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It was good to be back in profit on a Saturday after a couple of tough weekends. Hopefully that will continue this Saturday where I have 6 bets.
Boreham Wood v Hartlepool
Just one bet in the National League this week and I am glad that Wood have signed Haringey's star striker this week as it makes them even weaker in their bid to stop Dorking winning the Bostik Premier, but I am not sure he will turn the home sides form around. Goals have been an issue for them so they have had to do something and they were lacking in that department again on Saturday when losing 1-0 at Maidenhead. It has been 6 league games since they last picked up 3 points although to be fair they have drawn half of those so they are still making themselves hard to beat, but I think the away side are value here. Having only lost twice at home they have then gone and lost their last two home games to Maidstone and Havant and Hartlepool should on paper be a much tougher test. Richard Money was a mistake, but at least Hartlepool have done something about it and the team has really improved for Craig Hignett. They beat Braintree and then they drew with Leyton Orient last Saturday and if they had scored a penalty then they would have taken 3 points against the team 2nd in the league. I think they have a real chance of picking up 3 points here and the 12/5 with Bet365 and BetVictor.
Hampton & Richmond v Gloucester City
For my sins I am off to watch my side again on Saturday. I have seen us more this season than I have for a long time and given I have only seen us win once it has been on the whole a pretty depressing experience. However I think we are a very attractive price to win this. We had to sack Chris Todd as his stint was a massive failure, but I thought getting Mike Cook in his place was a mistake. However he has massively improved the side and they have won 2 and drawn 2 of the 4 games he has been in charge for. Crucially in that time just one goal has been conceded and we look as strong at the back as we did before Todd took over. Granted goals are still a concern and the 2 against Slough on Tuesday night were the first 2 goals from open play since before Christmas.1st half against Slough we only had one shot, but the 2nd half was much better and we scored 2 good goals. If we can play like that then I am very hopeful we can beat a Hampton side who I don't rate at all. Strangely enough they also played Slough in their last match and they were very lucky to get a point as Slough were much the better team and Hampton equalised in injury time. I have said before there is little between most of the sides in the bottom half of the NLS and there is no way City should be over 3/1 to win this game. Hampton struggle to score goals so a 0-0 wouldn't be a big surprise, but Gloucester are playing with much more confidence than they were and there is every chance they could get the 1 goal which might well be all they need to win this.
Slough v Dartford
Speaking of Slough for all they should have won last Saturday against Hampton the fact remains they have only won once in their last 9 games and not at all in their last 5. That is puts them in 20th place in the 10 game form table. Their issues seem to be in the 2nd half as that seems to be where they are dropping points. Dartford are flying at the moment and it looks like they will be in the play-offs yet again. They have only lost twice in their last 10 matches and that has seen them rise up the table. Their away form is a slight concern. It took them until deep into injury time to beat a 9 man Woking in their last away game and they hadn't won in 4 prior to that including only drawing at East Thurrock. However that is more than factored into the price as they shouldn't be anywhere near 3/1 (BetVictor) to win this.
Truro v Oxford City
Oxford's form has fallen off the edge of a cliff and they have picked up just one point in their last 6 games. That point came against an out of form Eastbourne side as well. Truro might have only won one of their last 5, but they have only lost by the odd goal when they have lost and those were against better teams than Oxford. I think they are a bit better than their league position suggests as well and given they have more to play for than Oxford I think a price just over 6/4 (Marathon) looks a good one about a home win.
Darlington v Southport
Granted the home side are doing pretty well themselves having lost just twice in their last 9 league games although the win at Blyth was their first in 4. Southport's good form looked to have come to an end losing two including 4-0 at home to AFC Telford, but they then bounced straight back with a hugely impressive 5-3 win over leaders Chorley last Saturday. This is no gimmie, but I do think the away side are over priced at 21/10 (BetVictor) because I do think they are one of the best teams in the division despite their league position.
Treble
I rarely put up a treble, but this one pays 5/1 with BetVictor and it makes plenty of appeal. I have written plenty about Bradford Park Avenue and the fact they clearly don't want promotion. I'm not surprised Altrincham have been backed and I think they will win. Nuneaton look in even a bigger mess than they did when I opposed them last week as the new owner has left them this week and the club really is in a sorry state. I just can'[t see how 3rd placed Spennymoor don't pick up another 3 points. Welling have had to cut their budget in recent weeks as well which is a shame as it might well cost them a play-off place. Torquay travel to South East London this weekend and they look almost unstoppable at the moment and are pretty much scoring goals for fun.
Hartlepool 1pt @ 12/5 with Bet 365 and BetVictor
Gloucester 1pt @ 63/20 with Marathon
Dartford 1pt @ 3/1 with BetVictor
Truro 1pt @ 153/100 with Marathon
Southport 1pt @ 21/10 with BetVictor
Altrincham/Spennymoor/Torquay 1pt @ 5/1 with BetVictor

