Johnmccain

December was very much a month of 2 halves. From the start until the 12th I had 12/18 winners. From the 15th until the end I have had just 4/21 winners. Still most of the losers have just been 1pt selections so there was little damage done to the great profits from the first half and I was still 36pts up on the month from 61.5 staked.
The yearly total stands at 197pts staked and 155pts profit.

Not been a great Festive period, but hopefully we can start the new year off to a winning start with these 6.
Weymouth v Eastleigh
Eastleigh have stopped scoring goals and although they had some good chances on Boxing Day in the reverse fixture they couldn't break the deadlock. Their game against Woking on the box wasn't overly exciting and again ended 0-0. Weymouth came out the wrong side of a 7 goal thriller on Monday against Torquay, but it was certainly a big step in the right direction following from the Eastleigh draw and a win in the FA Trophy against Maidenhead. 5/2 is too big a price for me on a home win.
Woking v Aldershot
I am going to go with Aldershot again. I did wonder if after winning the big derby game on Boxing Day might have an effect against Yeovil and it clearly did. Back to playing Woking again and I am expecting a better performance and the 5/2 should be around 7/4 for me.
Yeovil v Torquay
Yeovil were shocking in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day especially in defence and obviously they have won since as mentioned above. Torquay though will fancy their chances and even though they had to work hard to beat Weymouth they are a better team than Yeovil. I think they should be odds on so am happy to take odds against.
Hampton & Richmond v Dorking
I must admit I thought I got a bit lucky with Dulwich on Monday as Hampton going down to 10 really helped them. Hampton gave it their all in the 2nd half as well and missed a penalty. They deserved a point, but it did continue their poor home form and Dorking did everything but score against them on Boxing Day. I'm surprised Dorking aren't favourites as I think they will get revenge for the Boxing Day defeat.
AFC Fylde v Chorley
The home side are not in good form going into this. They have only one once in 6 league games and lost 3-1 in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day which Chorley deservedly won. Chorley obviously have a big FA Cup tie to look forward to and when I put them up to beat Peterborough I mentioned they were in a false position which they have been proving in the league. They haven't lost in 9 league games and have won 4 of their last 5. They look value to win this.
Kidderminster v Hereford
Granted Hereford were helped by a sending off on Boxing Day, but they still came from a goal down and Herford have only lost once in their last 6 league games now. They also beat Fylde in their previous league game. Kiddie are top of the last 10 form table, but they have lost 2 of their last 3 in the league and Hereford look over priced at 3/1.
Weymouth 1pt @ 5/2 with Bet365
Aldershot 1pt @ 5/2 with Bet365
Torquay 2pts @ 23/20 with BetVictor
Dorking 2pts @ 17/10 with Betfred
Chorley 1pt @ 2/1 with William Hill
Hereford 1pt @ 3/1 with Bet365

A profit on Boxing Day with Dagenham winning. I have 7 bets for Monday and will be brief.
Halifax v Altrincham
Don't think there is much between these two sides at all with both in decent form at the moment and there is certainly value in the away team at 3/1 with BetVictor.
Notts County v Hartlepool
The home side are well rested having not played on Boxing Day and also resting players in their FA Trophy game. They looked good against Stockport in their last league game and they have the edge on Hartlepool.
Stockport v Wrexham
Like Notts County, Wrexham had the Saturday off and rested players in their FA Trophy game. Meanwhile Stockport had a league game last Tuesday which they lost 4-0 and ended up with 9 men. They then could only draw at Altrincham on Saturday. I think 11/4 about the away side is big with Stockport not at the top of their game at the moment.
Yeovil v Aldershot
Just don't get the price of Aldershot here. Yeovil's only win in the league came at Bromley earlier in the month, but I watched that game and Bromley were awful. They lost 6-1 on Saturday at Torquay and granted Aldershot are far from being as good as Torquay, but they did well in beating Woking 3-0 on Saturday. My one concern is that being a big local derby they might take their eye of ball for this game, but I would have them as favourites so 5/2 is huge.
Bath City v Hungerford
There are only 3 games in the National League South and I am having a bet in them all. Bath are improving, but Hungerford are still doing well enough themselves and had Saturday off unlike Bath who could only draw against Chippenham despite having a man advantage for most of the game.
Billericay v Braintree
These two played this tie in the FA Trophy recently and despite having to make changes as they had cup tied players Braintree still managed to get through on penalties and then pushed Havant close in the next round. Braintree are much improved since changing their manager and have strengthened well. Those cup tied players will be back here and they look a big price.
Hampton & Richmond v Dulwich Hamlet
Hampton beat Dorking on Saturday mainly thanks to their goalkeeper, but their home form isn't much to write about having lost 3 and only beating Bath in 5 home league matches. Dulwich have performed better away from home and didn't have to play on Saturday and they look value.
Altrincham 1pt @ 3/1 with BetVictor
Notts County 2pts @ 6/5 with William Hill
Wrexham 1pt @ 11/4 with Bet365
Aldershot 2pts @ 5/2 with Bet365
Hungerford 1pt @ 6/4 with Bet365
Braintree 2pts @ 13/5 with BetVictor
Dulwich Hamlet 1pt @ 12/5 with BetVictor

