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We'll be taking a break this week due to mostly International matches, and resume the following weekend Sat 11th.  I'll push the anticipated finish date of season 1 back a week so we will still play 10 legs.
I'll get the current tables up as soon as possible.

A full fixture list on BH Monday and I have 6 bets to add to the Concord one earlier.   Aldershot v Yeovil (National League) Yeovil got their season underway on Saturday with a defeat to Kings Lynn and they went down to 10 men late on in the first half. Manager Darren Sarll mentioned after the game that they struggled with their energy levels which is no surprise after the team suffered with Covid. To have another game 48 hours later is going to be really tough. Aldershot have lost both games so far but Chesterfield at home was always going to be tough and the same going to Boreham Wood on Saturday. They battled hard though and might have picked up a point on another day. I don't think there is a great deal between these two sides so for the home side to be as big as they are means it is worth backing them especially with the quick turnaround for Yeovil.   Halifax v Altrincham (National League) Bit disappointing for us that Halifax were able to beat Woking on Saturday, but Woking didn't defend well enough. Still we are in profit from opposing them with Maidenhead beating them on the opening day and I am taking them on again here. Altrincham had a very good win on day 1 winning away at Torquay and they had Saturday off so well be fresher for this match. Even without that they would have looked a bet for me so it is just an added bonus for me.   Wealdstone v Southend (National League) Wealdstone have lost both their games so far, but performances haven't actually been that bad at all and I reckon they are in with a chance of beating Southend here. They just about beat Kings Lynn on the opening day and then lacked quality in the final 3rd against Stockport on Saturday. I certainly think the home team have it in them to cause Southend problems and look a value bet at the prices.   Weymouth v Maidenhead (National League) It was a tough old trip to Grimsby for Weymouth on Saturday and they couldn't even muster a shot on target in a 1-0 defeat. That followed on from losing to Boreham Wood at home on the opening day. In contrast Maidenhead have won both games so far and although I don't expect Halifax or Dover to do much this season, I would have Weymouth on a similar footing so I am happy to take them to make it 3/3.   Chippenham v Havant & Waterlooville (National League South) To be fair to the home side here they have done well to get 4 points from their first two games given they were suffering on numbers due to Covid. Despite that this game should be much tougher than playing Dulwich or Slough. Havant had an easy opening game against Welling (3-0 win), but did well to beat Hampton last Saturday 2-1. This Saturday was a day off for them so the fact they come into this game fresher is again another huge plus for them. Again like Altrincham I would have made them a bet at the odds anyway, but the fact they had a day off adds to the confidence.   Atherton v Lancaster (Northern Premier League) Just the one bet at step 3 and it is Lancaster who have got off to a flying start to the season winning 4 on the bounce after losing on the opening day. To be fair the fixtures haven't been overly taxing, but they have won them with ease and Atherton again shouldn't cause them too many issues. They lost 2-0 to Morpeth on Saturday and they had lost all their games prior to that fixture.   Aldershot 1pt @ 17/10 with Bet365 (take up to 5/4) Altrincham 1pt @ 3/1 with Bet365 (take up to 7/4) Wealdstone 1pt @ 100/30 with Bet365 (take up to 9/4) Maidenhead 1pt @ 13/8 with BetVictor, Bet365 and William Hill (take up to 11/10) Havant 2.5pts @ 13/10 with Skybet, Betfair and Paddy Power (take up to 4/5) Lancaster 2pts @ 7/5 with Bet365, Betfair, Betfred and Hills (take up to Evs and only 4 bookies I've checked as match isn't on Oddschecker)

ill be honest as a steward can be       yesterdays game against Stourbridge it was a case of we had the best of the worst defending,  look its a strange league look at Leiston beating Bromsgrove 4-0 a  team that themselves were being hammered game in game out, we have a good side when we want to play well but at times like yesterday our defending can leave little to be desired,  hopefully win at Rushden then onto a home FA cup tie against Haringay saturday   , we should be fine for at least play off potential but also was expecting to be chasing stourbridge down 

only the 12 goals today at the Bee Arena

Peterborough Sports 8 (Eight) - 4 Stourbridge     Attendance: 275    (4-1 HT)
even an appearance from Premier League referee  Kevin Friend in the stands today doing an assessment on the referee today 
New Scorecard has passed its first day at work ??