I didn't do too badly with picking out games that would be on last week, but sadly Stockport were the only winners although at least they kept losses down given the big price they were. Dorking came good in mid-week which pretty much covered Saturday's losses. No weather issues this weekend so unlike the horse racing everything should be on.
Aldershot v Eastleigh
Aldershot holding Dagenham to a draw was costly a couple of weeks ago, but I think there is value in opposing them again here. I wrote in that preview that Dagenham should only need 1 goal and it wasn't quite enough in the end, but the fact remains that Aldershot aren't heavy scorers and there is every chance Eastleigh again will only need 1 goal. Eastleigh's away form had been strong and then they only got 1 point in 4 away league games, but they bounced back a couple of weeks ago when winning at Bromley. They are in play-off contention and I'm still not sure that Waddock is going to be able to keep Aldershot up.
Chesterfield v Halifax
I shouldn't have given up on backing the draw in Chesterfield games as in the league they have drawn 4 of their 7 games since they beat Salford which was the last time I backed the draw in their matches. Those 4 have come in their last 5 and the win was only against Aldershot. They were poor in the FA Trophy last weekend and although it might not have been a priority it was still concerning they lost to Brackley so easily. Halifax have drawn their last 5 games and you can add another two if looking at their last 9 league matches. The stats clearly tell you that the draw is value here and it has to be worth a play.
Wrexham v Dagenham & Redbridge
God knows what is going on at Wrexham as yet again losing their manager to the Football League looks set to derail their efforts to get into the Football League. Last season they imploded when Keates left and this season things have gone downhill after Sam Ricketts move. To be fair that's not entirely true as they continued in good form to start with, but since the turn of the year they have been desperate losing 4 on the bounce and managing to only beat a Maidenhead side who managed 1 shot the whole game, 1-0. Another managerial change has happened and inexperience Bryan Hughes has come in. Apparently he is looking to improve their attacking which goes without saying given they struggle for goals. All the upheaval can't be good though and Dagenham have the potential to punish them. I really do have a love/hate relationship with Dagenham this season, but 19/5 really is too big a price to not back them here.
Nuneaton v Boston (National League North)
Pretty safe to say that Nuneaton will be playing Step 3 football next season and despite being taken over things still don't seem great off the pitch. On the pitch they have won just once at home all season and they have picked up just 2 points in their last 8 games. Boston are on the edge of the play-offs and they are pretty solid away from home this season and only lost 1-0 at Spennymoor in their last away game. That is their only defeat in their last 5 matches as well and an odds against quote looks too big for me here.
Hyde United v Matlock (Evo-Stik Northern Premier)
Not only have Matlock won just 4 games on the road this season they are in poor form overall. They have picked up just two points in their last 6 games and although they are only just behind their hosts in the table they are clearly struggling of late. Hyde have been in good form of late and take out the loss to Bamber Bridge their last 9 league matches have seen good performances even in the other two games they have lost which have come against good sides. They look a bet at 6/5.
Spennymoor v Bradford Park Avenue & North Ferriby v Workington
The BPA game got called off last week, but they are worth opposing here against a bang in form Spennymoor side who have won their last 4 league matches and have lost just two of their last 10. BPA have only 2 points in their last 6 games and as I pointed out last week they have let players go as it looks like the club don't really want promotion. The home side have gone odds on now, but I think they are worth doubling up with Workington. Now Workington are 1 from bottom and North Ferriby are bottom in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier, but it really should be an away win. North Ferriby have won 2 lost 22 and have a goal difference of -51. Workington are showing signs of possibly being able to stay up and they do have games in hand to help as well. North Ferriby have lost 9 on the bounce and have conceded at least twice in all of them. Workington have won their last 2 and only lost on of their last 4. This is a must win game for them if they are going to stay up whereas North Ferriby know their fate already. The double pays 257/100 with Marathon.
Eastleigh 1pt @ 17/10 with Marathon & William Hill
Chesterfield v Halifax draw 1pt @ 13/5 with Bet365
Dagenham & Redbridge 1pt @ 19/5 with Betfred
Boston 2pts @ 53/50 with Marathon
Hyde United 2pts @ 6/5 with BetVictor
Spennymoor/Workington 1pt double @ 257/100 with Marathon
 
 

Just the one bet for me on Tuesday night in the Bostik Premier as two teams I put up ante-post play each other Margate and Dorking. Margate was a pretty poor call to be fair and they have never looked like getting involved, but Dorking were 33/1 when I put them up and they are currently top of the table. It looks like being a 2 horse race between them and Haringey (who have just scored an injury time winner to go level on points with Dorking as I write this on Monday night) and Dorking looked to have really clicked of late. They are 8 games unbeaten and they have won their last 5. They put 4 past Worthing, 5 past Harlow and on Saturday were sublime in putting 6 past a Folkestone side who had only lost 1 of their last 8 games. They have a 3G pitch just as Margate do so they will be used to the surface and Margate haven't won in 9 games now. Granted they have managed to draw 5 of those games, but they were well beaten themselves on Saturday as they lost 4-0 to Enfield. They have only won 2 games at home all season and hopefully Dorking will continue in the same vain that they have of late.
Dorking 2.5pts @ 11/10 with BetVictor