The run will end at some point I am sure, but another fantastic day on Saturday which means the profit currently stands at 147.24 points for the season which quite frankly is staggering really. This week we have an FA Trophy double header with the Step 2 sides coming in on Tuesday and the Step 1 sides coming in on Saturday. I am taking 4 possible upsets on Tuesday night in the Trophy and 1 bet in the 4 games taking place in the National League.
Solihull v Halifax
Halifax were struggle for goals and then they played Barnet and Weymouth and scored 5 past both of them. They added to that tally of 10 by adding 3 last Tuesday against Aldershot and now they are scoring goals they can be backed to beat an under performing Solihull. Granted they did beat Hartlepool in their 1st game after their FA Cup defeat, but they weren't great and their rivals did have a man sent off to help. They then lost 4-1 to Sutton and were poor on the TV on Saturday to Bromley. I would have Halifax around the 2/1 mark
Blyth Spartans v Morpeth
Blyth are looking doomed to relegation already and in a normal season they would already be playing Morpeth in a league game. Now I am taking a chance in backing 4 Step 3 and 4 sides given they haven't played any league games since the start of the 2nd lockdown, but I do think that is factored into the prices of the selections. Morpeth would likely have made the play-offs and they are better than their current league position. Being a local derby they will be bang up for this and Blyth are there for the taking.
Bracknell v Havant & Waterlooville
The Havant manager has already said he will be resting players tonight and that gives a strong Bracknell side for their level a chance to beat Havant tonight. They have only played 5 games, but have won 4 and drawn the other. They had a good win last Tuesday against Salisbury and as I saw they have a chance of winning this with Havant resting players.
Concord Rangers v Truro City (now on Saturday)
This would likely have been a league game if the season had have been completed last season and Truro are looking strong again this time around. Concord are still to play last seasons final and it would be an odd quirk if they got to the final of this year's competition as I can't see it happening before we know this season's finalists. This is a tricky tie for them though. They have only won twice in their last 10 league games and I think Truro have the better side.
Marine v Southport
Happy to back Marine again here as Southport have been really struggling for form. They have only picked up a point in their last 4 games and that was to an Alfreton side who are doing even worse than they have. One win in 8 for Southport and we know Marine are a good side who can beat better teams than Southport from this level. As I mentioned ahead of their game on Saturday they have had the advantage of playing in the FA Cup and being able to train during lockdown.
Halifax 1pt @ 100/30 with William Hill
Morpeth 1pt @ 29/10 with Betfair
Bracknell 1pt @ 11/2 with Betfred
Truro 1pt @ 3/1 with Bet365 and Betfred
Marine 1pt @ 4/1 with Bet365 & Betfred

I considered Braintree but Billericay have done themselves a massive favour by sacking their manager and that put me off backing them.

A cracking Tuesday with 4 winners out of 5 helped by a late winner from Torquay. Been waiting for the National League fixtures to be priced up which for some reason took until Thursday afternoon. I have just the 3 bets for Saturday, but they are all outsiders (at the time of writing).
Barnet v Wealdstone
Barnet performed with credit against MK Dons in the FA Cup last week, but their awful league form showed up again on Wednesday night when they were thumped 5-2 by Halifax. Prior to that game Halifax had only scored 6 goals in the league! Barnet's defence has been an issue all season and they have conceded 24 in their 10 league games. We know that Wealdstone can score goals against the right opposition and Barnet are clearly the right opposition. They performed with credit against leaders Torquay on Tuesday night, but eventually Torquay got that late winner for us. Barnet's 2 league wins have come against Weymouth and Dagenham who are either side of them in the table. The away side may have only picked up 1 point in their last 4 games, but given they have played 4 of the current top 6 in the table I think 1 point was probably as much as they could have hoped for. There is no way they should be 9/4 to win this and I would have them no bigger than 6/4 myself.
Hartlepool v Boreham Wood
Boreham Wood are definitely better than their league position suggests and they had a nice confidence boosting win against Canvey Island in the FA Cup on Monday night. In my view they have a better side than Hartlepool. the home side have only won one of their last 7 games and that was against bottom side Yeovil. They also were held to a 0-0 draw at Barnet in their next game. Granted on Tuesday night they ended up with 10 men against Solihull, but they were playing a side who had played 120 minutes on Saturday in their first game for a while. They look lacklustre up front at the moment and apart from the 3-1 at Yeovil they have only scored 1 goal in their last 7. There is every chance 1 will be enough for the away side.
Hungerford v Dulwich Hamlet
I mentioned that Dulwich were improving when I put them up to beat Bath a couple of weeks ago and after going a goal down they ran out easy 4-1 winners. They haven't played since so come into this game fresher than their hosts. To be fair to Hungerford they have done amazingly well to be as high in the table as they are and a draw against St Albans and only going down 2-1 to Dartford after being in front were good efforts as well. Tuesday night it came crashing down a bit though as Oxford City beat them 4-1. Given Oxford had played 120 minutes just two days prior you would have thought Hungerford would have done better. I'd still have them as favourites, but I certainly think their is plenty of juice in Dulwich's price.
Wealdstone 2pts @ 9/4 with Bet365
Boreham Wood 2pts @ 19/10 with Bet365
Dulwich Hamlet 1pt @ 23/10 with Betfair

Got a bet boost to 24/1 on Chorley... criminal!
Great work Darran PL top tipster by far

Nice job Darran! Already excited for next season!

