Vital Hartlepool’s Weekend Wonders #1

Welcome to the first edition of Weekend Wonders, the new tips column on Vital Hartlepool. The long wait is over; the season is finally here after an agonising wait that seemed much longer than two months.

Throughout the season I will be giving my advice and opinions on dead certs and outside shots on English and Scottish football fixtures for the weekend.

The fact I’m not a millionaire right now suggests I don’t get predictions right all the time and the first few weeks are extra tricky as teams seem to be unpredictable with no basis of form to compare them with.

Before we get to the first weeks action I would like to explain the categories that I will use to certify my recommendations.

CERT – A cert is self explanatory, the outcome is pretty much a no-brainer. If it doesn’t come in you don’t want to get angry with me but question the ref that has been obviously bought and has thrown the game.

MID – A mid is a mid-range chance, the team I recommend should pick up the victory but a different result is not out of the question and would come as no shock.

OUT – An out is an outside bet. A result that does not seem to be likely or quite simply the odds are against the team I recommend but they have a chance of doing some damage to the insurmountable favourite. This can also be placed on a recommendation that is too close to call but is worth a bet anyway, this is more likely when there is nothing else to bet on but a particular match i.e. FA Cup Final.

Championship

Cardiff City vs Scunthorpe United: Cardiff City at 4/6
The first match that stands out for me is Cardiff v Scunthorpe, the Welsh side were quite dominant at home last season and I look for them to continue this trend and put newly promoted Scunthorpe to the sword. There could be some goals in this one, especially if Cardiff haven’t accounted for the loss of Roger Johnson. CERT

QPR vs Blackpool: QPR at 4/6
QPR at home to Blackpool should also end up in a home win despite Blackpool being more comfortable on the road last season. I have tipped Blackpool to struggle this year and cannot see them picking up any points away to a team in QPR that have a point to prove from the off. MID

West Bromwich Albion vs Newcastle United: WBA at 11/10
Arguably the biggest game of the weekend is the battle of two sides relegated last season in West Brom hosting Newcastle. With the Magpies struggling in every sense of the word a trip to the Hawthorns will pose a tricky tie, one which I don’t think they will succeed.

West Brom have excelled at this level in past years and under new manager Roberto Di Matteo they should register their first three points of the season. Depending on which Newcastle team turn up this could also be a draw but I cannot see a Mags win as they look too blunt up front to trouble West Brom. MID

League One

Leeds United vs Exeter City: Leeds United at 2/5
Exeter City start life in League One at Elland Road in what should prove to be a baptism of fire for the Devonshire side. I cannot see anything but a home win for Leeds. Welcome to League One Paul Tisdale. CERT

Oldham Athletic vs Stockport County: Oldham Athletic at 4/6
New Oldham boss Dave Penney’s first league game in charge at Boundary Park is against a ravaged Stockport side that have suffered through the rigors of administration over the pre-season period.

The Latics should get the season going with three points but will need to make sure their shooting boots are on as Owain Fon Williams in the Stockport goal could play the party pooper to dampen Dave Penney`s first game in charge. MID

MK Dons vs Hartlepool United: MK Dons at 4/7
The MK Dons attempt to achieve promotion to the Championship again this season and face Hartlepool at home in their first game. Paul Ince`s men should start the season in the right trend and register the win against Pools, who have not fared well away from home for the past few seasons and unless Chris Turner`s men can buck a two year old trend three points will be on their way to Stadium:mk. CERT

League Two

Aldershot Town vs Darlington: Aldershot Town at 6/5
Aldershot start at home against a Darlington side that has changed drastically after the reality of administration, Darlo have not fared well in most of their pre-season games and are still in the process of becoming a cohesive unit and may lose at the hands of the Shots. Darlington will need to rely on Dean Windass and Lee Thorpe to outscore their opponents as the Darlo defence is questionable to say the least. MID

Bury vs Bournemouth: Bury at Evens
This is a tight game to call as both teams have the potential to be challenging for the top seven places in this division. Evens are generous odds for Bury to win at home and is worth a punt. MID

Northampton vs Macclesfield Town: Northampton at 4/6
Northampton, one of the promotion favourites start at home to Macclesfield who are sure to struggle once again this season, three points should be assured for the home team at Sixfields as well as a clean sheet. CERT

Rotherham vs Accrington Stanley: Rotherham at 8/15
Rotherham play cash strapped Accrington at the Don Valley Stadium; promotion is in the Millers sights this term and will be looking for the best possible start. CERT

Blue Square Premier

Wrexham vs Eastbourne Borough: Wrexham at 8/13
Dean Saunders takes charge of the Dragons for his first full season as a manger; the Welsh team are expected to make a stronger challenge for promotion than last year especially as their strike force looks formidable at this level. Three points Wrexham. MID

Kidderminster vs Hayes and Yeading: Kidderminster at 4/7
New boys Hayes and Yeading have to start their BSP campaign at Aggborough, where last season Kidderminster had the joint best record in the league with 16 wins, expect that trend to continue. CERT

Stevenage Borough vs Tamworth: Stevenage Borough at 4/7
Expect a similar result to the above prediction; Stevenage should have enough quality to dampen the return to the BSP of Tamworth FC. MID

Rushden and Diamonds vs Salisbury: Rushden at 4/6
Rushden have strengthened well over the summer and will look to mount a serious playoff place challenge this term. Their opponents Salisbury are struggling with financial issues and left it late to secure some signings into the squad despite this the team still looks too light to pose a survival challenge. Rushden should have the upper hand and send their fans home happy on the opening day. CERT

Scottish Round-up
Stirling Albion vs Stenhousemuir: Stirling at 8/11 MID
Montrose vs Elgin City: Montrose at 8/15 CERT
Queens Park vs Forfar Athletic: Queens Park at 13/8 MID

Moscrof’s Choice

This week the bets I will be placing are as follows:

Treble: Leeds, Northampton, Rotherham

Treble: Cardiff, MK Dons, QPR

5 Fold Accumulator: Leeds, Northampton, Cardiff, Rotherham, MK Dons

Moscrof v Prodical

Each week I go head to head with Vital Hartlepool user prodicalpoolie in predicting the results of 5 randomly chosen matches. Across the season we’ll see who’s the best predictor. Here’s this weeks predictions;

Derby 2-1 Peterborough
Leicester 1-1 Swansea
Yeovil 0-1 Tranmere
Notts County 0-0 Bradford
AFC Wimbledon 0-3 Luton
– Moscrof

Derby 3-1 Peterborough
Leicester 2-1 Swansea
Yeovil 1-2 Tranmere
Notts County 2-0 Bradford
AFC Wimbledon 0-3 Luton
– prodicalpoolie

You can have your say in our forum or in the article comments below if you disagree with anything or want to add some tips of your own.

Thank you for reading the first edition and I hope we all get some good luck on Saturday so that we can start the season in the right mood. Until next week, enjoy the action.

Moscrof

Remember there’s still time to enter our new prediction league. To enter you need to log into the Vital Hartlepool Prediction League section of our forums and simply post what you think the score and the first scorer for Pools this weekend will be.

If you don’t have an account it’s simple to sign up for one. Just click the link below and follow the simple instructions and it takes a matter of seconds.