There aren't many Non-League games this midweek and the only team I really had in mind to back was Billericay at Slough. I went through the prices on Sunday night saw they were odds on when I was hoping for at least 5/4 and obviously left it alone. I then got a message on Twitter last night saying were Billericay value at 2/1 and couldn't believe what had happened with the odds. Clearly the Asians have got involved again and Billericay are now as big as 11/4 with Bet365 whereas Slough are odds on. Quite frankly the prices are ridiculous and the home side are massive value. Dean Brennan's time at the club came to an end after the loss to Chippenham which wasn't a surprise as their form had gone down massively. Yes players had left and quite a few new faces appeared and I think it meant the side had become a bit disjointed. Harry Wheeler has now returned though and they got a very good win against Welling on Saturday in his first game back in charge. Prior to that they had got a very good draw at Concord whose home form is very strong this season. Wheeler returning seems to have improved the team as Saturday's performance was their best for a few weeks and I think they can build on that here.
Slough are a solid side but have been pretty inconsistent this season and I can't see them breaking their way into the play-offs. They have actually only won once in their last 6 games and the results of their last two matches have not been good. First of all they blew a 2 goal lead against Chippenham and then on Saturday they lost 2-0 to bottom of the table Weston who as I have mentioned on here are a truly dreadful side. Now to be fair to Slough they were the better team and the Weston keeper won man of the match, but it is still worrying they couldn't find the net against them and still conceded twice. Slough are capable on their day, but Billericay have the better team and like I say I would have backed them at 5/4 so at 11/4 it really is a must bet. It is about time the Asian market got it wrong again and hopefully that will be the case tonight.
Billericay 2.5pts @ 11/4 with Bet365 

Disappointing that Telford couldn't get the win last week, but at the end of the day I am confident it was the right bet to have and it was just one of those results which defies logic and goes against us. If Blyth had scored an injury time penalty then we would have been in profit for the day as well despite the max bet losing. At the moment I am just putting the one bet up but there will be more to follow tomorrow at some point.
Dagenham & Redbridge v Aldershot
If Gary Waddock can keep Aldershot up I think it will be the biggest achievement of his managerial career because they are awful. It isn't all his fault because there have been budget cuts at the club, but you have to fear that if they go down to Step 2 they won't be coming back in a hurry. It has been 10 games since they last won in the league and they have picked up just 3 points in that spell. That last win also came against bottom of the table Braintree. Scoring goals is a huge problem for them as they have scored just 24 all season and if we narrow that down to the last 10 games then they have only scored 5, 3 of which came in the 4-3 loss to Maidenhead on Boxing Day. Away from home it is a really grim picture as they have won just once, drawn twice and lost 11. Dagenham didn't play well against Maidstone last week, but Maidstone basically gifted them all 3 goals thanks to some shocking defending. Given how much I have written about Dagenham of late there is no real point of repeating myself, but at the very least they should be no bigger than 4/6 for this and probably even shorter than that. I just can't understand how they are only very slightly odds on for this. Dagenham ought to only need 1 goal given how goal shy Aldershot and they look a cracking bet.
Dartford v Concord Rangers
Concord will be keen to get the 3 points they have lost for fielding an illegible player here, but I think the home side offer a bit of value. Dartford's home form has been very impressive as they have lost just twice. Wealdstone beat them early on in the season when they weren't in great form anyway and the only other team to beat them is Torquay and they played well that night despite losing. They have got themselves into play-off contention and it is mainly thanks to their performances at home. Concord's away form has picked up of late having drawn at Bath and won at East Thurrock and Welling before losing their last away game to Hungerford. Take the Welling win away though and the only teams they have beaten on their travels are Dulwich, East Thurrock and Weston all of whom are struggling. Dartford are nearly as big as 6/4 to win this with Marathon and that represents value to me.
Dulwich Hamlet v Chelmsford City
I'm hoping to get to this game on Saturday and it will be my first visit to Champion Hill since Dulwich returned their last month. Usually I want them to win, but given Gloucester are in a relegation battle with them I'm not sure I really do (although I do hope both survive) and I think Chelmsford are worth backing to win. I have only seen Dulwich in the flesh twice this season both when they played Gloucester. Back in August Gloucester beat them 1-0, but I was really impressed with Dulwich and thought there is noway they would struggle this season. Then just before Christmas they looked a completely different side and not a very good one at that. It is hard to know what has gone wrong really, but I suspect that the team had got used to winning games of football and now they aren't they are finding it very tricky to play their usual passing style of football because they don't have the confidence to do so. I thought returning to Champion Hill would see a big improvement in form, but after winning on Boxing Day in their first game back they have picked up just 1 point in their next 5 games and that game in a desperate affair at East Thurrock last Saturday. Having seen East Thurrock earlier this month I can imagine how bad a game it was. Chelmsford are much better than East Thurrock and although their good away form from earlier in the season has left them I would say out of the 4 defeats in their last 6 on the road the only poor loss was to East Thurrock. I'm surprised to see Chelmsford on the drift as Dulwich look really low on confidence at the moment and at just over 6/4 with Marathon the away side look a solid bet.
Southport v AFC Telford
No doubt Telford will go and win now I am taking them on, but Southport are worth a bet despite losing their unbeaten record at Altrincham last week. They certainly played well and I can seem bouncing straight back here. Telford might be very strong at home, but it has been a very different story on their travels. They have only won 3 away games and two of those came against FCUM and Nuneaton and both of those are in the bottom 3. Following Southport has been pretty profitable for us in recent weeks and I am surprised they have drifted out to 121/100 with Marathon as I would have them nearer even money myself.
Whitehawk v Carshalton
Those of you who have been following me for a while may remember that a year or so again backing Whitehawk became a rather profitable system despite the fact they were bottom of the table and still ended up going down and I just wonder if they are about to go on another good run of form. They have improved the side this month and their last two results have been superb. First of all they got a draw against Dorking who are 2nd in the table and then last week they were really impressive in beating Kingstonian last week. If they can repeat those two efforts then they should be more than capable of beating a Carshalton side who have only won 2 of their last 8 league games and have lost 5 on the bounce away from home. Every chance they will have one eye on their FA Trophy match at Barnet next week as well. At 19/10 with BetVictor they are well worth backing.
Dagenham & Redbridge 4pts @ 49/50 with Marathon
Dartford 1pt @ 147/100 with Marathon
Chelmsford 2pts @ 38/25 with Marathon
Southport 1pt @ 121/100 with Marathon
Whitehawk 2pts @ 19/10 with BetVictor
 
