Pools tips and best bets for March 30-31 coupon

 Ten draws: Bournemouth v Everton, Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace, Hearts v Kilmarnock, Dundee United v Raith, Cove Rangers v Stirling, Dumbarton v Stenhousemuir, Spartans v Forfar, Stranraer v Bonnyrigg Rose, Le Havre v Montpellier, Strasbourg v Rennes.

Best draws: Bournemouth v Everton, Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace, Hearts v Kilmarnock, Dumbarton v Stenhousemuir, Spartans v Forfar.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Fulham, Leicester (Friday), Stockport (Friday), Bromley (Friday), Dunfermline, Falkirk.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Aston Villa, Chelsea, Tottenham, Preston (Friday), Barnsley (Friday), Peterborough (Friday), Gateshead (Friday), Woking (Friday), Rangers, East Fife.

Pick of the draws: It's about time Everton began converting some of the chances they have been creating and it may happen at Bournemouth, who are none too sound defensively. A four-point deduction has put Nottingham Forest in the Premier League relegation zone and there's no guarantee they will beat Crystal Palace, who will want to impress their new manager. Hearts, third in the Scottish Premiership, were on the wrong end of an upset at Ross County last weekend, whereas fourth-placed Kilmarnock went on a scoring spree at home to St Mirren and will be on a high. Stenhousemuir, clear Scottish League Two leaders, could be denied maximum points at third-placed Dumbarton, who have scored eight goals in their past two matches. Spartans, the Scottish League newcomers, have stumbled lately, so don't be surprised if Forfar, 10 points below them, nick a draw.

Away days: If Fulham's away record were better they would be higher up the Premier League. They should go some way to correcting that at bottom side Sheffield United on Saturday. Leicester will be miffed at being overtaken by Leeds at the top of the Championship and I think they'll take it out on Bristol City. Promotion-seeking Stockport, of League Two, roared back to form with a 5-0 home demolition of MK Dons last Saturday and they will fancy their chances of another three points at Forest Green, who have slipped back to bottom. Bromley's 2-0 home defeat by York in the National League was one of the shocks of last weekend. I believe they'll recover quickly at relegation-threatened Dorking. Dunfermline, seemingly on an upward curve in the Scottish Championship, are recommended at Arbroath, who look doomed to relegation, while Falkirk, miles clear at the top of Scottish League One, will surely prevail at Montrose.

Homes sweet homes: Gateshead's 3-2 comeback victory at Altrincham last Saturday and their 7-1 midweek rout of Hartlepool in the National League will put them in the mood for the visit of Rochdale, who are struggling to catch them. Woking, in the same division, are pulling further away from the drop zone and are worth backing against Eastleigh, who concede too many goals. Finally, mid-table East Fife appear to be going the right way in Scottish League Two and are recommended against Elgin. 

Pools info: Three of my five best draws were correct last weekend: Aldershot v Solihull Moors, Dagenham & Redbridge v Oldham and Eastleigh v Hartlepool. 

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

 Ten draws: Stockport v MK Dons, Tranmere v Crawley, Morton v Dunfermline, Aldershot v Solihull Moors, Altrincham v Gateshead, Dagenham & Redbridge v Oldham, Eastleigh v Hartlepool, England v Brazil, Colorado Rapids v Houston Dynamo, Kansas City v LA Galaxy.

Best draws: Stockport v MK Dons, Aldershot v Solihull Moors, Dagenham & Redbridge v Oldham, Eastleigh v Hartlepool, England v Brazil.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Stevenage, Derby, Wrexham, Partick, Hamilton, Belgium.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Burton, Crewe, Mansfield, Sutton, Dundee United, Falkirk, Dumbarton, Barnet, Chesterfield, France.

