Pools tips and best bets for weekend of October 1-2

Ten draws: Tottenham v Manchester City, Sheffield Wednesday v Brighton, Wimbledon v Gillingham, Bury v Scunthorpe, Shrewsbury v Swindon, Walsall v Millwall, Crawley v Blackpool, Grimsby v Hartlepool, Portsmouth v Doncaster, Hamilton v Inverness.

Best draws: Tottenham v Manchester City, Sheffield Wednesday v Brighton, Bury v Scunthorpe, Grimsby v Hartlepool, Portsmouth v Doncaster.

Best weekend away bets: Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield United, Luton, Celtic.

Best weekend home bets: Manchester United, Bristol City, Leeds, Bolton, Northampton, Southend, Newport, Notts County, Rangers, Alloa.


Pick of the draws: Manchester City are imperious at the moment - top of the Premier League by four points having won all their matches. But Tottenham, their nearest challengers, are also unbeaten after conceding only three goals in their six games and I think they will break City's momentum on Sunday. Sheffield Wednesday v Brighton is probably the best-looking draw on the coupon. Wednesday are going from strength to strength after an uncertain start to the Championship season and Brighton are likely to remain in the mix for promotion. Brighton's defence is serving them particularly well, with only six goals conceded in 10 games. Bury and Scunthorpe, lying second and first respectively, are the surprise packets in League One. They both had terrific results in midweek - Bury winning 3-1 at MK Dons, Scunthorpe 4-1 winners at Walsall - and it is hard to separate them. Hartlepool's best results in League Two have come on the road. That 1-1 draw at leaders Plymouth last Saturday was a good example and I'm backing them to hold promoted Grimsby. High-scoring Doncaster must also be in with a shout at Portsmouth, whose recent fortunes have been mixed.

Away days: Arsenal have shown real purpose and flair in their past two Premier League fixtures against Hull and Chelsea and must be fancied to continue that form at Burnley on Sunday, despite the hosts' well deserved victory over Watford last Monday. Liverpool seem an irresistible force at present and must be supported at lowly Swansea, who are clearly having doubts about their manager. Newcastle have been more comfortable away from St James's Park and are strongly recommended at Rotherham, who have sunk to the bottom of the Championship. There's no stopping Sheffield United, who are promotion contenders after a terrible start to the season in League One and must rate their chances of prevailing at Fleetwood, who have slipped into the bottom half of the table. Promotion-seeking Luton are well worth a punt at struggling Cheltenham in League Two and the claims of Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic cannot be ignored at Dundee.

Homes sweet homes: Despite a setback at Bristol City in midweek, Leeds are making good progress in the Championship and can triumph in the Yorkshire derby against Barnsley. Southend have rediscovered their mojo at Roots Hall, beating Millwall and Oxford in League One, so don't be surprised if they send Peterborough home pointless. I believe manager-less Newport, bottom of League Two, will gain their first home success of the season against Stevenage and I expect rapidly improving Notts County to carry on the good work against Morecambe.


Pools info: Everton v Crystal Palace (No 2 on coupon) and Motherwell v Hearts (49) are being played on Friday and are therefore void.

Betting info: Eight of my 10 home selections were correct last weekend. Arsenal, Liverpool, Leeds, Norwich, Northampton, Carlisle, Portsmouth and Barrow obliged.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 24-25

Ten draws: West Ham v Southampton, Aston Villa v Newcastle, Brighton v Barnsley, Reading v Huddersfield, Wolves v Brentford, Bristol Rovers v Port Vale, Oxford v Charlton, Scunthorpe v Sheffield United, Colchester v Accrington, Dover v Lincoln.

Best draws: West Ham v Southampton, Aston Villa v Newcastle, Brighton v Barnsley, Oxford v Charlton, Colchester v Accrington.

Best weekend away bets: Everton, Birmingham, Doncaster, Forest Green, Dagenham & Redbridge, Macclesfield.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Liverpool, Leeds, Norwich, Northampton, Carlisle, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Barrow, Clyde.