The league said there would be no extra time because of Covid, but the managers weren't happy about it and it didn't make much sense to me given teams could use 5 subs. I thought Dartford edged it and might have nicked it in extra time. Those pens were 3 of the worse pens you will ever see and I can't remember seeing a team miss their first 3 before. Notts County defended as well as Dartford took pens, but Harrogate seemed to want it more and they certainly ran out deserving winners. Given they were in with a chance of catching Barrow as well the right team went up really although County's players will be frustrated they blew it.
A frustrating end to what was a profitable set of matches. Who knows when the new season will start as I am not sure the October 3rd for the National League and mid September for Steps 3 will actually happen, but we shall see. Thanks everyone for reading the previews and it was another solid profitable season on the match betting. Ante-post wasn't so good although we ended up with most of that back anyway. I will be back with an ante-post preview when the time arrives.

Usually I would have been posting my ante-post preview this week, but instead we have the 3 play-off finals to look forward to. Annoyingly York were knocked out against Altrincham last week, but they just weren't clinical enough in front of goal. We are in a good shape though with the other 2 divisions. I thought Notts County looked good last week and had few worries in beating Barnet 2-0. Obviously those on at 5/2 don't need to go in again, but if you haven't already played I do think the 2/1 that William Hill is too big. I don't really understand why Harrogate are as strong favourites as they are. They dominated the first half against Boreham Wood last week although in the end it was a pretty scrappy goal in the 2nd half which won the game for them. Jack Diamond in particular was very good and County will have to keep him quiet, but I think they can as they are strong defensively. I have said all along that County's big plus is the fact they score plenty of goals from long range and I really think that is key in a game which is likely to be fairly tight. They didn't score from range last week but Callum Roberts used some great skill to score a great goal. I'm looking forward to the game which is live on BT Sport on Sunday at 3pm and hopefully County can do it.
With York out we don't have anything riding on the North final and I am going to keep it that way. There isn't much between Boston and Altrincham at the prices and I don't have a strong view either way. In the South we are in very good shape with Dartford at 12/1 (or 9/1 if you couldn't get on with Betway) and although it went through my mind to cover Weymouth I am not going to. Weymouth had a good bit of fortune in seeing off Dorking on Saturday given the penalty they got in the first minute shouldn't have been given as the foul was outside the box and then the winner in injury time was a goal the scorer knew little about as the ball just bounced off him. To be fair Dartford had a bit of fortune as well given Havant went down to ten men, but as I said in my preview in that game I did think the play-off winners would come from that match and for me Dartford are the strongest team. Steve King has reached the National League South Play-Off Final 4 times now and has yet to win including last year with Welling, who I had also tipped up. Hopefully he can put that right here and the 2/1 with Bet365 is still worth taking if you haven't backed them already.

5/6 on the play offs so far and we have Dartford and Notts county in the finals next week.

The first weekend of action in the play-offs sees what the National League like to call the eliminators. The National League play-offs will be live on BT Sport whilst the North and South games will be on a pay per view stream should you wish to watch them.
Boreham Wood v Halifax (Friday night 7pm)
A couple of seasons ago Boreham Wood upset the odds by getting to the final of the play-offs and I have a feeling that they might be capable of doing it again. Tonight they announced their 20 man squad for the play-offs and there is plenty to like about it. All the players who played in their last league game feature and they look really strong up front. Luke Garrard has done a hell of job with them this season and they look a good side. Halifax only have 3 strikers coming into the play-offs and losing Devante Rodney was a huge blow to their chances. I think Halifax are probably slightly fortunate to be in the play-offs as well as they were losing their form and they certainly benefited from having an amazing start to the season. I obviously would carry more confidence if it was a normal play-offs, but the 11/10 with William Hill is an attractive price.
Altrincham v Chester (Sunday 1.30pm)
Fair play to the Chester players who are playing for nothing to help the club afford to take part in the play-offs, but I think it could well be for nothing. They have suffered from losing players including their star striker who decided to go to Gloucester City instead! I was hoping that we should see odds against about Altrincham because they looked on paper to be the best bet of the first round of fixtures and low and behold we can get 13/10 with William Hill and as I write no one is odds against. Altrincham ended the season in good form and they have goals in them as well as being pretty solid at the back. On paper they are certainly the stronger team and hopefully they can prove it on the pitch.
Slough v Dartford (Sunday 1.30pm)
Going to have to try and watch two games at the same time as both bets in the Step 2 play-offs frustratingly kick off at the same time. This one is pretty self explanatory given I think Dartford can win promotion. Slough were in pretty awful form when the league stopped and as I mention in my outright preview Dartford have been superb since Steve King took over and are value for more points than they ended with in my view. 12/5 with William Hill is way too big in my view.
Boreham Wood 1pt @ 11/10 with William Hill
Altrincham 2pts @ 13/10 with William Hill
Dartford 1pt @ 12/5 with William Hill 

Sorry only just seen this as not been in this part of the site for a while. Bet365 are yet to refund, but William Hill and BetVictor have.

