Pools tips and best football bets for weekend of March 1-2

Ten draws: Newcastle v Brighton, Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield United, Stoke v Watford, Burton v Mansfield, Exeter v Northampton, Leyton Orient v Charlton, Wrexham v Bolton, Chesterfield v Crewe, Harrogate v Accrington, Alloa v Cove Rangers.

Five best draws: Newcastle v Brighton, Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield United, Burton v Mansfield, Leyton Orient v Charlton, Wrexham v Bolton.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Burnley, Portsmouth, Coventry, Port Vale, Celtic, Stenhousemuir. Ten homes: Aston Villa (Friday), Manchester City, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Doncaster, Walsall, Rangers, Arbroath, Forest Green, Gateshead.

Pick of the draws: Brighton's improvement has been so rapid that it suggests that they can at least take their FA Cup fifth-round tie at Newcastle on Sunday to extra time. Newcastle tend to blow hot and cold. They were outstanding in the first half against Nottingham Forest last weekend but nearly relinquished their 4-1 interval lead by the end. Sheffield United, second in the Championship, may not have fully recovered from their 3-1 home defeat by Leeds on Monday and mid-table Queens Park Rangers are quite capable of taking a point. Burton have recently looked the most impressive of the four League One relegation candidates and the odds on them getting something off Mansfield have gone down. Leyton Orient shouldn't be fazed by consecutive away defeats at Bolton (2-1) and Birmingham (2-0), despite Charlton, who are just below them, joining them on 53 points. Wrexham need maximum points to put more pressure on second-placed Wycombe but may not get them against Bolton, who are close to a play-off place. 

Away days: Burnley, having conceded only nine Championship goals all season, travel to Preston for an FA Cup fifth-round encounter on Saturday. They must be very confident, particularly as their forwards have also begun to click. Portsmouth are another Championship side on the upgrade and are a confident selection at bottom team Luton, who look dispirited and forlorn. Frank Lampard's Coventry, one place off the Championship play-offs, ought to prevail at Oxford, who need some shooting practice. It's hard to ignore the claims of Port Vale, sixth in League Two, at Tranmere, who are lurching from crisis to crisis.  Celtic, the runaway Scottish Premiership leaders, put five past Aberdeen in midweek, so don't be surprised if they are as convincing at St Mirren. Stenhousemuir, second in Scottish League One, must be fancied at rock bottom Dumbarton.

Homes sweet homes: Middlesbrough ended their dismal losing run with a 3-1 midweek victory at Stoke in the Championship. Derby, Boro's visitors on Saturday, are in an even worse state than Stoke, so put your money on the hosts. Barry Ferguson's interim appointment as Rangers manager should lift the mood at Ibrox and I expect them to beat Motherwell on Saturday. Promotion-seeking Forest Green, of the National League, have had a few setbacks at home recently but I believe they will stop the rot against Maidenhead, who are in the relegation zone. 

 

Pools tips and best football bets for weekend of February 22-23

 Ten draws: Newcastle v Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth v Queens Park Rangers, Bolton v Leyton Orient, Mansfield v Wrexham, Northampton v Bristol Rovers, Rotherham v Barnsley, Colchester v Wimbledon, Newport v Cheltenham, Port Vale v Salford, Ayr v Livingston. 

Five best draws: Portsmouth v Queens Park Rangers, Bolton v Leyton Orient, Colchester v Wimbledon, Newport v Cheltenham, Ayr v Livingston.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Brighton, Blackburn, Stockport, Doncaster, Gillingham, Edinburgh. Ten homes: Arsenal, Bournemouth, Manchester City, Sunderland, Blackpool, Wycombe, Notts County, Swindon, Ross, Altrincham. 

Pick of the draws: Two consecutive Championship wins have moved Portsmouth away from the relegation zone but they may struggle to gain a third against QPR, who have recovered from a terrible start to the season to climb to mid-table. In League One, nothing seems beyond sixth-placed Leyton Orient at the moment, as shown when they won 2-1 at Wrexham in midweek. However, Bolton, who lie eighth, may provide sterner opposition. If any team can halt Wimbledon's steady progress in League Two it's on-form Colchester, who have now moved into the top half of the table. Colchester were further encouraged by their 1-1 midweek draw at promotion-seeking Notts County. Newport's four-match unbeaten run was ended by 10-man Bradford City last weekend. The Welsh club could also be denied by Cheltenham, who fought back from 2-0 down to beat Barrow 3-2 at home last Saturday. I have a feeling that Ayr, second in the Scottish Championship, won't have things all their own way against Livingston, who are third.

Away days: It will be a major upset if Brighton, convincing 3-0 home winners over Chelsea last Friday, don't collect another three Premier League points at Southampton, who have yet to reach double figures. Blackburn, in the Championship play-off positions, are thriving without a permanent manager and I fancy they will return from Swansea with maximum points. In League One, Stockport, aiming for successive promotions, will travel to bottom side Cambridge with confidence. High-flying Doncaster returned to winning ways in League Two with a 1-0 midweek success at second-from-bottom Morecambe and I expect them to come away from lowly Accrington with three points. Gillingham have a great opportunity to arrest their alarming slump at Carlisle, who are last. Edinburgh, who thrashed Spartans 5-0 at home in Scottish League Two last Saturday, shouldn't be fazed by a trip to Elgin, who lost 1-0 at Stranraer.

Homes sweet homes: Manchester City defied the growing number of doubters with a comfortable 4-0 home victory over Newcastle last Saturday. That should put them in the right frame of mind to face Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Swindon slipped up at Harrogate in League Two last Saturday but their form this year has been outstanding, which is more than I can say for Chesterfield, their higher-placed opponents. Ross, surprising 3-0 victors at Motherwell in the Scottish Championship last weekend, ought to see off Dundee, who are one place below them.