Not surprisingly the price has come in on Dagenham although I still think the price is on the right side of value.

Not too many matches tonight, but I have spotted 3 games worth having a bet on.
Brightlingsea Regent v Worthing (Bostik Premier)
The only game Brightlingsea haven't won in their last 7 leagues games was when I put them up as a bet against Tonbridge and they blew a 2 goal lead. Hopefully we can get that cash back tonight as they look a fair price to beat Worthing. The home side have only lost one of their last 10 and are in flying form. Worthing were looking possible title contenders as they had a few games in hand for a while, but their form has taken a downward spiral in recent weeks. They have lost their last 3 and have only won twice in their last 9 league games. I think Regent should be closer to even money than they are so the 13/10 with Marathon, Betway and BetVictor looks well worth taking.
Chesham v Basingstoke (Southern League Premier South)
I have put Chesham up as a bet a few times in the last few weeks and their good form has continued as they have only lost 1 of their last 10 league games. That run includes winning the reverse of this fixture which took place just 10 days ago 3-2. Basingstoke did go down to 10 men once all the goals were scored but Chesham ran out worthy winners. Basingstoke have won just one of their last 5 and have only won 3 away games all season. Chesham should be capable of doing the double and Betway go 11/10 about a home win which is well worth a bet.
Welwyn Garden City v Corby (Southern Division One Central)
It is quite rare that games at step 4 get priced up, but when you get a quiet day like today bookies do drop down to this level because they will offer betting in play on it. Those of you who follow me on Twitter might have seen that I put up a late bet last Tuesday when I opposed Welwyn when they hosted Sutton Coldfield. The reason for doing so was that all but 3 of the team had walked out after the manager resigned. The new manager had signed 10 players and got a couple in from the youth team and amazingly they defied the odds to get a point against Sutton although Sutton were all over them in the 2nd half and should have won. The Welwyn goal was an own goal by the keeper as well. After that point they did manage to get a 0-0 draw on Saturday against Aylesbury United. To get two draws given how little the team knew one another was pretty impressive, but in Corby they are facing really tough opposition for the first time. Corby are looking to win the title and have lost just one of their last 10 league games. They score goals for fun having scored 34 in that time and only two games have they not scored more than 2. That is seriously impressive stuff and it is hard to see how they can't punish a Welwyn side who will still be learning how to play as a team. 5/6 is available with Marathon and that looks too big in my view. I will also be having a smaller bet on Corby to be winning at half time and full time at 15/8 with Bet365.
Brightlingsea Regent 1pt @ 13/10 with Marathon, Betway and BetVictor
Chesham 1pt @ 11/10 with Betway
Corby 4pts @ 5/6 with Marathon
Corby/Corby HT/FT 1pt @ 15/8 with Bet365

