Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 30-31

Ten draws: Brighton v Southampton, Middlesbrough v Norwich, Nottingham Forest v Swansea, Stoke v Sheffield Wednesday, Southend v Shrewsbury, Cambridge v Colchester, Forest Green v MK Dons, Morecambe v Crawley, Hearts v Aberdeen, St Mirren v Dundee.

Best draws: Brighton v Southampton, Stoke v Sheffield Wednesday, Southend v Shrewsbury, Forest Green v MK Dons, St Mirren v Dundee.

Best weekend away bets: Wolves, Preston, Brentford, Fleetwood, Ross, Clyde.

Best weekend home bets: West Ham, Aston Villa, Derby, Blackpool, Doncaster, Gillingham, Crewe, Northampton, Tranmere, Kilmarnock.

Pick of the draws: Southampton's 2-1 home win over Tottenham the Saturday before last has boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League and they'll be confident of holding Brighton, who are only one place and three points above them. The arrival of Steve Bruce as manager has seen an upsurge in the form of Sheffield Wednesday, who are now serious contenders for a Championship play-off place. They travel to Stoke, who have disappointed this season, and can return with a point. Southend's slide down League One has led to the sacking of manager Chris Powell. Their record at Roots Hall, where they have lost 11 times, doesn't bode well and they'll be hard-pushed to beat fellow strugglers Shrewsbury. MK Dons have recovered a lot of lost ground recently in their attempt to go up from League Two, climbing back into the automatic promotion places. They look good for at least a point at Forest Green, who are less certain at home than away. St Mirren and Dundee, the bottom two clubs in the Scottish Premiership by some distance, meet on Saturday when I expect a stalemate.

Away days: Having knocked Liverpool and Manchester United out of the FA Cup, Wolves won't be cowering at the prospect of a trip to Burnley, who have stumbled in the past few weeks. Preston's progress to the fringes of a Championship play-off place cannot be ignored and I'm backing them at Reading, who are just one place above the drop zone. Brentford are in Championship no-man's land - far too good to go down but not consistent enough to be involved in the promotion shake-up. They are, however, a better side than Wigan, who are too close to the relegation zone for comfort. Joey Barton's Fleetwood, with six away victories under their belt, are worth a wager at ailing Accrington while Ross, top of the Scottish Championship, look an away banker at wooden-spoonists Alloa. Clyde have thrust themselves into the automatic promotion race from Scottish League Two and are recommended at lowly Albion.

Homes sweet homes: In their previous fixture West Ham showed their battling qualities, overturning a 3-1 deficit at home to Huddersfield to win 4-3. That never-say-die spirit should serve them well against Everton, who are struggling to finish in the top half of the Premier League. Crewe hit Crawley for six in their last League Two home match and will look forward to the visit of Cheltenham, whose away form does not inspire confidence. Tranmere's 2-0 victory at Colchester last weekend confirmed their new lease of life in the play-off section of League Two and they get my vote for their match against Carlisle on Saturday.

Pools info: Portsmouth v Peterborough (No 28 on coupon) and Sunderland v Burton (31) will be assessed by the pools panel as Portsmouth and Sunderland are playing in the Checkatrade Trophy final at Wembley on Sunday.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 23-24

Ten draws: Wimbledon v Gillingham, Plymouth v Bristol Rovers, Rochdale v Scunthorpe, Walsall v Barnsley, Colchester v Tranmere, Swindon v Morecambe, Airdrieonians v Forfar, Clyde v Annan, Malta v Faroe Islands, Wales v Slovakia.

Best draws: Plymouth v Bristol Rovers, Walsall v Barnsley, Colchester v Tranmere, Swindon v Morecambe, Clyde v Annan.

Best weekend away bets: Portsmouth, Lincoln, Bury, Exeter, Arbroath, Queen's Park.

Best weekend home bets: Coventry, Peterborough, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Mansfield, MK Dons, Port Vale, Partick (Friday), East Fife, Elgin.


