Pools tips and recommended bets for weekend of May 3-4

Ten draws: Aston Villa v Hull, Swansea v Southampton, Millwall v Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest v Brighton, Crawley v Bristol City, Oldham v Notts County, Cheltenham v Dagenham & Redbridge, Hartlepool v Exeter, Scunthorpe v York, Cowdenbeath v Queen of South.

Best draws: Swansea v Southampton, Millwall v Bournemouth, Crawley v Bristol City, Oldham v Notts County, Hartlepool v Exeter.

Best weekend away bets: Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough, Leyton Orient, Rochdale, Rangers.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester, Reading, Gillingham, Peterborough, Sheffield United, Wolves, Bristol Rovers, Torquay.

Pick of the draws: Southampton beat Everton convincingly at St Mary's last Saturday. Their away form holds up too and they should be good enough to draw at Swansea, who are now safe from relegation to the Championship. Millwall need one more win to be sure of avoiding the drop into League One but they could have had easier opponents than Bournemouth, who have sparkled lately. League One Crawley were held to a home draw by relegation-threatened Carlisle in midweek. Their visitors on Saturday are Bristol City, who are determined to finish in the top half of the table after struggling early on. A point will be enough for Notts County to escape relegation. I believe they will get it at Oldham, who are in the habit of drawing at home. Exeter have a long journey to Hartlepool for their final game of the season but their away record has kept them in League Two and I fancy them to share the points.

Away days: Tottenham are ending the season in much better shape than West Ham and I expect them to avenge their early-season Premier League defeat by the Hammers at White Hart Lane. I'm taking Championship play-off side Queens Park Rangers to confirm their superiority over relegated Barnsley and mid-table Middlesbrough to do the same at bottom club Yeovil. Leyton Orient, fourth in League One, have been one of the success stories of the season and will probably have too much for MK Dons, who have lost more than they have won at home. Rochdale, who made sure of promotion from League Two last weekend, should be too strong for Newport. Rangers, runaway champions of Scottish League One, have not dropped an away point all season. They face their biggest test against second-placed Dunfermline in their final match but I'm confident they'll come through it for their 18th victory on the road.

Homes sweet homes: Having gained promotion to the Premier League, Burnley may take their foot off the pedal slightly. Any easing up could be enough for Championship play-off contenders Reading to claim victory. The hosts have regained some of their early-season zest and a win will guarantee them a place in the play-off semi-finals. A draw is all Bristol Rovers require to stay in League Two.  After last Saturday's crucial triumph at Wycombe, I believe they will go one better against Mansfield. Despite winning at Mansfield last weekend, Torquay's relegation was confirmed. However, they can still climb off the foot of the table by beating Wycombe, thereby sending the Buckinghamshire team down with them. 

Pools info: Crystal Palace v Liverpool (match No 4 on the coupon) has been put back to Monday and will be adjudicated by the pools panel.