Last Saturday wasn't good, but it does seem to be one bad day followed by one good day at the moment so hopefully that means it will be a profitable weekend. I have 6 bets in the 3 National League's this Saturday.
Maidenhead v Solihull
Maidenhead have only lost one of their last 5 games, but they haven't played anyone as good as Solihull in that spell. They lost to bottom side Braintree, Got 4 points in their two games against Aldershot, beat a severely weakened Gateshead 1-0 and then on Tuesday night beat Maidstone. So they have played 3 of the 4 teams below them in the table and a one team who were struggling to put 11 fit men on the pitch. Solihull are now in 3rd place and are just 3 points off Leyton Orient. They did need a replay on Tuesday night to overcome Halifax in the FA Trophy, but obviously with Maidenhead also playing on Tuesday that shouldn't come into it. They also landed the max bet against Gateshead in their last game easier than the 2-1 scoreline suggests. They should be odds on to win this so 11/10 with Betway looks a big price.
Maidstone v Dagenham & Redbridge
I was half tempted to put Maidstone up as a bet on Tuesday night, but thankfully was put off in the end as they lost 4-2 to Maidenhead. That made it 11 losses at home in the league with just the one victory. Whoever comes in as manager has to improve that home form fast. It is often said that a 3G pitch is an advantage for the home team, but it clearly isn't in this case as Maidstone have won 6 times away from home. Dagenham caused us a painful lost a couple of weeks ago after coming from 3-0 down to go 4-3 up and then draw 4-4 with Boreham Wood. Since Dagenham scored two very late goals to beat Hartlepool I have put them up 3 times as a bet and they have failed to win each time. Fair to say they owe us won again and they do look a cracking be here. Their away form has been strong winning 4 of their last 6 and only losing 1-0 to Sutton and Orient. They performed with credit at Salford in the FA Trophy last weekend and they should be favourites to win this. At Marathons' 83/50 they look a really good bet.
Salford v Gateshead
Salford have certainly bounced back from their tricky spell where it looked like they may have fallen out of contention for the title. So on the back of 4 losses on the bounce they then went and beat Wrexham and Leyton Orient without conceding a goal, which was important for them as defensively they had looked very suspect in recent weeks. Gateshead might not be quite as weak as they were against Maidenhead or Solihull, but they have lost manager Steve Watson to York in the meantime. This could hardly be a tougher game for the new manager given Salford have only conceded 13 goals at home losing just one and obviously they have such an impressive team. I think this could be a fairly easy win for the home side as I don't think Gateshead are anywhere near to a side who are 8th in the table at the moment. I think they can overcome the -1 handicap which is 17/10 with Betway.
Bradford Park Avenue v Blyth Spartans
Picking up just 1 point in their last four have meant BPA have fallen from the top spot in the National League North table. It was a poor loss last week to FCUM as well given they are in the relegation zone and had a few players missing. This game should be even harder as well given Blyth haven't lost in 10 league games now. Strangely enough their last defeat was to FCUM. They were superb in the FA Trophy last week beating Boreham Wood and they have recovered nicely after a very poor start to the season. I would have these two much closer together in the betting than the bookies have them and the 23/10 with BetVictor is well worth taking.
AFC Telford v Kidderminster
Telford have very similar home form to Salford in that they have only lost once and conceded just 12 goals. Their away form looks like it will stop them being possible title winners, but they are obviously bang in the play-off hunt. The one team they lost to at home was Bradford whilst they were flying so there is nothing wrong with that at all and they really ought to be shorter than the 8/5 they are with William Hill. The prices make little sense really given Kiddie are 6 points behind their hosts having played a game more. As I have mentioned a few times on here in recent weeks they have been in awful form for weeks now. They have lost 5 of their last 6 games and a win over lowly Hereford was the positive result in that spell. Not surprisingly they sacked their manager last week, but they still lost to Boston and they really do look in free fall at the moment. In my view Telford should be close to even money to win this so they look a fantastic bet.
Truro v Weston-Super-Mare
Ignore the fact Truro lost 5-0 to Stockport in the FA Trophy last Saturday as they played a strong team in good form plus they were pretty much down to the bare bones. They had players cup-tied as well as injured and suspended and they will be able to put out a much stronger team on Saturday. Not only that but Weston are a million miles away from being Stockport. These two teams played each other in the previous round of the FA Trophy and Truro won 4-0. That was their first game back in Truro and they are now there full time. Truro are pulling themselves away from the relegation zone and I think they will be safe. They have won 5 of their last 10 games and their 4 defeats were against Oxford City, Torquay twice and Welling. Weston are nowhere near the level of those 3 and I would be shocked if they didn't go down. There is just enough in the price at Marathon of 53/50 to make the home side a play here.
Solihull 2.5pts @ 11/10 with Betway
Dagenham & Redbridge 2.5pts @ 83/50 with Marathon
Salford -1 1pt @ 17/10 with Betway
Blyth 1pt @ 23/10 with BetVictor
AFC Telford 5pts @ 2/1 with Bet365
Truro 2pts @ 53/50 with Marathon
 