I have 5 single bets for tomorrow and a banker home treble in the National League South.   Dagenham & Redbridge v Bromley (National League)   What a start from Dagenham last week as they really impressively beat Stockport 3-1 last Saturday coming from a goal down. Obviously with them being one of the ante-post tips it was pleasing to see them do so well. They face a Bromley side who didn't get to play last week after Grimsby got Covid. As I mentioned with one of my tips last week I really do think that a team having already played a competitive game is a big advantage and that tips Dagenham into value territory for me. Bromley look to have a decent side again although I do think Dagenham will obviously finish above them come May. Hopefully we also see some home wins this week after last week in the National League every game was an away win apart from one which was a draw!   Woking v Halifax (National League) Happy to back Woking again this week to make it 2/2. To be fair to Wealdstone they played pretty well and could have got a point, but it was a good start for Woking and proves they will be a much different proposition this season. Happy to oppose Halifax again as well as they looked lacking in defence against Maidenhead who came from a goal down to win 2-1. I think the home side should be shorter.   Concord v Hampton & Richmond (National League South) Concord caused a huge shock on the opening day of the season when they beat Dorking 1-0 and they did well last week as well to get a 3-3 draw against Oxford City. Despite that though I still think Hampton are a good bet here. I put them up on the opening day when they bolted up against Eastbourne and then last week they just went down 2-1 to Havant. Interestingly last season they were very strong away from home and struggled for wins at home and given how good they were away on the opening day you just wonder if it could happen again this season. I think they have the much better side as well so I would have them shorter in the betting myself.   Ebbsfleet v Hemel Hempstead (National League South) Hemel have let in 7 goals in their opening 2 games and as I mentioned last week they are suffering big time from injuries at the moment. Ebbsfleet didn't play last week, but on the opening day they beat Tonbridge 5-1 in a very impressive performance. I think they will fancy their chances of scoring more goals here and it isn't a big surprise the early 4/5 was taking and they are much shorter now. I still think they look attractively priced on the handicap though so will take them on the -1.   Treble (all National League South) Ebbsfleet are obviously going to be the first leg of the treble. Their Kent rivals Maidstone are leg 2. They host Billericay who look set for a tough season based on their first two games and they lost 7-2 to Eastbourne last week. Maidstone have won both games and they really ought to make it 3/3. Another Kent side Welling have got off to a miserable start as well and like Billericay could be set for a relegation battle based on their opening two games. St Albans have lost both their games but then they have played Dartford and Dorking! This is clearly much easier and they should get their first points on the board.   Bromsgrove v AFC Rushden & Diamonds (Southern Premier Central) I know Bromsgrove won last Saturday, but I am happy to take them on again as the bookies still seem to think they will do well based on the fact they are still pretty short for the title. Rushden are a solid side and I would make them favs for this game.   Dagenham & Redbridge 1pt @ 5/4 with Bet365, BetVictor, Betfred, Skybet and Hills (take up to Evs) Woking 2pts @ 7/5 with Bet365 and Hills (take up to Evs) Hampton & Richmond 2pts @ 29/20 with BetVictor (take up to Evs) Ebbsfleet -1 2pts @ 6/4 with Betfair, Paddys and Betfred (take up to 11/10) Ebbsfleet/Maidstone/St Albans 2pts treble @ 2.24/1 with Betfair and Paddys (you can get 2.4/1 with Betway if you can get on and take up to 7/4) AFC Rushden & Diamonds 1pt @ 7/4 with Betfred and Bet365

Liverpool to win @ 1.18
Celtic to win .@ 1.33
Atletico Madrid to win @1.20
 
20£ on this treble please  , thanks
 

If you can get on with Bet 365 their Alternative Asian handicap market has Needham Market  -1.5 at 2.675 and -2 at 4.1.
Was half-expecting Darren to put up Gloucester given York's depleted defence which was certainly quite evident in their surprise home defeat to Kidderminster last weekend. I thought 2/1 was pretty generous for the Tigers.
I've actually backed Gloucester to score over 2.5 goals at 11/2 (skybet) and have sold the time of their 2nd goal at 77.5 (Sporting Index).

We only have one striker and have players missing ourselves. Southport battered us in the 2nd half last week and should have won. One plus is it’s our first league game in the new ground with a crowd and 2/1 is probably on the big side but like I say we don’t have our strongest line up out either.