Betting info: I scored five out of six away wins last weekend with Arsenal, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Wrexham and York. 

Pools tips and best football bets for weekend of February 15-16

 Ten draws: Manchester City v Newcastle, Tottenham v Manchester United, West Ham v Brentford, Blackburn v Plymouth, Millwall v West Bromwich, Stoke v Swansea, Barnsley v Huddersfield, Crawley v Wycombe, Newport v Bradford City, Dundee v Aberdeen.

Best five draws: Manchester City v Newcastle, West Ham v Brentford, Barnsley v Huddersfield, Crawley v Wycombe, Newport v Bradford City.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Arsenal, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Wrexham, Swindon, York. Ten homes: Aston Villa, Cardiff, Hull, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Leyton Orient, Reading, East Fife, Peterhead, Barnet.

Pick of the draws: Manchester City are much more vulnerable than they used to be and Newcastle, their visitors, are thinking positively right now. Don't be surprised if the League Cup finalists pick up a point or better. Graham Potter has yet to make an impact as manager at West Ham and mid-table Brentford will be doing all they can to frustrate him again. Barnsley and Huddersfield are faltering in their attempts to be promoted from League One and this fixture looks a probable stalemate. Crawley, 3-1 home winners over Stevenage in midweek, have not given up hope of escaping relegation and could deny second-placed Wycombe, who may be fading. Newport, with four League Two wins in a row, entertain Bradford City, who have also hit form and moved into the automatic promotion places. 

Away days: With Arsenal's injuries piling up, their Premier League fixture at relegation-fearing Leicester looks harder than it did a few weeks ago. However, I believe their short break in Dubai will benefit them, just as it did last season, and they will strengthen their hold on second place after Saturday's early match. Bournemouth are one of the teams of the season and cannot be ignored at Southampton, who are virtually doomed to drop. Portsmouth are playing better than their lowly Championship position indicates. They were very unlucky to lose at Sheffield United last weekend and I've a feeling they will take it out on Oxford. Wrexham, third in League One, should have enough in the tank to beat Northampton and Swindon, improving by the week, cannot be discounted at Harrogate in League Two. High-flying York, of the National League, look an away banker at rock bottom Ebbsfleet.

Homes sweet homes: Struggling Cardiff gave a gutsy display to knock Stoke out of the FA Cup last Saturday. A repeat of that spirit will see them defeat Bristol City in the Championship. Hull, like Cardiff, are among the Championship also-rans but they are worth backing against Norwich, who seem capable of losing to anybody. Middlesbrough, although inconsistent, are in better nick than their visitors Watford, who crashed 4-0 at home to Leeds in midweek and continue to slide down the Championship table.

Pools tips and best football bets for weekend of February 8-9

 Ten draws: Brighton v Chelsea, Everton v Bournemouth, Preston v Wycombe, Charlton v Stevenage, Huddersfield v Reading, Barrow v Gillingham, Colchester v Walsall, Fleetwood v Cheltenham, Swindon v Port Vale, Clyde v Stranraer.

Five best draws: Everton v Bournemouth, Preston v Wycombe, Charlton v Stevenage, Colchester v Walsall, Swindon v Port Vale.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Newcastle, Wolves, Fulham, Wimbledon, Southend, Gateshead. Ten homes: Leeds, Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland, Bolton, Stockport, Bradford City, Crewe, MK Dons, Notts County. 

Pick of the draws: Everton have been transformed since the return of David Moyes as manager and can take their FA Cup fourth-round tie against Bournemouth into extra time. Bournemouth are no slouches themselves, as they have shown against Newcastle (won 4-1 away) and Nottingham Forest (won 5-0 at home) recently. In the same competition, Wycombe, League One promotion contenders, won't be fazed by a trip to Preston, Championship draw specialists. Stevenage, with three successive League One victories behind them, will be aiming for at least a point at Charlton. League Two leaders Walsall have stumbled lately, unlike their hosts Colchester, who have run into form and are climbing the table. Swindon's outstanding 5-1 win at Carlisle last Saturday has put them in the mood to play Port Vale, who fill one of the play-off places. 

Away days: League Cup finalists Newcastle, seeking their first FA Cup triumph since 1955, should see off the challenge of League One leaders Birmingham. Because they are not involved in a desperate scramble for points this weekend, Wolves ought to be able to relax a bit more and I'm taking them to end Blackburn's interest in the FA Cup. Fulham have been good travellers this season, which should serve them well when they visit Wigan, of League One, on Saturday. Wimbledon, among the favourites to gain promotion from League Two, are recommended at lowly Accrington. In the National League, Southend are worth backing at relegation-threatened Maidenhead, who were lucky to lose only 3-0 at Barnet two weeks ago. I fancy high-fliers Gateshead to collect all three points at struggling Wealdstone.

Homes sweet homes: Southampton, rock bottom of the Premier League, badly need an FA Cup run to improve morale and they have a chance to go further in the competition when they host Burnley, whose priority is promotion from the Championship. It may take a while for Cardiff to forget the 7-0 battering they received at Leeds in the Championship last weekend. That's one reason why I believe Stoke, 2-1 winners at Hull last Saturday, will beat them and book their place in the fifth round. Stockport, fourth in League One and convincing 1-0 victors at Leyton Orient last Saturday, have regained their balance after a few falls and I'm confident they will cope with fast-fading Barnsley. 

Pools info: Mansfield v Northampton (No.23 on coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void. A void match is worth two points.