So on Twitter and the message below people have been letting me know about the Telford drift. I have been told that Kidderminster were also heavily backed last Friday before the Boston game and we obviously know how well that gamble turned out! Telford were backed after I tipped them up so some people have got a bigger price on Kidderminster thanks to me. This is far from the first time it has happened to one of my strong bets and it will be Asian money. The Asians base their bets purely on data and I actually like it when they have a different view to me mainly because it allows us to get a bigger price, but also because I am usually on the right side of the result. One that sticks out is last season when I was big on Aldershot to win at Dagenham in a teatime game on TV. This was the week when Dagenham announced they were in trouble and had sold a few players. Clearly the Aisian's took none of this into account as on Saturday afternoon all the money was on Dagenham. Aldershot duly won. Now I obviously can't guarantee Telford will win tomorrow, but what I can guarantee is they are huge value at 2/1 which is freely available with a few bookies including Bet365. I have had two Kidderminster fans on Twitter tell me they have no idea why anyone would want to back them and the fact they are even money for an away game at a team who have only failed to win 4 games at home season is just bizarre especially when you add into the mix their current form. What on earth the Asians use to come up with their bets I don't know but they would be better off doing more homework. 
I don't usually go in again when the price drifts, but plenty of punters do and there is nothing wrong with going against the crowd (given I often back the outsider it works for me) or in this case going against a few people in Asia! Based on the current price I am now bumping Telford up to a max bet. Basically if they had been 2/1 last night when I did my preview I would have put them up as a max bet so I am now adding a further 2 points on them. They might not win, but that price is a huge error and Telford should be the 11/10 shots.

A FCUM fan who follows me on Twitter says FCUM have two 18yo playing in central defence thanks to injuries and suspensions. No idea why BPA should be drifting. He has backed them and I have done so as well.

After last Saturday I certainly needed a night like Tuesday and it was great to land the max bet with Solihull. I know I caused the price to collapse fairly quickly so I doubt most could get on at the bigger prices, but I never thought the price stopped being value and most importantly it was a winning bet. Spennymoor won as well but annoyingly Oxford City ended up only winning in extra time. I am leaving the FA Trophy alone this weekend as there doesn't seem to be much value. You could argue Dagenham are a big price, but Salford put out a strong team in the last round so it seems they are taking the competition seriously. Instead I have 5 bets in the league action that remains. 
Southport v Leamington (National League North)
It won't surprise you to read that I am tipping the home side to win here. They bounced back well from only getting a point against Nuneaton last Saturday by beating Guiseley on Tuesday night. I know I keep saying it but it is so frustrating that they started the season so badly because really they should be in contention for the title on what they have shown in recent weeks and given I put them up ante-post it is annoying. Granted Leamington have been very hard to beat. They have only lost 1 in their last 10 games although they have got a touch of the Chesterfield's because they have drawn 6 of their last 7 games. Despite that I think Southport are value here to get the 3 points at Marathons 21/20 although I would want to chase the price down too much.
Billericay v Chippenham (National League South)
Billericay finally got back to winning ways last Saturday after having a poor Christmas. Despite some players leaving they still have a strong side and a decent budget and I fancy them to get another 3 points here. Chippenham are having a bit of an injury crisis at the moment and it hasn't been helped by an illness going through the team either. They are trying to make additions the the side, but it looks likely they will come in the form of young loanees. In addition to that they are also in poor form at the moment. Their only win in their last 7 games came against a Hampton & Richmond side who are badly out of form and they lost to an Eastbourne side who hadn't exactly been doing a great deal last weekend. Billericay have been backed but they are still value for me at just over evens with Marathon.
Gloucester City v Hungerford (National League South)
It pains me to write these words, but I think Gloucester will go down this season. We haven't won in the league since September 1st and have scored just 17 goals in the league this season. I was at the East Thurrock game last week and we could still be playing now and we wouldn't have scored. Chris Todd's appointment didn't work and he was sacked, but in his place we now have a coaching team of 5 ex players heading by Mike Cook who was assistant manager about 15 years ago and hasn't been a manger for a long time either. Obviously I hope it works, but I have my doubts. Last Saturday we only had 10 fit players and duly lost to a bad East Thurrock side. Two of those players have left since then and I am expecting new signings to come in ahead of Saturday, but unless it is hard to see how the squad can be improved much in the space of a few days. Hungerford aren't great either, but crucially they have won their last two games against Oxford City and Concord which certainly isn't to be sniffed at and they are showing a hell of a lot more than Gloucester are at the moment. What is most strange about this game is that Gloucester are being backed and Hungerford are a huge 21/10 with Bet365. It is only going to be a small bet for now, but I might upgrade it depending on what players we sign ahead of Saturday. Naturally I hope I lose my money here, but the price is too good to turn down.
Walton Casuals v Hartley Wintney (Southern League South)
The home side are very hard to beat at home. They have won all bar two of their last 9 league matches and home and just one of those was a defeat where the keeper was sent off when it was only 1-0. Wintney have only one won of their last 7 away from home and that was at a struggling Basingstoke side. I think there is definite value with going for another Casuals home win at 13/10 with Marathon.
Tonbridge Angels v Kingstonian (Bostik Premier)
Tonbridge annoyingly came from 2 down against Brightlingsea last Saturday to defeat our bet on them (frustratingly Brightlingsea were impressive winners on Tuesday against Bognor), but they face a tougher game here when 2nd place Kingstonian are the opponents. Kingstonian were one of my ante-post picks for this league and like Southport they were looking embarrassing picks early on, but they have zoomed up the table and like I say are now in 2nd place. The only game they have lost in their last 9 was to leaders Haringey and I think they look a good bet to continue the run against a struggling Tonbridge.
Southport 1pt @ 21/20 with Marathon
Billericay 2.5pts @ 26/25 with Marathon  
Hungerford 1pt @ 21/10 with Bet365
Walton Casuals 1pt @ 13/10 with Marathon
Kingstonian 1pt 38/25 with Marathon