Barnet v Notts County (National League) As we saw last week you can get some funny results on the opening day of the season and Notts County themselves were on the end of a poor loss on the opening day last season when losing to Dover. That was clearly a bit of a freak result given what the two teams ended up doing, but I have a feeling County could start their season off with a defeat again. County are clearly going to be going for promotion and I certainly think they will finish in the play-offs at the very least, but I think Barnet are way overpriced here so I am putting them up. Barnet should do much better this season than last and their squad looks pretty useful. As I mentioned in the ante-post preview I am not sure Harry Kewell is the right man for the job, but having Dean Brennan in the background is a big plus as he knows the non-league scene inside out. I think you will see Barnet be capable of beating the better sides in the league this season and I just can't make them as big as 15/4 so they are a value play for me.   Halifax v Maidenhead (National League) Two sides who have very good managers, but also two sides who could be in for a season of struggle. On paper neither squad gets me that excited and I would have them both contenders to go down if it wasn't for their mangers who have done fantastically well. That does mean though that I don't think there is much between these two sides on paper, but the bookies have Halifax as clear favourites. That's not right in my view so I will take my chances on Maidenhead at a big price.   Wealdstone v Woking (National League) Bookies have got this match very wrong in my view. Fairly obvious that I am going to be siding with Woking here given they are my outside bet as possible title winners. Granted that bet will probably lose, but we should be seeing a very different Woking from the team we saw coasting to the end of last season. Wealdstone were poor as well and they have lost their best player in Mendy to Boreham Wood. To me Wealdstone look destined to a relegation battle whereas Woking should be aiming for the play-offs in my view. I have Woking as clear favourites for this and hopefully they can get off to winning start.   Hemel Hempstead v Braintree (National League South) The home side were a bit unlucky against Maidstone last week as they had the lead twice before going down 4-2. They are suffering big time with injuries though and have 12 players missing going into this match including half who would be in their strongest 11. That gives Braintree the edge for me and they are worth backing here. They did well against Oxford City on the opening day and might have held on for the victory if they hadn't had a man sent off with 25 minutes to go when they had a 1 goal advantage. That suggests to me they have enough about them to beat a weakened Hemel side.   East Thurrock v Bognor Regis (Isthmian Premier) Not exactly ideal when your captain gets sent off after 25 minutes in the opening game of the season, but that is what happened to Bognor last week against Bishop's Stortford. To be fair they still had chances to win the game but it ended goalless. This should be a much easier task though as East Thurrock look set to be one of the worst teams in the league this season. Before the season got underway their manager spoke about how tough they would find it to stay up and that was their goal for this season. Bognor should be fighting it out at the other end of the table and should be able to pick up their first win of the season here.   Needham Market v Bromsgrove (Southern Premier Central) It has been an awful start to the season so far for Bromsgrove having conceded 7 goals in two games and they look even worse than last season and even worse than I thought they might be. Needham Market did pretty well in the few games there was last season and I was pretty impressed with them when they played Gloucester in the FA Trophy. They should be capable of doing well again this season and really ought to be capable of beating a Bromsgrove side who look miles off the pace so far.   Poole v Farnborough (Southern Premier South) I have to go with Farnborough again on Saturday. To go a goal down at Chesham and then run out 3-1 winners is pretty impressive and suggests to me that my ante-post tip on them could well go very close. As I said on Tuesday they should have won last Saturday and luckily for us they were able to turn shots into goals on Tuesday. Clearly this is another big test with Poole one of the title contenders, but there is no way they should be 16/5 to pick up another 3 points. Poole blew a 3-2 lead in injury time last weekend against Gosport although they did beat Tiverton on Tuesday night 2-1. The bookies are clearly still pricing the away side up as being awful, but as previously mentioned they look a pretty strong team this season and hopefully they can land the big odds once again here.   Barnet 1pt @ 15/4 with Bet365 (take up to 5/2) Maidenhead 1pt @ 11/4 with Bet365 and William Hill (take up to 7/4) Woking 2pts @ 31/20 with BetVictor (take up to 11/10) Braintree 2pts @ 23/10 with Paddy Power and Betfair (take up to 7/4) Bognor 3pts @ 11/10 with Bet365, Betfred and Betfair (take up to 4/6) Needham Market 2.5pts @ 11/10 with Bet365 (take up to 4/5) Farnborough 1pt @ 16/5 with Betfair (take up to 7/4)

Bromsgrove 0 Leiston 4
Bromsgrove have lost all their best players and replaced them with mainly kids, be a season of struggle unless a few experienced signings are made. Leistons number 9 who scored two, one a belter looked a very good player. No disrespect to Leiston who played us off the park but if they're walloping us then I fear for us against the more experienced sides who will bully us to death. 
On a side note, I can't believe the price on Alvechurch to beat Bromsgrove tonight, 12-5!! 
Definitely value as the bookies seem to be pricing us up on the last few seasons rather than this seasons squad
 
 
 

An excellent opening week with 44 of you, more than a third who played,  finding a winning bet, including quite a few trebles.
Top honours go to @Soi Bongkot with over 9/1 return and @draganmanager with nearly 7/1, both trebles, but top of the table goes to @CertiF with a successfull half bank double. Well done all
Top of the overall shows those who've increased their bank by +50% in week 1

 

PSG to win @ 1.25
Celtic to win @ 1.33
 
£15 on this double please, thanks

Eastbourne v Hampton & Richmond (National League South)   The prices in the NLN/NLS are pretty stingy on the whole this week. I guess I can't blame the bookies on that front and as a punter we are also feeling our way into the season. The one price that did standout was Hampton's who travel to Eastbourne tomorrow. Hampton looked pretty good last season and they certainly looked a play-off side. I think they will be strong again this season and certainly have a better chance than the 21/10 that is on offer. Eastbourne did well last season as well and were above Hampton in the table, but they look weaker this time around in my view so I am happy to take them on for their first game of the season.   Ashton v Matlock (Northern Premier) The home side looked very poor last season in the few games they played and they face a very tough opening game in Matlock. They were basically the opposite to Ashton in that they looked a very good side and they look to be coming into the season with a side capable of mounting a play-off bid. I'm surprised Matlock aren't clear favourites and 6/4 looks very appealing.   Kingstonian v Haringey (Isthmian Premier) I have to back the home side here given how well I think they will go this season. As I said in the ante-post preview they look a very strong squad on paper and really ought to be capable of pushing Worthing for the title. Haringey aren't terrible, but they aren't great either and in a couple of months I reckon the home side would be odds on to win this game. Therefore the odds against is well worth taking.   Nuneaton v Biggleswade (Southern Premier Central Premier) Biggleswade look likely relegation candidates this season so happy to oppose them on the opening day of the season. They travel to a Nuneaton side who weren't great last season, but they look to be a stronger position this time around and I can easily see them mounting a play-off bid. At the very least this looks a nice game for them to get off to a winning start.   Double In the Northern Premier I am putting in Radcliffe to beat Grantham. Grantham have made a very odd choice of Carlton Palmer as manager and he looks like he has a pretty awful squad at his disposal. They have been pretty bad in pre-season and Radcliffe shouldn't have too many worries in getting off to a winning start. The other team in the double is Farnborough in the Southern Premier South to overcome Walton Casuals. If I have got Farnborough right then they really should be beating a poor looking Walton Casuals side.   Hampton & Richmond 1pt @ 21/10 with Paddy Power and Betfair (take up to 6/4) Matlock 1pt @ 31/20 with BetVictor (take up to 5/4) Kingstonian 2pts @ 11/10 with William Hill and BetVictor (take up to 4/5) Nuneaton 2pts @ Evs with William Hill and Bet365 (take up to 8/11) Radcliffe/Farnborough 1pt @ 2.34/1 with William Hill (Oddschecker doesn't have the Farnborough match up so have checked myself with Hills, 365, Betfred and Skybet and Hills were biggest. Take up to 15/8)