Ebbsfleet 4.31
Somehow getting crushed by the top side has led to these odds, I guess, and I can't say I understand it These two sides are not as far apart as the odds would suggest, and Fleet's h2h with Maidenhead is dead even, home or away.

Weather could have a say yet again tomorrow so will be brief with these. There are 4 big price singles plus a treble.
Torquay v Halifax
Don't get why Torquay are being so well backed here against a bang in form Halifax side. Unbeaten in 7 in the league, whilst Torquay have only won twice in 10. Torquay have not played since Feburary 1st either so could easily be ring rusty going into this game. Given Halifax are 3rd and looking strong for a play-off place and they are playing Torquay who are only 5 points clear of the relegation zone. 3/1 on away win is a huge price.
Chester v Brackley
Another baffling price change as somehow Brackley are favourites to win at Chester. This is a Chester side who have only lost twice at home all season and won 10 times and beat leaders Kings Lynn on Tuesday. Brackley haven't won in 5 now and when I saw the prices I thought Brackley were at home. Chester at 21/10 is huge and for me the prices are the wrong way round.
Chelmsford v Slough
Taking advantage of another massive drift as Slough are over 2/1 to beat Chelmsford having been as short at 11/10. Chelmsford managed to beat Tonbridge on Monday, but it was a poor game that could have gone either way. They still look a poor side low on confidence to me and Slough are 2nd having lost just twice in their last 10 games. They look a big price as I would have them as favourites.
Salisbury v Hendon
Happy to take a chance on Hendon here as they have won 6 on the bounce now and Salisbury have only managed to beat Dorchester in their last 5 games. Don't think there is much between these sides so 3/1 on an away win is big.
Treble
Basford host Atherton who had to postpone a game in the week because an outbreak of mumps went through the side. Every chance they will be weakened here in what is already a very tough game for them anyway. Royston should beat a Hednesford side who are dropping off big time and in the same division Tamworth should outclass Biggleswade. The treble is 2.7/1 with Marathon.
Halifax 2pts @ 3/1 with Betway
Chester 2.5pts @ 21/10 with Bet365, William Hill and BetVictor
Slough 1pt @ 21/10 with BetVictor
Hendon 1pt @ 3/1 with BetVictor
Basford/Royston/Tamworth 1pt Treble @ 2.7/1 with Marathon

Decent tipping there Darran! Lancaster and Kings Langley solid tips and I scored a double with them. FA trophy tips also solid. Shame Royston couldn't do it in normal time

Saturday was a superb day with 5 of the 7 bets winning including the Nap's Spennymoor and Stratford at a big price as well. Tuesday saw two winners and an injury time goal from Horsham stopped us getting 3/3 in midweek. This Saturday I have 8 bets spread across the leagues and the FA Trophy.
Welling v Slough (National League South)
Happy to go in with Welling again after they did us a turn last weekend against St Albans. This is a tougher game for the home side, but as I mentioned last week I think we will continue to see improved performances from them due to the change in manager. Slough are obviously in the play-off picture, but did lose to Oxford City last week and I give Welling a better chance of making it 4 wins on the bounce than the bookies do.
Hednesford v Kings Langley (BetVictor Southern Premier Central)
Another team to do the business for us in the last week were Kings Langley who came from a goal down to win on Tuesday night. That win continued their great form and they can pick up another 3 points here. I don't think all is right at Hednesford and they have lost their last 3 games and the only wins in their last 10 are against the lesser teams in the division. I nearly opposed them on Tuesday but left Nuneaton alone in the end only for Nuneaton to win 3-0. Kings Langley can go above their hosts with a win here and I would make them favourites to do so.
Buxton v Gainsborough (BetVictor Northern Premier)
Gainsborough were the other team to win for us on Tuesday night and that made it 5 wins on the bounce. We have been on them a few times of late and they are worth backing again here for me. Buxton have only managed 6 wins all season and although they aren't in bad form they are tending to beat the teams around them more than anything else and Trinity are clearly better than a 15th place team at the moment.
Radcliffe v Lancaster (BetVictor Northern Premier)
Radcliffe have picked up just one point in their last 8 games and they have scored 6 goals in their last 10 whilst conceding 23. Lancaster look a good price at odds against to beat them. They are 3rd in the table at the moment and had a good win against Warrington last weekend. They ought to be capable of picking up 3 more points here.
Potters Bar Town v AFC Hornchurch (BetVictor Isthmian Premier)
As I mentioned when I took Potters Bar on a couple of weeks ago they tend to only be capable of beating teams lower in the table than them and struggle against the better teams in the league. Hornchurch are certainly one of those as Folkestone have been the only team to beat them in their last 10 matches. They look full of goals at the moment and have scored 7 in their last 2 matches. Like Lancaster I think they should be odds on to win this.
Aveley v Chelmsford (FA Trophy)
Into the FA Trophy now and I fancy Step 4 Aveley to cause an upset here. I don't think all is well at Chelmsford at the moment with the sacking of Rod Stringer last week and then they were beaten by Dulwich on Saturday. They look vulnerable against an Aveley side who in any other season would be likely title winners having lost just 3 games all season, but they are in the same division as Maldon & Tiptree so they are going to have to try and go up via the play-offs. Maldon are actually the only team to have beaten Aveley in their last 10 league games, but they are clearly better than a Step 4 side. This looks the perfect time to play Chelmsford as well so they are worth a bet.
Barnet v Barrow (FA Trophy)
Barrow suffered their first loss since October on Tuesday night when they went down 2-1 to Dover and I think they can lose again here. The team made their way down to London on Friday morning, but although the exact team isn't known Ian Evatt has said he will be using the fringe players of his squad. That isn't really a surprise given the position they have in the league and the fact they had a long journey on Tuesday night. I suspect we will see a strong Barnet side as they will see this as a good chance to progress to the next round and get a step closer to Wembley. Paul McCallum is a great signing and he should help them get the goals they have sometime been lacking. I would make them favourites myself.
Ebbsfleet v Royston (FA Trophy)
Royston like Aveley have been flying in their league of late and have also only been beaten in their last 10 games by the best side in their division, in this case Tamworth. They beat Chester 3-0 in the previous round and they certainly won't fear an Ebbsfleet side who look like they are going to be relegated back down to Step 2 this season. At 16/5 it looks a value play to me.
Welling 1pt @ 2/1 with William Hill
Kings Langley 2pts @ 197/100 with Marathon
Gainsborough 1pt @ 6/4 with BetVictor
Lancaster 3pts @ 11/10 with Marathon
AFC Hornchurch 3pts @ 23/20 with Marathon
Aveley 1pt @ 69/25 with Marathon
Barnet 1pt @ 9/5 with Bet365
Royston 1pt @ 16/5 with Bet365