My heart can’t take them either especially after what happened Saturday and could just see an injury time equaliser. Fortunately that didn’t happen and we have a nice pay day.

Saturday's results were rather painful and to not end up with at least 1 winner after the way the games had gone was pretty unfortunate. I can only remember 1 team I have backed blowing a 3 goal lead previously and then to have another blow a 2 goal lead on top of that is pretty tough to take. Anyway we move on to the mid-week action and I have 3 bets including the first max bet of the season.
Gateshead v Solihull
Gateshead lost their 1st home game since September against Maidenhead on Saturday and I think they will lose another one on Tuesday night. The home side are having all sorts of injury problems at the moment which means they can't even fill properly fill a subs bench at the moment and that includes 2 goalkeepers and a youth coach who had to come out of retirement to go on the bench against Maidenhead. The fact they only brought 1 sub on and that was in the 84th minute proves how badly they are suffering from injuries. They have recalled 1 player from a loan and have another coming back from suspension, but they are only a small squad and there is every chance a busy period with so few players is also going to play a factor here. The fact they lost to a truly dreadful Maidenhead on Saturday is also prove that this will be a tough game for them. Maidenhead only managed 1 shot on target the whole game and their keeper didn't have to make a proper save all afternoon either. Solihull are a hell of a lot better than Maidenhead and importantly their away form has been pretty strong of late. If you took the last 10 away league games then Solihull come out on top having lost just 3 in that time. Whilst Gateshead were struggling to muster a meaningful shot Solihull were putting 4 past Eastleigh. It was a very impressive performance and if they preform like that again then there will only be one winner. William Hill are biggest about an away win at 9/5 and I think that is massive because they should be favs given the strength of the team Gateshead will be able to put out. I suspect if Gateshead had played a better team than Maidenhead on Saturday it would have been a heavier defeat and Solihull and like I say they are much better than Maidenhead so hopefully they can do the business.
Spennymoor v Kidderminster
Kiddie sacked their manager on Monday which isn't a surprise given they have been struggling for wins over the last couple of months and suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat on Saturday at Darlington. They were really poor as well and this is a very tough game back in the North East. Spennymoor did lose to AFC Telford on Saturday, but that was only their 2nd defeat in their last 10 games and they look in much better shape than their opponents coming into this game. I would make them home side a shade of odds on to win this so 27/25 with Marathon looks a fair enough price.
Maidenhead v Oxford City 
There are 3 FA Trophy replays on Tuesday. I did put Havant up against Dover when the game was originally meant to be played before Christmas as Dover had put out a weakened side in the first game, but it is hard to know what sort of side Dover might put out given the busy festive period is now over so I will leave it for now. This game is sort of a replay because Oxford were in front before the game had to be abandoned so they are having to start again on Tuesday. I put City up that afternoon and I am doing so again and the surprising drift to 16/5 is very appealing. I can only imagine Maidenhead are being backed because they beat Gateshead on Saturday, but as mentioned above their is much more to the bare result. Oxford lost 1-0 to St Albans on Saturday, but they ought to have won really and St Albans were making it 7 games unbeaten. They did lose to Hungerford surprisingly on New Years Day, but prior to that they were unbeaten in 7 having won 6 of them. Given Maidenhead look a National League South side there is every chance Oxford can get back to winning ways here which will be deserved after having the first game abandoned about 15 minutes from the end.
Solihull 5pts @ 91/50 with Marathon
Spennymoor 2pts @ 27/25 with Marathon
Oxford City 1pt 19/5 with Marathon