I suspected that most of last season's ante-post stuff might turn out to be a waste of time although that was mainly because I doubted if Step 3 would finish. For Step 2 to go as well was frustrating and that left me if just Step 1 and we would have seen a profit if Torquay had won the title but in the end it was a small loss. Hopefully this season we get a clear run of things and all the leagues get to compete a full season. The last time we did get a full season was the 18/19 one and that saw a just 20pt profit whilst the two season before that saw over 20pts profit. Only one season in the 11 years up to 2019 has seen an ante-post loss so confidence is high that we can get a positive outcome this time around. 
  National League We have seen big money clubs in this league before with the likes of Crawley and Fleetwood springing to mind, but I don't ever remember there being a time where so many sides are spending big amounts of money. Wrexham and Stockport are the real big spenders, but Notts County, Grimsby and Chesterfield would not be far behind. There are some strong looking sides from other clubs as well and with only 2 promotion places up for grabs there are going to be some disappointed sides come May.    Stockport and Wrexham are both as big as 4/1 but Stockport are shortest at 3/1 so I will start with them. They spent big last season and failed in the play-offs after sacking Jim Gannon and hiring Simon Rusk back in January. It was an interesting appointment but having that half a season to get used to the league could well prove crucial this time around. The squad looks even stronger as well with Scott Quigley looking a very good signing to go alongside Paddy Madden up front. To me they look to have the strongest side on paper and out of those sides in single figures they would be the most likely title winners. They only lost twice at home last season but drew 11 times and they won't need to turn many of those into wins to be champion. Having said that given how open the league looks I am not sure I would want to be taking 4/1 about anyone.   Wrexham can finally properly spend the Hollywood money and clearly a fair amount of that cash has gone on signing Paul Mullin from Cambridge United. The fact he has dropped down two divisions says a lot about the sort of money that is around the division this season. The Halifax manager has suggested that there is more money in the National League than League 2 this season and it is easy to see why he would say that. Wrexham's issues in recent years has been scoring goals and you would think Mullin will solve those issues. Overall though at this stage they don't look to be quite as strong as some of the other teams around them in the betting. Also I have big concerns about the manager Phil Parkinson. It was rumoured that Dave Challinor was the wanted man and if he had gone I would have fancied them more. Obviously Parkinson has a lot of experience at a higher level, but for me that counts for very little. We have seen time and time again that managers who have non-league experience is very important when trying to win the National League title. Maybe Parkinson will be the one to break the stat, but we saw it when Salford hired Graham Alexander. Yes they went up via the play-offs, but his lack of non-league experience was really shown up mid-way through the season when they went on a dreadful run of form. They had the team to win the title, but for me the manager was the reason they didn't. I am more than happy to leave them alone at the current price.   Like Stockport, Notts County had a change of manager last season with Ian Burchnall coming in for Neil Ardley in March. It looked a bit of a strange one at the time and Burchnall did struggle to start with including a loss to AFC Hornchurch in the FA Trophy in his first game in charge. At one stage it looked like they would finish outside of the play-offs, but they came good in the end and again those few months of last season could be crucial experience for Burchnall this time around. They have done solid business over the summer and if Callum Roberts can stay fit then they will have one of the best players in the division. They ought to be in the title hunt although they need to rely less on wonder goals as that will only get you so far.   Next in the betting are Chesterfield and my favourite man in football James Rowe! When it comes to betting you have to bet with your head so I will ignore my hatred for the man here. To be fair to him he turned them around from being in a possible relegation battle to getting into the play-offs. The problem is they didn't play all that well towards the end of the season and then Rowe was completely to blame for them losing to Notts County in the play-offs. Why on earth he didn't take off his injured keeper I will never know and that decision cost them the victory in my view. It showed his inexperience as you could tell he panicked and he will need to learn from it. They took on a £1m loan last season and it has clearly gone on players as Rowe has added to an already large squad over the summer. Danny Rowe would not have come cheap either when they signed him towards the end of last season. I have had to change this bit since I wrote my first draft on the back of Chesterfield signing Tshimanga on Tuesday. For me that is one of the most noteworthy signings of the summer as really he ought to have gone into the Football League if he was going to leave Boreham Wood. I suspect the 3 year contract was the main reason it was such an attractive proposition as 3 year contracts are very rare at this level. He's a great finisher at this level and with Denton and Asante still to come back from injury later in the season that gives Chesterfield the best attacking strength in the division in my view. I really don't want Rowe to win the title, but as I said at the start of the paragraph I have let my head rule my heart and ultimately Chesterfield are overpriced at 9/1. Therefore I am going to be backing them for the title.   Next up are the relegated pair of Grimsby and Southend. Paul Hurst knows this level well and has got Grimsby out of the division once before so he knows what it takes. That fact has meant he has built himself a really solid side for the season and it would be no surprise if they went straight back up, although possibly via the play-offs rather than champions. Phil Brown has done reasonable buisness ahead of Southend's first National League campaign, but I get the feeling it will be a season of consolidation rather one that will be challenging for the title and a play-off bid is the best they can hope for.   Gary Johnson proved again what a great manager he is at this level when getting Torquay into 2nd place and only losing on penalties in the play-off final. The problem for me is that looked like being the best opportunity they will get for a while to get out of the division and in truth they really ought to have won the title. Losing play-off finalists have a dreadful record next time around as well which is always off putting. They have lost key players and to me at this stage they look weaker going into this season so I am happy to pass them over.   After Torquay we get into the teams at 20/1 and above. As we have seen in recent seasons at this level it isn't always the best team on paper that wins the title. Sutton, Barrow and Macclesfield would have been pretty hard for anyone to fancy at the start of the season yet they all beat richer sides to the title. I think we have a couple of likely candidates for one of the lesser sides to possibly win the title again, so I am going to throw a couple more teams at big odds.   