Pools tips for weekend of September 14-15

Ten draws: Hull v Cardiff, Ipswich v Middlesbrough, Leicester v Wigan, Bristol City v Peterborough, Crawley v Shrewsbury, Tranmere v Brentford, Hartlepool v Accrington, Plymouth v Wycombe, Barnet v Lincoln, Forest Green v FC Halifax.

Best draws: Hull v Cardiff, Bristol City v Peterborough, Tranmere v Brentford, Hartlepool v Accrington, Barnet v Lincoln.

Away wins: Chelsea, Arsenal, Derby, Oxford, Morecambe, Mansfield.

Home wins: Tottenham, Bournemouth, Huddersfield, Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers, Watford, Carlisle, Leyton Orient, Preston, Chesterfield.


Pick of the draws: Two of the promoted clubs, Hull and Cardiff, have made reasonable starts in the Premier League and they appear well matched. Peterborough showed their fighting qualities when they recovered from 2-0 down to force a draw at Crewe last weekend. That should serve them well against Bristol City, who have yet to register a victory in League One. By all accounts Tranmere were unlucky not to beat Stevenage last Saturday. Their display should encourage them to get something from the visit of Brentford, who crashed 4-0 at Bradford City. Hartlepool have lost all three of their League Two home matches this season while their opponents Accrington have lost all three away. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a stalemate between teams who are 23rd and 24th respectively. Barnet's progress in the Skrill Premier was halted when they lost at FC Halifax, and they may find it hard to regain their winning habit against Lincoln, who are just behind them in the table.

Away days: Early signs have been worrying for Everton, who are still searching for their first Premier League win of the season. They will surely struggle against a revitalised Chelsea, who are fancied to take all three points. Arsenal, with their new £42 million signing Mesut Ozil poised to make his debut, seem a good bet at Sunderland, who look as though as they could be in for a long, hard winter. Derby have maximum points from their two Championship away fixtures so far. I'm taking them to make it three against Millwall, who are struggling to get going. The same cannot be said of Oxford, who are among the early front-runners in League Two. They will be confident of beating Cheltenham. Morecambe's 3-1 win at Southend in League Two was one of the best results of last weekend and they can repeat the dose against promoted Newport. Mansfield, another promoted club, are adapting well to a higher division and are worth a punt at struggling York.

Homes sweet homes: Unfancied Bournemouth have not dropped a point at home in the Championship and I'm tipping them to surprise the leaders Blackpool, who are so far unbeaten. Carlisle's lowly position in League One may be misleading. Although they have lost all three home games, they deserved better than last-minute defeat against Port Vale last weekend and I believe their luck will change against Sheffield United, who are completely out of sorts. League Two leaders Chesterfield are favourites to make an instant return to League One. I'm backing them to come out on top against AFC Wimbledon, who have surprised even themselves by climbing into the top three. 

Please note: Hereford v Aldershot (match No 48 on the coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.