Nice one Darran again! On a roll! Let's hope Kingstonian do the business tonight

Thinks ticked over nicely towards the end of January and there was another small profit last weekend. Hopefully we can keep the profits coming on Saturday as we start a new month.
AFC Fylde v Boreham Wood
I am a bit surprised Boreham Wood aren't favourites here. They were one of the favourites to go down at the start of the season, but they have blown those odds out of the water and yet again Luke Garrard has got another good team together to rival the one that reached the play-off final two years ago. They have a real chance of getting in the play-offs again and they haven't lost in the league since October 26th. They got a superb draw against top of the table Barrow on Saturday and more than matched them as well. They travel to a Fylde side who haven't won in 8 league games now and they must be getting nervous about going back down to the National League North. It just hasn't quite been clicking for them since Jim Bentley took over and with Boreham Wood full of confidence right now I think they look a good price.
Halifax v Bromley
Bromley seem to have blown all hopes of winning the title in recent weeks. They have lost 3 games on the bounce and have only picked up 10 points in their last 10 games. They are struggling to reach the heights they were reaching in the early months of the season and Halifax are bang in form at the moment. Unbeaten in 6 and they have been impressive in their last two home wins against Maidenhead and on Tuesday against Dover. I am surprised that the away side are favourites for this as I would have Halifax no bigger than 5/4 to win this.
Dorking v Bath City
Granted Dorking haven't won in 4 league games, but they did beat Stockport in the FA Trophy and they were unlucky to lose to Weymouth on Saturday as they ended up with just 9 men on the pitch. They have scored a huge 24 goals in their last 10 league games, but have conceded 17 and that is with keeping 4 clean sheets! This could be the right time to be playing Bath as they were thrashed 7-0 on Saturday at Wealdstone and they then lost to Concord in the FA Trophy on Tuesday night. Every chance Bath will score, but I think Dorking can outscore them here.
St Albans v Welling
Welling have improved a lot under their new manager and he has changed plenty since owner Mark Goldberg decided to step down as boss. There are even rumours that Goldberg did the team talks from the beach on holiday for the 3 games they played over Christmas. They have won their last 2 games and they are clearly benefiting from having a proper manager in charge. St Albans are doing OK at the moment although have only picked up 1 victory in their last 6 and Welling look value at over 2/1 to make it 3 wins on the bounce.
Gloucester City v Spennymoor
The price is going on Spennymoor so am putting this one up first ahead of the others. Gloucester are in a right old mess at the moment. New manager James Rowe is so far proving to be totally inept in his first managerial role having won just one game in 10 matches since taking over. He has signed 13 players in that time and the new team has not gelled out all and unlike the players that have left they don't seem to have much fight. Part of the problem is a lot of the new players are on 18 month contracts so they are at a new club and don't have to play for a new contract either as they are already sorted for next season. On paper some of the players have a good background, but apart from Liam Daly and Matt McClure they haven't done it on the pitch for a while and they look dubious signings to me. Rowe has changed the team too quickly for me and they are playing like a team who don't know each other which is exactly what they are. City lost 6-1 to a Alfreton team who hadn't won at home since the beginning of September on Tuesday night which is a new low under Rowe. Now one slight concern is that sometimes you see a team react to a heavy defeat and Rowe will surely know he is close to getting the sack, but I am not sure the players are capable of playing for him. He is also still blaming the former manager for things despite the fact it is his team now. Spennymoor seem to have got over their blip they had in December and are clearly a much better side. The other thing that stops this being a max bet though is away from home they have drawn 7 times and won just twice so that has to be in the back of your mind. Even so I think this will be an away win and Spennymoor should be odds on.
Alvechurch v Leiston
Yes I am putting Leiston up again, but they look a cracking bet to beat an Alvechurch side who have lost 9 of their last 10 games and the one win was against Redditch who are bottom. Pointless repeating myself on Leiston and they got a good draw when I put them up last week, but we should get our money back here.
Biggleswade v Stratford Town
I am chancing Stratford again at a big price. There has been improvement for sure despite only picking up 1 point since beating Redditch 4 games ago. That game was on Tuesday night when they drew 3-3 with Hitchin. Biggleswade aren't in great form at the moment although they did beat St Ives easily on Saturday and to be fair the 4 games without a win were against the stronger sides in the division. Even so at around 4/1 Stratford seem a sporting play as they are playing better than their league position suggests.
Boreham Wood 1pt @ 15/8 with Betway and William Hill
Halifax 1pt @ 17/10 with Bet365, Betway and William Hill
Dorking 1pt @ 31/20 with BetVictor
Welling 1pt @ 85/40 with BetVictor
Spennymoor 3pts @ 5/4 with BetVictor
Leiston 2pts @ 33/25 with Marathon
Stratford Town 1pt @ 21/5 with BetVictor