Pick of the draws: Plymouth and Bristol Rovers may be 12th and 13th respectively in League One, but they are only a few points off the drop zone in a heavily congested bottom end of the division. Rovers have had some success on their recent travels and can gain another away point here. Although Walsall have slipped into the relegation places, they impressed when losing 2-1 at Sunderland last Saturday and it won't surprise me if they deny high-flying Barnsley victory. After a mid-season stumble Tranmere are back on track to contest the League Two play-off positions and can hold Colchester, who slipped below the dotted line after crashing 3-0 at Exeter last weekend. Morecambe's good form has enabled them to move nine points clear of relegation danger and they'll believe they can get something at Swindon, whose home record is indifferent. Clyde, third in Scottish League Two, may find fourth-placed Annan hard to overcome, particularly as Annan beat promotion-seeking Edinburgh City 3-1 at home last Saturday.

Away days: Portsmouth, the only League One team with as many as 10 away wins, should make it 11 at Shrewsbury, who are one of a cluster of clubs in danger of going down. Lincoln, the clear League Two leaders, look an away banker at Crawley, who are on a downward spiral, while high-scoring Bury are recommended at Grimsby. By defeating Colchester last Saturday, Exeter climbed back into the League Two play-off places and will surely have too much in their locker for bottom side Notts County. Scottish League One leaders Arbroath will be licking their lips at the prospect of a visit to lowly Stranraer and in Scottish League Two, Queen's Park, after their 4-1 home win against Elgin last Saturday, are well worth a punt at Cowdenbeath.

Homes sweet homes: Although Cheltenham are six places below Northampton in the League Two table, I believe their impressive home form will give them the edge. Port Vale are reviving in League Two under their new manager John Askey and I'm taking them to upset sixth-placed Forest Green, despite the visitors faring better away than at home. Relegation from the Scottish Championship is no longer a foregone conclusion for Partick, who are edging nearer safety. I think they'll beat middle-of-the-table Inverness.

Pools info: The following matches will be assessed by the pools panel: Fleetwood v Sunderland (No 5 on coupon), Wycombe v Charlton (12), Newport v Oldham (20), Ayr v Morton (24), Queen of the South v Falkirk (27) and Ross v Dunfermline (28). Partick v Inverness (26) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 16-17

Ten draws: Burnley v Leicester, Wigan v Bolton, Fleetwood v Plymouth, Oxford v Bradford City, Peterborough v Coventry, Exeter v Colchester, Oldham v Tranmere, Dover v Halifax, Boston v Chorley, Chippenham v St Albans.

Best draws: Burnley v Leicester, Wigan v Bolton, Fleetwood v Plymouth, Peterborough v Coventry, Dover v Halifax.

Best weekend away bets: Brighton, Chelsea, Norwich, Northampton, Hearts, Salford.

Best weekend home bets: Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke, Accrington, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Bury, Notts County, Aberdeen.


Pick of the draws: Leicester, given a new lease of life with the appointment of Brendan Rodgers as manager, can come away from Burnley with a draw, which would leave the hosts looking nervously over their shoulders at the wrong end of the table. The feel-good factor at Bolton, second bottom of the Championship, was short-lived after their win over Millwall last weekend. They lost at home to Sheffield Wednesday in midweek but they ought to get something at Wigan, who are in even worse form and only three points off the drop zone. Plymouth, rapidly climbing the League One table, will fancy their chances of at least a point at erratic Fleetwood and Coventry will feel the same about their trip to Peterborough, who have just lost to the bottom two clubs, Wimbledon and Bradford City. I'm taking Dover, who are finding it hard going in the National League, to share the spoils with Halifax, who are the draw specialists of the division.

Away days: The prospect of four away wins in this weekend's FA Cup sixth round is a very real one and I recommend Premier League side Brighton over Championship team Millwall on Sunday. Millwall are in danger of going down and I can't help thinking their minds may be elsewhere. Meanwhile, Brighton have just registered back-to-back victories and will be upbeat. Chelsea, in their quest for Champions League qualification, cannot really afford to drop any more points and I believe they'll return from Goodison Park with three, mainly because Everton don't inspire confidence. Promotion favourites Norwich cannot be ignored at lowly Rotherham and Northampton should continue their climb up League Two by beating Grimsby. Scottish Cup semi-finalists Hearts are worth backing at Hamilton in the Scottish Premiership and high-flying Salford should increase Aldershot's fear of relegation from the National League.