Pick of the draws: Not so long ago, Stockport looked certain to gain automatic promotion from League Two. However, they have faded and on Saturday face tricky opponents in MK Dons, who are only a point behind them, having defeated Crewe 3-1 at home last weekend. Solihull Moors, fourth in the National League, have won 10 away games this season, so shouldn't be too inconvenienced by a trip to Aldershot, who are also in the promotion frame. Mid-table Dagenham & Redbridge are the only National League side not to have drawn at home this season but that may not last beyond Saturday when they play Oldham, who are 10 points better off. Eastleigh, beaten 4-1 at home by Rochdale last Saturday, are conceding too many goals, something that Hartlepool, their better-placed opponents, have no doubt noticed. Although England are in good shape preparing for this summer's European Championship finals, they have a poor record against five-times World Cup winners Brazil, whom they meet in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday, and will be hard-pushed to win.

Away days: Stevenage's home form is letting them down in League One and they are a better bet away. It will be a shock if they don't return from bottom team Carlisle with three points. Nobody in League One has won more away matches than second-placed Derby, who have 12 to their credit. They have a good chance of making it 13 at Northampton. Wrexham's 1-0 home defeat by Tranmere in League Two was an unexpected blow to their promotion hopes but I believe they'll hit straight back at Grimsby, who are not completely clear of the drop zone. Partick, third in the Scottish Championship, are a confident selection at Arbroath, who are rock bottom. Hamilton, second in Scottish League One, ought to take their match at Cove Rangers in their stride and highly ranked Belgium should make their quality count against the Republic of Ireland. 

Homes sweet homes: Crewe and Wimbledon, both in the League Two promotion reckoning, meet on Saturday. Both had disappointing results last weekend -  Crewe losing 3-1 at MK Dons and Wimbledon going down 2-0 at home to Newport. I think Crewe will recover more quickly and make home advantage pay. Sutton, although last in League Two, are still alive and kicking after winning 1-0 at Forest Green, who are also threatened by relegation. Sutton are worth a punt against Accrington, who have recently parted with John Coleman, their long-serving manager. Dumbarton, surprising 6-2 winners at Spartans in Scottish League Two last Saturday, are recommended against Bonnyrigg Rose. 

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

 Ten draws: Burnley v Brentford, West Ham v Aston Villa, Stoke v Norwich, Derby v Bolton, Peterborough v Portsmouth, Stevenage v Leyton Orient, Accrington v Notts County, Colchester v Walsall, Swindon v Doncaster, Motherwell v Aberdeen.

Best draws: West Ham v Aston Villa, Stoke v Norwich, Derby v Bolton, Stevenage v Leyton Orient, Accrington v Notts County.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Liverpool, Tottenham, Cardiff, Blackpool, Alloa, Falkirk.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Manchester City, Luton, Birmingham, Ipswich, West Brom, Lincoln, Barrow, Forest Green, Airdrieonians, Bromley.

Pick of the draws: I wonder how Aston Villa will be affected by their 4-0 home defeat against Tottenham in the Premier League last Sunday. They have stumbled lately and West Ham, who are impressive when the mood takes them, can take advantage of that on Sunday. Stoke's fine 2-1 win at Preston last weekend lifted them out of the bottom three in the Championship and should put them in good heart for the visit of an improved Norwich, who are in the play-off places. Derby and Bolton, second and third respectively in League One, face each other after midweek victories and I'm tipping them to cancel each other out. Stevenage and Leyton Orient were scoreless last Saturday and I won't be surprised if this one ends in dull deadlock. Accrington v Notts County is a League Two clash between out-of-form sides and I wouldn't put money on either of them winning.

Away days: Liverpool, unlucky not to beat Manchester City in the league match at Anfield last Sunday, look too strong for Manchester United in their FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford. If Tottenham, closing in on a Champions League spot, can beat Aston Villa 4-0 away, then they must have a great chance of coming away from Fulham with maximum points. Cardiff, who defeated high-flying Ipswich at home with two injury-time goals last weekend, are in a winning groove in the Championship and I fancy them to prevail at Swansea. Blackpool crept nearer the League One play-off positions by beating Northampton 1-0 away in midweek and I'm taking them to win again at Wigan. Alloa, in Scottish League One, look an away banker at rock bottom Edinburgh and it's also impossible to ignore runaway leaders Falkirk, who visit lowly Queen of the South.

