Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 28-29

Ten draws: Bournemouth v West Ham, Hull v Cardiff, Queens Park Rangers v West Bromwich, Coventry v Doncaster, Rochdale v Wycombe, Shrewsbury v Fleetwood, Carlisle v Oldham, Mansfield v Plymouth, Salford v Forest Green, Swindon v Newport.

Best draws: Bournemouth v West Ham, Queens Park Rangers v West Bromwich, Coventry v Doncaster, Carlisle v Oldham, Swindon v Newport.

Six aways: Nottingham Forest (Friday), Colchester, Bradford City, Motherwell, Hearts, Peterhead.

Ten homes: Chelsea, Leicester, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Swansea, Blackpool (Friday), Peterborough, Portsmouth, Southend, Crawley.

Pick of the draws: Bournemouth and West Ham are two in-form teams - the midweek League Cup results excepted! - and deserve their top-six Premier League placing. I expect a high-scoring deadlock. West Brom are the only unbeaten side in the Championship. They have a tricky-looking fixture at fast-climbing Queens Park Rangers but I'm tipping them to keep their undefeated tag. Second-placed Coventry have won all five of their home matches at Birmingham's ground in League One but they may slip up against Doncaster, who are on the fringe of the play-off positions. With September drawing to a close, Carlisle and Oldham's main ambition is to avoid relegation from League Two. There's little to separate them in the table and I can't separate them here. Newport, who have only lost once, visit fellow promotion candidates Swindon, who are not as comfortable at home as they are on their travels.

Away days: Nottingham Forest, unbeaten away in the Championship, go to Stoke, who are without a win this season. I'm not expecting an upset in this Friday evening fixture. Colchester, fresh from their League Cup heroics against Tottenham, should not fear a League Two trip to Macclesfield and Bradford City are similarly recommended at ailing Scunthorpe. I believe Motherwell will put last weekend's home defeat by Ross behind them and defeat lowly St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership. Hearts, who won the Edinburgh derby at Hibernian last Sunday, are on course for their second consecutive victory at St Mirren. In Scottish League One, Peterhead are fancied to return from Montrose, who are bottom, with three points.

Homes sweet homes: Barnsley, in the bottom three, fought gallantly before losing away to Nottingham Forest in the Championship last Saturday. A repeat of that form will see them beat Brentford. Huddersfield's dismal losing run surely cannot continue and I've a feeling their misery will end against inconsistent Millwall. Southend, who recorded their first League One win of the campaign at MK Dons last Saturday, are fancied to make it two in a row against fellow strugglers Accrington.

Pools and betting info: Three of my five best draws were correct last weekend: Bristol City 0 Swansea 0, Sheffield Wednesday 1 Fulham 1 and Newport 1 Exeter 1. I also had five out of six aways: Blackburn, Bristol Rovers, Ayr, Raith and Yeovil.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 21-22

Ten draws: Burnley v Norwich, West Ham v Manchester United, Birmingham v Preston, Bristol City v Swansea, Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham, Wigan v Charlton, Accrington v Blackpool, Newport v Exeter, Northampton v Crawley, St Mirren v Hamilton.

Best draws: Burnley v Norwich, West Ham v Manchester United, Bristol City v Swansea, Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham, Newport v Exeter.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Blackburn, Bristol Rovers, Sunderland, Ayr, Raith, Yeovil.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Leicester, Brentford, Cardiff, Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Fleetwood, MK Dons, Crewe, Grimsby, Hibernian.

Pick of the draws: Norwich sprung one of the surprises of the season so far by beating Premier League champions Manchester City 3-2 at home last Saturday. The victory was as deserved as it was unexpected and I believe they'll gain their first away point at Burnley on Saturday. Although Manchester United lie fourth, they haven't been convincing and will be hard-pushed to prevail at West Ham, who must be pleased with their progress. Beaten 1-0 at home by Nottingham Forest last weekend, Swansea have lost top spot in the Championship and their powers of recovery should be tested at Bristol City, who are among the early front-runners. Garry Monk's first match as Sheffield Wednesday manager ended in a 2-0 victory at struggling Huddersfield last Sunday but Fulham, their visitors, are surely made of sterner stuff. Unbeaten Exeter are the clear leaders in League Two and well capable of holding fellow promotion contenders Newport to a draw.

Away days: Blackburn seem back on course after a dodgy start to their Championship campaign and will be hopeful of coming away from Reading with three points. Bristol Rovers, who beat Lincoln
1-0 away last Saturday, face seemingly weaker opposition in Wimbledon, who are in League One's bottom three and without a win this campaign. Sunderland, in the race for promotion, look an away banker at Bolton, who, with a 12-point deduction, appear destined for the drop. I expect Ayr, second in the Scottish Championship, to strengthen their position after travelling to lowly Alloa while
free-scoring Raith, 4-0 home winners over Peterhead last weekend, are recommended at Airdrieonians. Yeovil, climbing rapidly in the National League, are the form tip at Fylde.

Homes sweet homes: Ambitious Leicester have their sights on a place in the Premier League's top four and Tottenham's visit in the early Saturday fixture will be a good test of their credentials. Leicester, who lost narrowly at Old Trafford last Saturday, won't want two disappointments in a row and I've a hunch they'll take maximum points against Spurs. Cardiff (14th) sit just below Middlesbrough (13th) in the Championship table but I'm tipping Neil Warnock's players to come out on top when the sides meet in Wales on Saturday. Neither of the Edinburgh teams in the Scottish Premiership is doing well so far but Hibernian's plight (4pts) isn't as serious as that of Hearts (2) who find themselves bottom after five games. Expect Hibs to increase their misery.