Homes sweet homes: Bournemouth's 2-0 victory at Huddersfield last Saturday ended their barren spell and they can dish out similar treatment to Newcastle, who are one place below them in the Premier League. By suddenly turning draws into wins, Aston Villa have given themselves a fighting chance of the Championship play-offs and they are worth a punt against Middlesbrough, who seem to slip up when you least expect it. Notts County moved off the foot of League Two with a shock 3-1 win at Carlisle in midweek and will further improve their survival prospects by defeating Morecambe.


Pools info: Mansfield v Lincoln (No 25 on coupon) has been put back to Monday and will be assessed by the pools panel.

Betting info: Eight of my ten home selections were correct last weekend: Leicester, Reading, Sheffield United, Barnsley, Cheltenham, Northampton, Gateshead and Ross.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 9-10

Ten draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Newcastle v Everton, Southampton v Tottenham, Bristol City v Leeds, Nottingham Forest v Hull, Charlton v Portsmouth, Plymouth v Luton, Walsall v Fleetwood, Crawley v Grimsby, Livingston v St Johnstone.

Best draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Southampton v Tottenham, Bristol City v Leeds, Charlton v Portsmouth, Plymouth v Luton.

Best weekend away bets: West Ham, Peterborough, MK Dons, Forest Green, Mansfield, Bury.

Best weekend home bets: Leicester, Reading, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Barnsley, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Northampton, Gateshead, Ross.

Pick of the draws: Manchester United are irresistible at the moment but I can't help thinking that their remarkable sequence of nine consecutive away wins must end sometime. Arsenal, still smarting from their FA Cup fourth-round exit at the hands of United, will be looking for revenge on Sunday and have been in formidable form at the Emirates. Southampton played more than their part when losing a thriller at Old Trafford last Saturday and can hold Tottenham, whose Premier League progress has stalled. Leeds, second in the Championship and fresh from a 4-0 home victory over West Brom last Friday, will probably meet sterner resistance from Bristol City, who are in the play-off places on merit. Portsmouth, fourth in League One, crushed Bradford City last weekend for a long-awaited success but won't have it all their own way at Charlton, who are just behind them in the table. If anybody can halt Luton, who are lording it at the top of League One, it's Plymouth, who are held Portsmouth last month and are moving further away from the relegation area.

Away days: West Ham, lying a comfortable ninth in the Premier League, are in the mood to take advantage of Cardiff's fragility near the foot of the table. Peterborough, with Darren Ferguson back in charge, will be hot favourites to gain maximum points at Bradford City, who are six points from safety. MK Dons, chasing automatic promotion from League Two, must fancy their chances at lowly Macclesfield and Forest Green's play-off prospects will be improved by victory at ailing Morecambe. In what looks a good weekend for away sides in League Two, high-flying Mansfield should be backed at struggling Port Vale and second-placed Bury are worth a punt at inconsistent Stevenage.

Homes sweet homes: Reading, encouraged by their late winner at doomed Ipswich in the Championship, will feel confident about sending Wigan home pointless, especially as Wigan's away record is so bad. Paul Scholes has had a hesitant start as manager of League Two Oldham and Cambridge, after beating Grimsby 2-0 away last Saturday, are unlikely to be generous hosts. Keith Curle's Northampton are rapidly climbing the table and I fancy them to upset the better-placed Exeter.

Pools info: Norwich v Swansea (No 16 on coupon) and Falkirk v Ayr (47) are void.

Three of my five best draw selections were correct last weekend: Tottenham v Arsenal, Oldham v Stevenage and Albion v Berwick. Eight of ten home selections were correct: Watford, Wolves, Swansea, Oxford, Portsmouth, Sunderland, MK Dons and Annan.