Kettering's late late winner was very welcome last Saturday to win at 5/1 and with Gainsborough and the 4pts Nap Havant also winning it was a profitable afternoon. Tuesday saw the only bet Stratford win to keep things ticking over. I have 6 bets across Step 2 and Step 3 this weekend.
Southport v Boston (National League North)
Southport's run towards the play-offs has hit the rails of late as they have lost 4 games on the bounce. Granted 2 of those were against Chester and one against York, but they have been very leaky at the back conceding 12 goals in that spell. Their wins in their last 10 games have come against some of the weaker sides in the division as well, Leamington, Kidderminster, Gloucester and Blyth so coming up against one of the better sides like Boston I expect it to be a task they aren't up to. Boston were a bit disappointing to only draw with Curzon last time out, but there only 3 defeats in their last 10 games have come against Kings Lynn twice and Spennymoor when they were in flying form. I think Boston should be favourites to win this so they look a good price.
Slough v Dartford (National League South)
When Steve King first took over at Dartford I mentioned on Twitter that it was a great appointment and they would soon be flying up the table. Why I didn't keep backing them I don't know, but I have hardly put them up for one reason and another yet the have won 6 of their last 7 games. They now look a play-off side and it is no surprise to me as Steve King is a fantastic manager especially at this level. Obviously Slough are flying as well, but they are 4 without a win and they were fortunate to get a point at Billericay last week as they went 2-1 up against the run of play. I don't think there is much at all between these two sides and Dartford are value at 12/5.
Witton Albion v Atherton Collieries (BetVictor Northern Premier)
I opposed Witton last week and they duly lost 3-1 to Gainsbororugh and I am happy to take them on again here. Atherton really co look a big price given they have only lost one of their last 7 league games. They gave Barrow a fright in the FA Trophy as well and have beaten Lancaster and Stalybridge in 2 of their last 3 league games. The slight concern is Atherton's away from as they have only won twice on the road, but I think that is factored into the price here given Witton are in woeful form at the moment.
Stafford v Warrington Town (BetVictor Northern Premier)
I am surprised Warringotn aren't odds on for this. Warrington have drawn 5 of their last 10 games, but have also only lost once in that spell as well. They won their first game in 7 last Saturday and hopefully they can kick on again. This game looks a perfect one to pick up another 3 points given how bad Stafford are. They have lost 9 of their last 10 games and look in a desperate shape. I think any odds against price is good value.
Hendon v Gosport Borough (BetVictor Southern Premier South)
I put up Hendon 4 games ago when they played Harrow and managed to find the game Harrow bounced back to form and they have gone unbeaten since after losing 5 games on the bounce. Hendon then lost to Chesham, but have had two good wins over Weston and Met Police in their last two games. Given they are at home, and 5 of their 6 league wins have been at home, I struggle to see why they should be over 2/1 to beat Gosport here. Gosport have lost their last 2 and have only won one of their last 7 games now. The 4 draws have been against some of the weaker sides in the league as well so they aren't in great form and for me this game is much closer than the bookies have it.
Rushden & Diamonds v Stratford Town (BetVictor Southern Premier Central)
Stratford's win against Redditch was their first away win of the season and obviously this is a risky bet, but as I wrote on Tuesday they look a much improved squad and they could be about to do a Leiston and go on a much improved run. They battered Redditch and should have scored more and did really well against Stourbridge last Saturday. Speaking of Leiston Rushden beat them 3-2 last week, but that was down to a late winner and I do think Stratford have a sporting chance of picking up another 3 points on the back of the Redditch win.
Boston 2pts @ 19/10 with BetVictor (Betfred/Hills)
Dartford 1pt @ 12/5 with Bet365, BetVictor and Betfred
Atherton 1pt @ 12/5 with BetVictor (Marathon)
Warrington 2pts @ 133/100 with Marathon
Hendon 1pt @ 117/50 with Marathon
Stratford 1pt @ 19/5 with Marathon