Homes sweet homes: Of the three teams in the Premier League relegation places, Luton look the most likely to escape. They are showing great spirit, even in defeat, and I reckon that will carry them through against struggling Nottingham Forest, who are just above them. Birmingham desperately need points to avoid dropping into the Championship relegation zone and I believe they'll get them against ailing Watford, who have sacked their manager. Forest Green, with consecutive wins behind them (2-0, home to Walsall and 2-0, away to Bradford City), are finally out of the League Two drop zone and they aim to celebrate by defeating Sutton, who are bottom.

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

Ten draws: Aston Villa v Tottenham, Liverpool v Manchester City, Wolves v Fulham, Bristol City v Swansea, Millwall v Birmingham, Preston v Stoke, Bristol Rovers v Derby, Port Vale v Shrewsbury, Wigan v Leyton Orient, Harrogate v Crawley.

Best draws: Aston Villa v Tottenham, Liverpool v Manchester City, Wolves v Fulham, Bristol Rovers v Derby, Port Vale v Shrewsbury.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Leicester, Peterborough, Bolton, Crewe, Walsall, Rangers.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Arsenal, Bournemouth, West Ham, Blackburn, Norwich, Queens Park Rangers, Barnsley, Charlton, Stockport, Sutton.

Pick of the draws: Aston Villa, fourth in the Premier League, haven't been as convincing at home in 2024 and Tottenham, who lie fifth, have a decent chance of coming away with a point. With Liverpool v Manchester City on Sunday, some will probably accuse me of taking the coward's way out by going for a draw. However, I genuinely believe this will be one of the few occasions in the season that neither leaders Liverpool, nor second-placed Man City win at the weekend. Fulham's last two league results have been excellent - a 2-1 win at Manchester United and a 3-0 home victory over Brighton - and they won't have an inferiority complex at Wolves. Bristol Rovers, of League One, are up and down like a yo-yo and their sheer unpredictability makes me feel that they can hinder Derby's promotion chances.  Port Vale and Shrewsbury, who play each other, are badly off colour and both could drop down to League Two. 

Away days: Championship leaders Leicester emerged from their dodgy spell with a 1-0 midweek win at Sunderland. It won't surprise me if they mete out similar punishment when they visit play-off contenders Hull. League One promotion hopefuls Peterborough are back in the groove, thanks to home victories over Exeter (2-1, Saturday) and Northampton (5-1, midweek) and will travel to Burton with confidence. Promotion-hunting Bolton fought back from 2-0 down at Barnsley to force a 2-2 midweek draw and must be fancied at Exeter. Crewe's 3-2 home defeat by Morecambe last Saturday was unexpected and I'm backing the League Two high-flyers to respond positively at Doncaster. Fast-climbers Walsall should inflict Forest Green's 12th home defeat of the season while Rangers, the Scottish Premiership leaders, are my tip to reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals by defeating Hibernian on Sunday. 

Homes sweet homes: The scrap to avoid relegation from the Championship becomes more tense every week. I'm taking Blackburn, one of at least eight sides in danger, to gain their first win since John Eustace was appointed manager when they host Plymouth. Queens Park Rangers are another team in peril but their victory at Leicester last Saturday was fully merited and they are worth backing against Middlesbrough, who seem to have lost their way again. Sutton, although bottom of League Two, have shown they won't go down without a fight. They won 4-3 at Notts County and only lost to a late goal at Tranmere last Saturday.  I think they will beat struggling Grimsby.

Betting info: I scored six out of six with my away selections last Saturday: Aston Villa, Liverpool, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool and Mansfield.