Betting info: Five of my six aways were correct last weekend. They were: Leeds (2-0), Bristol City
(2-1), Sunderland (3-1), Bradford City (1-0) and Cove Rangers (4-2).

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 14-15

Ten draws: Manchester United v Leicester, Wolves v Chelsea, Fulham v West Brom, Preston v Brentford, Gillingham v Wycombe, Lincoln v Bristol Rovers, Oxford v Tranmere, Crawley v Mansfield, Port Vale v Plymouth, Scunthorpe v Morecambe.

Best draws: Manchester United v Leicester, Fulham v West Brom, Gillingham v Wycombe, Crawley v Mansfield, Port Vale v Plymouth.

Six aways: Arsenal, Leeds, Sunderland, Cheltenham, Bradford City, Cove Rangers.

Ten homes: Liverpool, Sheffield United, Charlton, Huddersfield, Middlesbrough, Swansea, Ipswich, Crewe, Forest Green, Swindon.

Pick of the draws: With four games played in the Premier League, Leicester look a reasonable bet to finish higher than Manchester United. They visit Old Trafford on Saturday and look good for at least a point. West Brom, unbeaten away in six Championship matches, won't be fazed by a trip to Fulham, even though the west Londoners are scintillating at their best. To see Wycombe top of League One is one of the most surprising things about the season so far, not that it isn't well deserved. However, Gillingham, on their day, are capable of upsetting anybody and I fancy them to gain a point. Mansfield's under-performance in League Two has been unexpected. They are better than they have shown and I'm taking them to hold Crawley. Early front-runners Plymouth slipped up at home to Oldham last weekend and I won't be surprised if they drop another couple of points at Port Vale, who are miserly at home.

Away days: Although Watford, bottom of the Premier League, have changed their manager, I don't think it will be enough to avoid defeat against Arsenal, who sit just below the Champions League qualifying places. Leeds have maximum points on their Championship travels and I'm tipping them to win at Barnsley, who are at the other end of the table. Sunderland are lower in League One than they would like but they can put that right by beating Accrington. Cheltenham, who have moved into the League Two play-off positions, are well worth a punt at newcomers Salford while Bradford City are predicted to inflict more pain on struggling Walsall. Cove Rangers, who lead Scottish League Two, have an excellent chance of further progress when they visit lowly Brechin.

Homes sweet homes: Sheffield United produced a stirring comeback to draw 2-2 at Chelsea two weeks ago, so they should be able to defeat Southampton, who have so far failed to shine. Huddersfield play Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship and both teams have new managers (Danny Cowley for Huddersfield, Garry Monk for Wednesday). I've a feeling Cowley will win this particular battle and Huddersfield will record their first victory of the season. Middlesbrough have yet to hit their stride, so they will be eager to climb the table at the expense of Reading, their visitors.

Pools info: Bury v Portsmouth (No 25 on coupon) is void. Three of my five best draws were correct last weekend: Tranmere v Gillingham (2-2), Morecambe v Salford (2-2) and Hartlepool v Woking
(1-1).

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of September 7-8

Ten draws: Tranmere v Gillingham, Wycombe v Lincoln, Leyton Orient v Swindon, Macclesfield v Crawley, Morecambe v Salford, Aldershot v Barrow, Hartlepool v Woking, Altrincham v Leamington, Armenia v Bosnia-Hertzegovina, Serbia v Portugal.

Best draws: Tranmere v Gillingham, Wycombe v Lincoln, Morecambe v Salford, Aldershot v Barrow, Hartlepool v Woking.

Six aways: Blackpool, Forest Green, Exeter, Dover, Stockport, Eastleigh.

Ten homes: Fleetwood, Colchester, Mansfield, Newport, Plymouth, Bromley, Halifax, Maidenhead, England, Iceland.

Pick of the draws: Gillingham won their first League One fixture of the season last Saturday by thrashing Bolton 5-0 at home. That result should give them the confidence to gain a point at Tranmere, who are struggling to adapt to a higher division. Lincoln, who are second in League One, are aiming for three consecutive promotions and returned to winning ways against Fleetwood last weekend. I fancy them to get something at high-flying Wycombe, despite the Buckinghamshire club's 100% home record. Although Salford, in League Two, have gone off the boil after an encouraging start to the season, they won't fear a trip to Morecambe, who are terribly vulnerable at home. The meeting between Aldershot and Barrow, two sides near the foot of the National League, suggests deadlock while Hartlepool, after two consecutive away victories, could deny second-placed Woking.

Away days: Blackpool, unbeaten after six matches in League One, are worth a wager at Coventry, especially as the game is being played at Birmingham's St Andrew's ground. I believe that Forest Green's 2-0 home loss against Newport last Saturday was only a temporary setback and I'm backing them to win their League Two clash at Cambridge. Leaders Exeter have a very long journey to Carlisle but I'm tipping them to return home with three points. In the National League, Dover are recommended at Boreham Wood, mainly because the hosts are so poor at home, and fast-improving Stockport should see off bottom club Chorley. Eastleigh will be confident of defeating Ebbsfleet, who seem destined for a relegation struggle.

Homes sweet homes: Colchester, boosted by two wins in a row in League Two, are fancied to make it a hat-trick against lowly Walsall. Halifax are the surprise leaders of the National League and have high hopes of maintaining their perfect home record when relegated Yeovil come visiting. Although Maidenhead's high position owes much to their away form, I'm tipping them to do the business at home against Dagenham & Redbridge.

Pools info: Bolton v Bury (No 1 on coupon) is void. Portsmouth v Southend (6), Rochdale v Ipswich (7), Shrewsbury v Peterborough (8), Sunderland v Burton (9), Fylde v Barnet (29) and Solihull v Wrexham (33) will be judged by the pools panel.