Dagenham & Redbridge flattered to deceive for a fair bit of last season as they often promised much more than they actually delivered. That changed in the last couple of months of the season when they went on a fantastic run of form which nearly got them into the play-offs. They played some superb football and crucially for them Paul McCallum started scoring. McMahon hasn't done too much business over the summer, but given how they ended last season I am not sure they needed to and the fact they are a settled side could be a big plus for them.    Boreham Wood were one of the sides I put up before last season and they drew way too many games to get involved in the play-offs. 16 draws was the highest in the division, but it also shows they weren't actually that far away from being play-off contenders at the very least. In this sentence I originally put that keeping hold of Tshimanga was a huge plus for them and on the back of that I was going to put them up as a bet at 50/1. Luke Garrard has proven he can get them into the play-offs as he has done it twice already and I like the signing of Mendy as he was Wealdstone's best player last season. I think he can do even better in a better team. However, with Tshimanga gone I just can't back them even at 50/1 because he is such a big loss for them.   I put Woking up as a bet on Twitter on the day prices were released and I still think there is a spot of value in their price if you are yet to get on. We can ignore what they did last season as they coasted to the end of the season once relegation was off the table. This season they have a decent sized budget, granted it isn't Stockport or Wrexham sized, but it is still a fair bit higher than last season. I like Alan Dowson as a manager and I think they have certainly have the potential to outperform their odds at the very least.   So Chesterfield, Dagenham and Woking are the bets at the moment. Solihull were close to being a bet and if Mark Yates was still in charge I think they would have been. He did so well when he went back last season he nearly got them in the play-offs. I'm surprised they chose Neil Ardley over him myself as I'm not sure he's the right man for the job. They are worth keeping an eye on though and they could be the type of team who get added to the portfolio a month or two into the season. Bromley could be another team like that and it will be interesting if Andy Woodman can make them kick on again after getting them into the play-offs last season. I don't fancy Yeovil at all. They struggled last season and look a mid-table side again for me. Eastleigh blew their play-off chance on the final day of the season, but Ben Strevens continues to get them to higher positions than they really ought to finish. Keeping hold of Ben House will be key for them. Barnet are worth a quick mention as well. They were hopeless for most of last season until Simon Bassey came in and they improved no end. I worried for them when he left in June and Harry Kewell wasn't an obvious replacement. However, the fact they have got Dean Brennan in to help out is a big plus for me and I wouldn't completely rule out a play-off bid for them.   Sadly it seems we won't be getting relegation betting again this season although with only 3 going down and Dover are likely to take one of those slots although they have a better-looking squad on paper than I thought they would have.   I'm surprised that 40/1 for Tshimanga to be top scorer is still available after his move to Chesterfield. I actually think it gives him a lesser chance of winning because when Asante and Denton return he might not play every game, but if he starts scoring goals he will be hard to leave out of the team and I think he ought to be half that price so he is worth a small e/w bet.   Chesterfield 1pt e/w @ 9/1 with Skybet, BetVictor and Betfred  Dagenham & Redbridge 1pt e/w @ 20/1 with Bet365, Skybet, William Hill, Betfred and BetVictor Woking 0.25pts e/w @ 80/1 with Skybet with 66s available everywhere else Tshimanga to be top goalscorer 0.5pts e/w @ 40/1 with Bet365   National League North We didn't quite get to halfway in Step 2 last season, but it still brings enough clues as to what is going to happen this season and in my view it has made it easier for bookies to price the leagues up. It is no surprise that York and Fylde head the betting as they are the two sides who in my view would have been champions had the last two seasons been completed. This time around I am pretty strongly in the Fylde camp. At the time the season stopped they had just overtaken Gloucester on PPG and I think they would have gone onto win the title. They have an impressive squad and it looks to have got stronger over the break. With a clear run of things this time around I think they will be quite hard to beat.   As much as I think York would have won the league in 19/20 they were quite as dominant as they should have been and they were certainly under performing at times last season. Steve Watson does seem to have made plenty of changes ahead of the season in a bid to improve their fortunes and I do think they will do better this time around.   Whilst the price on Fylde is tight enough I do think the most overpriced team in the league is Boston. They really impressed last season when I watched them and they were unlucky to suffer a stop/start season thanks to Covid (although it didn't matter anyway), but because of that I think they have been underestimated this time around. I like the business Craig Eilliott has done over the summer and I think they have a decent chance of being in the top 3.   Last season for the first time ever I put up my own team Gloucester. We had a really strong first 11, arguably the best in the division, and I thought it would take us a long way. I was right and even after Rowe decimated our squad we were still holding our own with Paul Groves in charge. McClure was the top scorer last season and he has looked in good form in pre-season although at the time of writing I think we need more cover up front. I can't put us up this time around as I don't think we can win the title, but I do think we have a chance of getting in the play-offs.   The usual suspects of Brackley, Chester and Spennymoor will no doubt do well again and Chorley should do well as well on the back of their FA Cup run last season. Flyde will be tough to beat though and them and Boston are the bets.   Fylde 2pts @ 4/1 with William Hill Boston 1pts e/w @ 10/1 with Betfred   National League South Little doubt in my mind that Dorking would have won the title last season. They looked the best side in the division up until the season ended and they should be bang up there again this season. The one slight concern is that maybe that has led Marc White to not make too many moves over the break and will another team improve past them? Even so they have to be covered.   My main bet in this division last season was Dartford and they will be this time around as well. They were challenging last term, but they were dropping silly points and they weren't scoring as many as they had the season before. Steve King is a superb manager though as he showed when he took them from a relegation battle to the play-off final the season before. I think he has done really good business over the summer and the signing of Jake Robinson should help the goals for column no end. It could be that the stopping of last season is to their benefit and they look in a great place to go and bag the title.   