Saturday was not great with only Weston winning and Havant really should have covered the handicap with ease instead of only drawing which was especially frustrating. Anyway onto Boxing Day and I have 7 bets including 5 in the National League.

Dagenham & Redbridge v Ebbsfleet
Dagenham did manage to get pass Sutton in the FA Trophy, but they have lost 8 of their last 9 league games and as I mentioned when tipping Sutton up the 6-1 beating of Aldershot sticks out like a massive sore thumb. I just can't have Ebbsfleet as big as 13/5 for this given they have only lost one league game in their last 8. Granted they have drawn 4 of them, but they have been playing well and are unfortunate not to have picked up more wins.
Chesterfield v Solihull Moors
Solihull's away form nearly put me off this as it isn't as strong as it should be, but I think the Rotherham loss was to blame for the poor performance at Wrexham in their last away match and then prior to that they had picked up 7 points in their last 3 games on the road. Chesterfield beat Torquay on Saturday, but the home side pretty much gifted them the victory given they conceded in the first minute and then had a man sent off. That was their first win in 8 games and given they are playing the team I think are probably the best in the division it ought to be an away win.
Dover v Bromley
Bromley blew it big time on Saturday by gifting Eastleigh 3 goals and 3 wins in their last 9 league games is a bit of a concern, but it sums up the league that they are still bang in contention. I have to back them here though given Dover's poor home form which I have often spoken about on here and I would have them as favourites.
Harrogate v Hartlepool
Got to try again with Hartlepool after the FA Trophy game which should have been a winner. They are the better team for me and they should be wanting to prove a point after blowing a 2 goal lead.
Yeovil v Torquay
6 league losses on the bounce for the away side and I just don't see how they can suddenly beat Yeovil who have lost just once in 9. It was an impressive effort to come from 2 down to draw 2-2 at Fylde on Saturday and given Torquay are conceding goals for fun at the moment I can see Yeovil's impressive strike force causing them all sorts of problems. They should be odds on for me.
Guiseley v Farsley Celtic
The last time I opposed the home side was when they beat Gateshead which is their only victory in 9 league games! Hopefully we can get paid out this time as I think Farsely are the better team. Their away form is the 3rd best in the division only behind the top two in the table and I was impressed with their win against a Leamington side who have been showing a fair bit of improvement. They look value at 19/10.
Hendon v Harrow Borough
Hendon have proved they can do well against the teams around them in recent weeks and they look a good bet to beat a Harrow side who are badly out of form. They lost 4-0 to Weston on Saturday and have only picked up one point in their last 7 games. Hendon are much better at home than away as well having lost just one of their last 5 on the own patch.
Ebbsfleet 1pt @ 13/5 with Bet365
Solihull Moors 1pt @ 34/25 with Marathon
Bromley 1pt @ 161/100 with Marathon
Hartlepool 1pt @ 12/5 with Bet365
Yeovil 3pts @ 107/100 with Marathon
Farsley Celtic 1pt @ 19/10 with Bet365
Hendon 2pts @ 129/100 with Marathon
 
I hope everyone has a great Christmas with whatever you have planned and that we can have a profitable Boxing Day.
 
 
 
 

Saturday is the last day of fixtures before Christmas and the 3 National League divisions play Boxing Day, Saturday 28th, New Year’s Day and Saturday 4th. The step 3 divisions have spread their fixtures across those dates. 
As regards to previews there is a chance that Boxing Day tips will go up Sunday but chances are it will be Monday night. 28th tips will be be up Friday night but chances are it will be tips and no previews. New Year’s Day should be up Monday 30th at some point. Finally the 4th will most likely be up on the 3rd. Obviously a bit depends on when bookies price up but they should be up by those dates and of course they account for my plans over Christmas. Let’s hope we get some games on at the weekend and get a few quid for Christmas.

