Pools tips and best bets for weekend of October 10-11

Ten draws: Finland v Northern Ireland, Bury v Wigan, Oldham v Scunthorpe, Shrewsbury v Colchester, Swindon v Peterborough, Bristol Rovers v Wycombe, Notts County v Plymouth, Boreham Wood v Welling, Braintree v Grimsby, Gateshead v Cheltenham.

Best draws: Shrewsbury v Colchester, Swindon v Peterborough, Bristol Rovers v Wycombe, Notts County v Plymouth, Gateshead v Cheltenham.

Best weekend away bets: Gillingham, Coventry, Portsmouth, Leyton Orient, Lincoln, Dunfermline.

Best weekend home bets: Israel, Norway, Millwall, Southend, Walsall, Barnet, Mansfield, Northampton, Forest Green, Tranmere.


Pick of the draws: Colchester have pulled well clear of the League One relegation zone and will be disappointed not to get something from their visit to Shrewsbury, who have lost four of their five home games. Swindon are dropping down the table and may be pushed to gain more than a point from their match with Peterborough, who scored five against Millwall last weekend and have a new manager in former Stevenage boss Graham Westley. Wycombe's rise to second place in League Two is due mainly to their fine away form. They are unbeaten on their travels and I expect them to remain unbeaten at mid-table Bristol Rovers. Plymouth top the table but they won't find it easy at Notts County, who are a match for anybody on their day. Cheltenham, fresh from their 7-1 rout of lowly FC Halifax in the National League last Saturday, have a more difficult task this week when they travel to promotion-seeking Gateshead.

Away days: League One promotion contenders Gillingham have faltered recently but I believe they will return to winning ways at Chesterfield, who have been struggling at home. Coventry are also in the promotion mix and will probably be too strong for Fleetwood, who have sunk to second from bottom. Portsmouth won 6-2 at Cambridge in League Two last season. Although I can't see them repeating that remarkable scoreline on Saturday, I think they'll have enough to take maximum points again. Leyton Orient's 3-1 home victory over Notts County last weekend enabled them to climb back into the automatic promotion places and they must be fancied to win at Crawley, who are languishing at the other end of the table. Improving Lincoln are worth a punt at Chester FC in the National League and I've a hunch that Scottish League One Dunfermline will upset their Championship opponents St Mirren in the Petrofac Training Cup quarter-finals.

Homes sweet homes: Southend are on a roll in League One and will be confident of extending their winning run against Port Vale. Walsall host Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's Burton in a top-of-the-table clash and I think home advantage will be the decisive factor here. Barnet's troubles in League Two are down to their rotten away record. They have failed to collect a point from six away matches. It's a different story at home, however, where they have triumphed on three occasions. It wouldn't surprise me to see them come out on top against on-form Accrington.


Pools info: Bradford City v Blackpool (No 15 on the coupon) will be adjudicated by the pools panel.