They are the two bets for me as they do look the standout options. Ebbsfleet went very leftfield when choosing their new manager last summer and they could be another club who benefitted from the season ending. Dennis Kutrieb will have got some experience of the division now and he looks to have recruited well over the summer. They were a bit inconsistent last season, but Kutrieb will know more this time around. Havant have got the cash and have a decent squad again, but they had that last season and they were underperforming. They also had the best squad in the league 2 seasons ago and couldn't win the title so I just wonder if Doswell is the right man for the job. St Albans were having an incredible season last time around and it will be interesting to see if they can back that up this season. Hampton and Oxford City both impressed me last season and whilst I can't see either winning the title both should be in the play-off hunt.   Dartford 2pts @ 9/2 with William Hill  Dorking 1pt @ 7/2 with Betfred and William Hill   Northern Premier League This division really looks to be South Shields' to lose. They were under performing a bit before the season ended, but it was early days of course and if anything their squad looks better this term. They have gone full time as well which should help them no end. They shortest priced favourites across the leagues, but they fully deserve to be that sort of price.    Warrington are 2nd in and they should be in the play-off picture yet again. Carden has done good business and they look the best placed side to push South Shields. Off the bigger prices I thought Matlock and Morpeth could go well especially the latter who have done well to get Hartlepool's captain from last season Ryan Donaldson in during the summer.   South Shields 3pts @ 7/4 with Bet365 and William Hill   Southern Premier League Central Tamworth did originally open up as favourites for this league, but Peterborough Sports have overtaken them at the head of the market. Michael Gash looks an especially good signing given he was scoring goals two leagues above last season. They clearly have a great chance, but they look tight enough in the betting for me so I am happy to look elsewhere.   Tamworth were in a strong position to win the title in 2020 when the season stopped and they had made a solid start to last season as well. If they aren't in the play-offs at the very least then it will be a big surprise, but I am not sure they have strengthened well enough over the summer and that might just stop them from landing the title.   My main bet will be Stourbridge who I think should be favourites. In my view they are very lucky to have Mark Yates back after the superb job he did at Solihull earlier in the year. On paper for me they have the strongest squad in the division and they have strengthened really well over the summer. You will have noticed that I haven't mentioned anything about pre-season friendlies and that is because in my view they have very little baring as to what is actually going to happen during the season. I pay very little attention to the results of them although I did notice that Stourbridge haven't had a great pre-season. That has probably helped the price though and as they continue to gel they should only get better. I wouldn't even be too disheartened should they get off to a slow start.   I am also going to cover Coalville Town at a double figure price. They were unbeaten when their season ended after 7 games last year and I don't see any reason why they won't continue to be up there this season given the squad and the fact the manager seems to be doing very well for them. They had made good progression from the previous season where they were on the edge of the play-offs before that season ended. Of the others at big prices Rushall were doing well in both curtailed seasons and I see no reason why they won't be in the play-off picture again.   Stourbridge 1pt @ 13/2 with William Hill Coalville 0.5pts e/w @ 11/1 with William Hill   Southern Premier League South In my view Truro were going to win this league last year and I was keen on them last season as they looked even stronger. They are certainly contenders again this time around, but the fact they are ground sharing in Plymouth this season puts me off wanting to back them for the title. No doubt the likes of Poole, Taunton and Hayes will all be in contention as well, but there are 3 worth betting for me.   Salisbury are the just about the best of the single figure price contenders for me. They were undefeated in 7 league games last season and they have signed well during the summer so should be well placed for a title bid.    The last two years I have put Weston-Super-Mare up because on paper they have one of the strongest sides in the division. They have flattered to deceive on both occasions, and I wasn't going to back them this time around. I then saw their price and it was too good not to take some off. They have a strong side again and they should be one of the market leaders not priced up as an outsider.   The last bet is Farnborough. This might seem a strange one given they weren't great two seasons ago and last season they were even worse in the few games that took place. Manager Spencer Day though would appear to have been very shrewd as he suspected last season might get stopped again so he spent very little money on the side. He was obviously spot on with his thinking and that has meant they have a decent little budget to go to war with this season. Day has signed some good players and the capture of Sam Derring looks particularly eye-catching. They shouldn't be anywhere near 40/1 in my view.   Salisbury 1pt @ 8/1 with Bet365 Weston Super Mare 0.5pts e/w @ 20/1 with Bet365 Farnborough 0.5pts e/w @ 40/1 with Bet365      Isthmian Premier League Worthing were going to be fairly comfortable winners 2 seasons back and they were top when the season ended last year and there is no reason to think they won't go very close to being top at the end of what will hopefully be a completed season this time around. They are favourites, but 9/2 looks too big to me as I reckon they could easily by 3/1 or 5/2 shots. We know the squad is strong and they have cash to strengthen again if need be at any stage.    I was impressed with Hornchurch on their FA Trophy run last season which ended up with them claiming the Trophy at Wembley, and they can go well, but they do seem a little on the short side at 11/2. There are a couple of others worth backing e/w though alongside Worthing. I have put Kingstonian up the last two seasons. 2 back they drew way too many games and then last season they ended up not drawing any of their 9 games, winning 5 and losing 4. I am going to put them up again here as their squad is very impressive and this looks a great chance for them to finally put a title bid together. Certainly on paper they shouldn't be anywhere near 14/1 shots.    The other team I think are worth an investment are Lewes. They should do much better than they have the last couple of seasons after getting the Cray manager in as manager and he then duly cherry picked the best of a very strong Cray team. They look like they have a side who will be challenging for the play-offs at the very least.   Worthing 3pts @ 4/1 with William Hill Kingstonian 1pt e/w @ 14/1 with William Hill Lewes 0.5pts e/w @ 14/1 with William Hill   Total units 26.5