Top stuff Darran. 2 out of 3. County's first 2 shots on target go in seemed unlucky too

Due to illness not only are the tips up later than usual, but there will be no previews either. At the moment there are 7 FA Trophy bets for Saturday.
Blyth Spartans 1pt @ 9/5 with Bet365
Gainsborough 1pt @ 11/2 with Bet365
Maldon & Tiptree 1pt @ 16/5 with BetVictor
Dartford 1pt @ 59/25 with Marathon
Hornchurch 1pt @ 16/5 with Bet365
Bognor Regis 1pt @ 29/10 with BetVictor
Workington 1pt @ 4/1 with BetVictor, Betfred and William Hill
Have now had chance to look at the National League and have added 2 bets
Chorley 1pt @ 14/5 with Bet365
Bromley 1pt @ 17/10 with Bet365
 

It has been a very profitable week with a money made last weekend and 3 out of the 4 bets winning in mid-week. Saturday I have 7 bets and a little unusually most of those are at Step 3.
Barnet v Stockport
After the first few games of the season I added Barnet to the list of ante-post bets as I thought they had looked promising early on. Ever since then they have been pretty poor and it sums the league up that despite that fact they are only 8 points of the top of the table. They have won just twice in their last 10 league games and they were against AFC Fylde and Chorley. The 3 draws in that spell weren't bad points, but if I was having an outright bet now it certainly wouldn't be them. It wouldn't be Stockport either, but after their horrid run of form where they lost 5 on the bounce, a run started with a 3-0 loss at Chorley, they have been in very good form on the whole. They have lost just one of their last 6 league games and are clearly back in decent form. They look over priced to me and I am happy to take a chance at 3/1.
Bradford Park Avenue v Leamington
I can't really work out why Bradford are the outsiders here because in my view the prices should be the other way round. With their former manager back in charge they look an improved side. They beat Hereford in his first game back and then I watched them in their 1-0 defeat to Gloucester where I saw enough to think they could well stay up. They then followed that up by conceding 7 without reply in defeats to Southport and Kettering, but they were much better again last week when they were 2-1 up with 7 minutes to go against Kings Lynn and ended up losing 3-2. Kings Lynn are a very good side though and Leamington are not and if they can take that performance into this I think they can pick up 3 points. Leamington have picked up just 1 point in their last 7 games and they have conceded a huge 22 goals in that spell. They even managed to concede 3 in the game they got their point in against Chester. Granted there isn't a great deal in it, but for me Bradford are looking the better side at the moment and with home advantage they certainly should not be over 2/1.
Brightlingsea Regent v Cray Wanderers (BetVictor Isthmian Premier League)
I don't get the price here either with Cray looking huge at 17/10. Cray have only lost 2 games in the league all season and they are unbeaten in their last 6. The two defeats were against Folkeston and Enfield so two of the best teams in the division. They go to a Brightlingsea side who have picked just 1 point in their last 8 games and that came against a poor Wingate & Finchley side. That was also the only game they didn't concede at least 2 goals in during the spell without a victory. Cray should be odds on for me and at 17/10 look the best bet of the weekend.
Cheshunt v Carshalton (BetVictor Isthmian Premier League)
3rd time in a week I am having a bet on a Carshalton game. In the end they had a bit too much for Frome in the FA Trophy on Tuesday night although it turned into a bit of a goalfest. They have drawn their last 5 league games, but they really ought to be able to beat a struggling Cheshunt side who have lost their last 6 league games conceding 19 in the process. League wise this is the easiest fixture they have had since before the run of draws and they really ought to get back to winning ways in the league.
East Thurrock United v Leatherhead (BetVictor Isthmian Premier League)
Granted Leatherhead have had a fairly kind fixture list of late in the league, but they did beat Hornchurch in the run of 5 victories. They look a much improved side and although East Thurrock are a good team and are doing well since their relegation, I think they are over priced at 16/5 to win this. My feeling is there isn't much between these two sides which is why the price is an attractive one from a value perspective.
Redditch v Hitchin (BetVictor Southern Premier Central)
Redditch have only won two league games this season with both coming over August Bank Holiday weekend. They have had a run of 8 league defeats on the bounce and Hitchin could well make it 9 on Saturday. Hitchin are only 5 points better off than their hosts, but they are in much better form. Bizarrely their only defeat in their last 6 league games was against Leiston, but they then went and defeated Coalville, the only team to have beaten them in their last 10 games. Redditch have only scored 3 goals in their last 8 games as well so there is every chance 1 will be all that is needed to give Hitchin the 3 points.
Nuneaton v Stratford (BetVictor Southern Premier Central) & Bognor Regis v Merstham (BetVictor Isthmian Premier League)
More than happy to carry on opposing Stratford as I have done twice of late including last Saturday. Nuneaton are looking pretty good at the moment and have won 6 of their 9 home league games, indeed it is away from home where they have struggled. They ought to win as should Bognor who host Merstham. Bognor looked hopeless earlier in the season, but they have now won 6 of their last 7 league games including a 6-1 hammering of Margate on Tuesday night. Merstham look a poor side this season and have lost 8 of their last 9 games including the last 6. It really should be a home win and to get over 2/1 about the both Nuneaton and Bognor winning looks a good price to me.
Stockport 1pt @ 61/20 with Marathon
Bradford Park Avenue 1pt @ 21/10 with William Hill and BetVictor
Cray Wanderers 3pts @ 17/10 with Bet365
Carshalton 2pts @ 13/10 with Bet365
Leatherhead 1pt @ 16/5 with Bet365
Hitchin 1pt @ 6/4 with Bet365
Nuneaton/Bognor Regis 2pts @ 2/1 with Marathon