillingham v MK Dons, Peterborough v Rochdale, Mansfield v Northampton, Morecambe v Dagenham & Redbridge, Altrincham v Forest Green, Eastleigh v Torquay, Grimsby v Bristol Rovers, Lincoln v Chester, Ross v Motherwell, Raith v Falkirk.

Best draws: Gillingham v MK Dons, Peterborough v Rochdale, Grimsby v Bristol Rovers, Lincoln v Chester, Ross v Motherwell.

Best weekend away bets: Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Swindon, Bury, Aberdeen, Elgin.

Best weekend home bets: Bolton, Bournemouth, Chesterfield, Oldham, Hartlepool, Luton, Portsmouth, Southend, Wycombe, Dunfermline.


Pick of the draws: Gillingham are on a roll in League One, beating Sheffield United (home) and Peterborough (away) in the space of four days. They can hold MK Dons, whose promotion hopes took a knock on Monday when they lost at Bradford City. Peterborough's promotion challenge has faded mainly because they have lost seven matches at home. They will have a job making ground advantage count against Rochdale, who are particularly strong away. The Conference has several draw possibilities this weekend, especially Grimsby (4th) v Bristol Rovers (3rd). Both former League clubs are in fine form. Chester, once threatened by relegation, have pulled well away from the danger zone and are more than capable of gaining a point at Lincoln. It is hard to make a case for either Ross or Motherwell, bottom and second bottom respectively in the Scottish Premiership. They meet on Saturday and a draw is the likely outcome.

Away days: Leicester, propping up the Premier League, are due a change of fortune, having unluckily lost to Crystal Palace (home) and Arsenal (away) in the past week. They are well worth a punt at Aston Villa in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday, especially as Villa don't know where their next goal - let alone their next win - is coming from. Blackpool are doomed to relegation from the Championship and their visitors on Saturday, Nottingham Forest, will surely take advantage. League One high-flyers Swindon lost at Oldham in midweek. They will be eager to make amends and will probably do so at Scunthorpe, whose home record is unimpressive. Bury are contesting a play-off place in League Two and are recommended to prevail at Cheltenham, who are hovering just above the relegation zone. Aberdeen are giving Celtic a good run for their money in the Scottish Premiership and are a confident selection to beat Hamilton. Elgin have markedly improved in Scottish League Two and must  be fancied to inflict further misery on bottom club East Stirling.

Homes sweet homes: Bolton have looked a different team since Neil Lennon was appointed manager and I believe they will surprise high-riding Watford, who can beat the best in the Championship but also lose to the worst. Hartlepool, last in League Two, are gradually closing the gap between them and the other sides threatened by relegation. They beat Northampton in midweek and I fancy them to defeat injury-hit Stevenage on Saturday. If Portsmouth start scoring some goals they will rapidly climb the League Two table because they are defensively sound. I've a hunch they will find their shooting boots against Exeter at Fratton Park.

Pools info: Coventry v Bradford City (No 3 on coupon) and Notts County v Preston (8) will be decided by the pools panel while Rangers v Hibernian (47) is void. Three of my five best draws were correct last weekend: Burnley v West Brom, Port Vale v Bradford City and Bury v Exeter.

Betting info: Four of my six away selections were correct last weekend. Chelsea, Chesterfield, Burton and Inverness were the successful teams.