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So we finally get to the final day of the regular season. It has been strange just focusing on the one league since January and it has made things tricky at times, but May especially has been a good month. Hopefully we can end it with a profit on Saturday and I have 4 bets.
Altrincham v Torquay
Altrincham had been struggling for a while, but a dramatic 4-3 win against Yeovil and a 1-1 draw against Eastleigh on Tuesday night mean they are ending the season in strong fashion. They played really well on Tuesday against a side of course who are going for the play-offs. I think the crowd helped in that regard and I can see them getting a result here. Torquay can only finish 2nd now and I would imagine they wont want to risk injuries to key players ahead of the play-offs especially as they have suffered from injuries during the season which has probably cost them the title. With that in mind Altrincham are over priced at 4/1.
Barnet v Sutton
Sutton sealed the title on Sunday with a very good performance over Hartlepool and they have been so consistent since last January. The job is done and they wont really care what happens in their final non-league game for now. I don't really need to repeat my thoughts on Barnet and their improvement and they won for us again on Tuesday night. Their first goal was a cracking move as well and after getting a point at Torquay last week I think they have a real chance of picking up 3 here. 6/1 is a crazy price in the circumstances and they should be at least half that if not shorter.
Kings Lynn v Aldershot
I am actually backing the home side here. They did well with a crowd behind them on Tuesday night against Solihull and with Aldershot not really convincing of late especially away from home I think there is some value in backing Kings Lynn to pick up 3 points.
Solihull v Eastleigh
Speaking of Solihull they did at least keep their unbeaten run going and as I have mentioned a few times their home form has been really strong. Not surprisingly they are drifting because Eastleigh need to win this to give them any sort of chance of getting into the play-offs, but I just get a feeling they are running out of steam based on their performance on Tuesday at Altrincham and they could have had a much easier game than facing a Solihull side who have won 8 of their last 9 home games and the one they didn't win was a 0-0 draw against Sutton. I am more than happy to take a chance on them making it 9/10 home victories.
Altrincham 1pt @ 4/1 with Bet365
Barnet 1pt @ 6/1 with William Hill
Kings Lynn 1pt @ 8/5 with William Hill
Solihull 1pt @ 14/5 with William Hill