Pick of the draws: West Ham have made such a bad start to the Premier League season that they can't be guaranteed to beat Southampton on Sunday, even though Southampton have also been unimpressive so far. Aston Villa are the draw specialists of the Championship with five stalemates from eight fixtures. Don't be surprised if they add to that tally against Newcastle, who surprisingly went down at home to Wolves on Saturday. Brighton seem to have recovered from their sticky patch with two consecutive wins but on-form Barnsley, their opponents, won't make it easy for them and boast a 4-0 away victory at Wolves this season. Promoted Oxford are settling well in League One and can hold Charlton, who are faring better away than at home. League Two Accrington have recent wins over Notts County (away) and Portsmouth (home) to their credit, so they should not fear a visit to Colchester, despite the Essex side being in the play-off positions.

Away days: Everton are shaping up to be genuine top-four contenders in the Premier League and must be fancied to prevail at Bournemouth, who are struggling to get going. Birmingham are handily placed in the Championship and playing well. The same cannot be said of their hosts Queens Park Rangers, who crashed 6-0 at home to Newcastle and lost again on Saturday. League Two promotion candidates Doncaster are finally showing their true potential and are well worth a punt at Luton, whose form has dipped. Forest Green, second in the National League, are strong favourites to come away from Braintree with three points and table-topping Dagenham & Redbridge should also be backed at Bromley. Although Macclesfield lost at home to Eastleigh on Saturday they should still be too good for bottom club Guiseley.

Homes sweet homes: Arsenal have a terrible record against Chelsea but I've a hunch they will overcome their jinx on Saturday. The Gunners made it three Premier League wins in a row at Hull at the weekend, having previously defeated Southampton and Watford. Chelsea, on the other hand, have come unstuck against Swansea and Liverpool in their last two matches and may be more vulnerable than usual at the Emirates. Leeds have won their last two games and I expect them to continue climbing the Championship table. I also expect them to beat Ipswich, who have difficulty stringing results together. League Two Forfar are the only team in Scotland to have won all six league matches. It's put them five points ahead of their nearest challengers Clyde, who host them on Saturday. However, Clyde have not dropped a point at home and I believe they will end Forfar's run.


Pools info: Three of my five best draw selections were correct at the weekend. Ipswich v Aston Villa, Barnet v Colchester and Blackpool v Carlisle all obliged.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 17-18

Ten draws: West Bromwich v West Ham, Burton v Brighton, Ipswich v Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest v Norwich, Chesterfield v Northampton, Port Vale v Gillingham, Barnet v Colchester, Blackpool v Carlisle, Wycombe v Stevenage, Boreham Wood v Torquay.

Best draws: Burton v Brighton, Ipswich v Aston Villa, Barnet v Colchester, Blackpool v Carlisle, Boreham Wood v Torquay.

Best weekend away bets: Liverpool (Friday), Fleetwood, Scunthorpe, Millwall, Bolton, Luton.

Best weekend home bets: Everton, Manchester City, Tottenham, Blackburn, Newcastle, Charlton, Coventry, Doncaster, Hartlepool, Hibernian.


Pick of the draws: Nigel Clough's Burton are acquitting themselves well in the higher division of the Championship and can take a point off Brighton, whose early-season progress has stalled. Aston Villa have been playing better than their results suggest and I believe they will hold Ipswich, who are hindered by inconsistency. Relegated Colchester are one of the early front-runners in League Two. They visit Barnet, who are never easy to beat at home and this match-up looks the likeliest draw of all. After seven games Carlisle are undefeated on the road and I think they will extend that run at Blackpool, who have yet to hit their stride. Boreham Wood, possibly the most improved side in the National League, host Torquay in a mid-table clash that looks as if it will end in stalemate.

Away days: You are never quite sure which Liverpool will turn up these days but if they are at their best, as they were when beating Leicester 4-1 at home last weekend, they can come away from Chelsea with three points on Friday. Fleetwood have moved into promotion contention in League One and will be disappointed with anything less than maximum points at bottom club Rochdale. Free-scoring Scunthorpe thoroughly deserve their second place and must be confident of continuing the good work at Shrewsbury. It's impossible to ignore Millwall's chances at Southend, who are in the doldrums, and Bolton's at Walsall, who hover just above the relegation zone. Top-of-the-table Bolton are one of only four unbeaten teams in the Football League. League Two promotion challengers Luton were surprisingly beaten at home by Grimsby last Saturday but they will probably recover at Crawley, whose early-season promise has faded.


Homes sweet homes: Blackburn, bottom of the Championship and without a league win in seven matches, will be anxious to get off the mark against Rotherham, who are also at the wrong end of the table. Lowly Coventry gained a well-merited League One point in a 1-1 draw at Millwall last Saturday. Perhaps that will encourage them to better things and they are worth a punt at home to Oldham, who are hardly taxing opposition. Hartlepool returned to winning ways at Yeovil last weekend after being routed 6-1 at Stevenage and I'm tipping them to win at home for the first time this season when they play Mansfield.


Betting info: I scored five out of six with my away selections last weekend. Barnsley, Sheffield United, Doncaster, Macclesfield and Dagenham & Redbridge obliged.

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

Ten draws: Burnley v Hull, Stoke v Tottenham, Sheffield Wednesday v Wigan, Bristol Rovers v Rochdale, Fleetwood v Charlton, Oxford v Swindon, Colchester v Blackpool, Newport v Cheltenham, Yeovil v Hartlepool, Barrow v Boreham Wood.

Best draws: Burnley v Hull, Sheffield Wednesday v Wigan, Fleetwood v Charlton, Colchester v Blackpool, Yeovil v Hartlepool.

Best weekend away bets: Chelsea, Barnsley, Sheffield United, Doncaster, Macclesfield, Dagenham & Redbridge.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Bournemouth, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Brighton, Queens Park Rangers, Northampton, Scunthorpe, Luton, Portsmouth.


Pick of the draws: It's no fluke that Hull find themselves fifth after three Premier League matches and they almost held Manchester United last weekend. Hull's hosts Burnley have a win over Liverpool to their credit and can nick a point out of this one. Sheffield Wednesday, beaten Championship play-off finalists last season, have disappointed so far with only one victory from five games. Their opponents on Saturday, Wigan, have also underwhelmed and deadlock seems likely. League One Fleetwood are prospering under manager Uwe Rosler but may find improving Charlton tough nuts to crack. Blackpool made a welcome return to form in League Two with a 3-0 away success at Yeovil last Saturday and I'm backing them to return from Colchester with a share of the spoils. Hartlepool manager Craig Hignett admitted they were an embarrassment when crashing 6-1 at Stevenage last weekend but Yeovil's 3-0 home loss to Blackpool was nearly as bad. I expect Hartlepool to tighten up sufficiently to come away with a point.

Away days: Chelsea, maximum points from their opening three Premier League fixtures, look a sure thing on Sunday at Swansea, who could be fighting relegation. The Championship holds no fears for promoted Barnsley, who lie third in the table. I believe they will keep up the good work at Preston, who are struggling. Sheffield United must fancy their chances of making it three League One wins in a row at Wimbledon. United gave themselves a huge boost by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Gillingham last Sunday and I expect them to continue climbing the table. League Two promotion contenders Doncaster surprisingly slipped up at Crewe last Saturday but can make amends at second-placed Morecambe, who have begun to look vulnerable. Macclesfield are challenging for promotion in the National League and are a confident selection at Bromley. Dagenham & Redbridge's 2-0 home defeat by Boreham Wood was one of last weekend's upsets, so they will be eager to return to winning ways at Solihull, who lost 4-0 at York.

Homes sweet homes: The season-long loan of the Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere should benefit Bournemouth, who have yet to win a Premier League game this season. They can get off the mark against West Bromwich Albion, who will probably struggle. The absence of ace striker Sergio Aguero - banned for three matches - for the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Saturday has tilted the balance in favour of United, who have started confidently under Jose Mourinho. United and City have maximum points from their first three games so something has to give. Aston Villa have hardly set the world alight in the Championship so far but ought to win most of their home fixtures. They are worth a wager on Sunday against Nottingham Forest, who are not the best of travellers.


Pools info: Reading v Ipswich (No 18 on coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.