No value on the price for me.

great job one more time @avongirl, thank you very much

It wasn't to be for Dagenham on Saturday and to be honest they didn't really deserve anything from the game. They weren't great and Chesterfield played well although Dagenham should have had a penalty at 1-1 and if they go 2-1 up at that stage they might have seen it out. Just the 3 games tonight ahead of the final day of the season on Saturday and I have a couple of bets.
Barnet v Maidenhead
Barnet did amazingly well on Saturday to come from 2 down to get a point at Torquay and essentially meant Torquay would have to think of play-offs rather than the title. I think they will be keen to put on a show for fans here given its been a horrid season for them until the new manager has come in and changed it all around for them. On their day Maidenhead can beat anyone in the league, but Devonshire looked like he was experimenting a little on Saturday against Halifax and I reckon he will do the same here. I would make Barnet around 5/4 so there is some juice in their current price and they are worth backing.
Kings Lynn v Solihull Moors
The home side have lost 8 of their last 10 games and in each of those defeats they have lost by at least 2 goals. Solihull put Wealdstone to the sword on Saturday and I think they will be fancying scoring a few more goals tonight given how leaky Kings Lynn's defence is. Therefore I will take Solihull on the -1 handicap at 2/1.
Barnet 1pt @ 8/5 with William Hill
Solihull -1 1pt @ 2/1 with Betfair

Stockport have plenty to play for. Given the way the play-offs work they need to finish 3rd so they get straight into the semi-finals rather than having to play an extra game. They will be desperate to finish 3rd

Stockport for me are too Low. They are Safe in Play Offs so for these Odds - tough Pick i think. I have choose another Acca with Notts, Wrexham and Torquay to win. All 3 in Must Win Situations against Teams who are not good in Form and also without Moitvation because Season is over for them.

More profit on Tuesday with Eastleigh winning although Barnet were just edged out on Wednesday night. I have just the one bet for Saturday's action.
Chesterfield v Dagenham & Redbridge
I am all over Dagenham here and I can't believe the price. Chesterfield haven't actually played well for a while now and despite Rowe signing numerous players injuries haven't helped on that front. In the last 10 games they have won just 3 times and two of those were against Woking and Kings Lynn so games they should have won comfortably. That should also have been the case last Saturday when they went off around 1/14 to beat Wealdstone and yet they played poorly and could only draw 0-0. They had a lot of the ball, but were ineffective with it and Wealdstone actually had the better chances. Now the one slight concern I have is that performance might give the players a big wake up call and obviously fans will be there which could make a difference, but I think both teams will enjoy playing in front of a crowd given how long its been. Eastleigh's manager on Tuesday spoke about how it was good to keep the home fans quiet. Dagenham are flying at the moment and Daryl McMahon has finally got his team playing consistently after struggling on that front for most of the season. It has probably come too late for the play-offs, but they are still in with a fighting chance and win this then it goes to the final day of the season. They have won all bar one of their last 8 games and that other one was a very creditable 1-1 draw at Stockport. Granted they have played some easy sides in that run, but the wins over Eastleigh and Halifax as well as that Stockport draw prove how well they are going. I watched them against Wealdstone as well and they way they despatched of them was very impressive. Dagenham are playing so much better than their hosts at the moment and hopefully that can continue on Saturday as they are a massive price.
Dagenham & Redbridge 4pts @ 12/5 with William Hill 

Another profitable day on Saturday as Yeovil managed to cover the -1 handicap against Kings Lynn. Amazingly Chesterfield who ended up going off around 1/14 managed to only get a point against Wealdstone which let the treble down. I have 2 bets for Tuesday night.
Aldershot v Eastleigh
I really don't understand the prices here as I would make Eastleigh clear favourites. Eastleigh now have a great chance of making the play-offs as they have 4 games against sides with nothing to play for and win them all then they will finish at least 7th. Now obviously sides with nothing to play for can be dangerous and although they beat Barnet 3-0 on Saturday the Eastleigh manager admitted after the game that they hadn't played very well and didn't deserve to win 3-0. They had been on a good run of form prior to that though having beaten Sutton and Notts County twice. Indeed they have only lost twice in their last 8 games and they were against Dagenham and Torquay so no disgrace in that. Aldershot on the other hand have only won twice in their last 7 and they were against Wealdstone and Yeovil. They were well beaten by Hartlepool on Saturday as well. The one thing we do have to factor in is fans are back for this game and with it being home fans only maybe that will perk the home side up, but like I say Eastleigh are way over priced for me as I would have them around 5/4.
Solihull Moors v Barnet
After I put them up to beat Altrincham a few weeks back Barnet have found it harder to pick up points in their next 5 games, but their fixture list was very tough in that spell. They had to play Sutton, Notts County, Dagenham and Eastleigh which was never going to be easy. Like I say though they did play well on Saturday and they did beat Weymouth in that spell of games. I have mentioned that Solihull have good home form recently, but they haven't really played that well in those games against Weymouth and Woking and I think Barnet will make things very tough for them. Barnet are a completely different side since their new manager came in and with Torquay and Sutton to come I think he will view this as their best possibility to win a game this season. 13/2 is way too high for me as I don't think there is anywhere near that difference in ability. I'd have them around 11/4 myself so the away win is a value play here.
Eastleigh 2.5pts @ 9/5 with Bet365
Barnet 1pt @ 13/2 with William Hill 

well done for your persistence, finished on double figures which should see you out of the bottom 2 divisions next season