The following players need to either play next week or vacate the premises

@Chewy12
@Slideside
@jazzman02
@terminator1
@linhdoanPL
 

Not really my strong point but Haringey would be one in the bostik premier 

R.I.P.  Graham  
 

New Year's Day could hardly have gone any better and it was a cracking start to 2019. Hopefully that will continue on the first Saturday of the year and I have 6 bets.
Chesterfield v Ebbsfleet
Martin Allen may have gone, but Chesterfield have gone back to drawing again. They have now drawn both games since he got the sack after losing 4-0 to Solihull. I don't think they will go down as any team who can go unbeaten for so long can't be that bad, but they clearly need to start picking up 3 points. I don't think they will do that here and I fancy Ebbsfleet. As I mentioned on New Year's Day Ebbsfleet are flying at the moment and were really impressive in beating Braintree on Tuesday. Granted they are the worst side in the division, but even so the way they went about beating them was particularly impressive. They are top of last 10 games form table at the moment and I think they should be favourites to win this. 
Dagenham & Redbridge v Boreham Wood
Backing Dagenham a week ago didn't pay off, but they are again a bizarrely big price to win this. They did lose 1-0 to Barnet and then lost by the same scoreline to Orient on Tuesday, but they are clearly still in good form despite those two defeats. I can't understand why they aren't favs for this. Boreham Wood have only won 2 away games all season and the last of those was back on September 18th. Granted they have drawn the same they have lost (6) and they have drawn 5 of their last 6 on their travels, so some people might want the draw onside here. In my view though Dagenham are overpriced to win the game and I am happy to take them to get the 3 points. 
Blyth Spartans v Alfreton (National League North)
Blyth have been flying in recent weeks and haven't lost in 9 games in the league. They had a tough start to the season, but all of a sudden they now look play-off contenders. They have won 6 of their last 8 and the two draws came in the two games against Spennymoor over Christmas. Alfreton have shown a little more since their 7-1 thrashing by Spennymoor. They drew against Stockport, got 4 points over the two Boston games and also lost to Southport. That's not a bad return, but with Blyth in such good form they really should have the edge in this one.
Tonbridge Angels v Brightlingsea Regent (Bostik Premier)
I opposed Tonbridge on Boxing Day when Folkestone beat them 3-1 at a big price and they then went on to lose 3-0 to Carshalton last Saturday. I think it is worth opposing them again here especially as they face an in form team in the shape of Brightlingsea. Those two defeats for Angels mean they have lost 7 of their last 8 games and Regent have won 5 of their last 6. It seems to me that this is one of those games where bookies have priced it up on league positions rather than actual form because it is pretty hard to make a case for the home side at such short odds and they are well worth taking on again.
Kings Lynn v Leiston (Evo-Stik Southern Premier Central)
I make it 15 games unbeaten for Kings Lynn now and it is a shame for them that they had the wrong manager at the start of the season and that Kettering and Stourbridge have pulled away, because they clearly should be in the title battle. They are up to 3rd but they look too far behind the other two to catch them. Still it wont stop them trying and they should be more than capable of beating Leiston. Granted they haven't lost in 5, but on the other-hand they have only won 2 of their last 9 games and they now face one of the best teams in the division.
Bamber Bridge v Grantham (Evo-Stik Northern Premier)
Fair to say it has been a bit of an up and down season for Grantham. They were very good at the start then woeful and at the moment they have re-found their form again having only lost one of their last 5. They have won 3 of them including beating Basford and Gainsborough which were decent efforts. I think they are over priced here to beat a Bamber Bridge side who have only won two of their last ten and have only won one of their last 5 games at home
Ebbsfleet 1pt @ 2/1 with Marathon
Dagenham & Redbridge 1pt @ 101/50 with Marathon
Blyth Spartans 2.5pts @ 103/100 with Marathon
Brightlingsea Regent 1pt @ 21/10 with BetVictor
Kings Lynn 3pts @ 24/25 with Marathon
Grantham 1pt @ 21/10 with BetVictor

What a start to 2019 that was. Chesham getting that 90th minute winner was a hell of result to go with Woking, Ebbsfleet, Stockport and Kings Langley. Hopefully it carries on being this good and I will certainly take 3 profitable days out of 4 over Christmas and New Year.

3 - 0  now
 

2 - 0 WOKING AFTER HALF HOUR FELLAS 

Their ground was going to built on although that has been delayed so they might be going back to Truro at some stage.

Like I said in the preview they are one of the teams I had on my shortlist, but they have only actually won one of their last 5 at home, drawing 3 of them and we all know how Chesterfield love to draw and even with Allen gone they still drew 1-1 on Saturday. I'm not sure Chesterfield are that bad a side. A bad side wouldn't go unbeaten for so long so all in all I thought even money was about the right price for a home win.

I hope so. Have to back Wrexham at the prices especially given Salford are weak at the back.

Truro play their home games at Torquay so it is basically a home game for Torquay and no doubt they will get another 3000+ crowd. Hard to see how they don't win especially as Gloucester ended up giving them a scare on Saturday which should help keep them focused.

December was very tough at times, but Boxing Day and Saturday were profitable so we ended the year in good shape. I had a fairly wide shortlist for New Year's Day but have whittled it down to 7 in the end. The ones that missed out were Dover, Solihull, Southport and Hereford.
Barnet v Boreham Wood
Not sure if John Still retiring had an effect on the Dagenham game on Saturday, but it was obviously a good effort to beat an in form Dagenham. Sounds like they deserved it as well and if they can continue in that form then I think this game offers a good chance to win back to back matches. Boreham Wood won the Boxing Day match 1-0 thanks to an 88th minute winner, but they then had a very poor defeat to Maidstone on Saturday. Their away form is not strong having only won twice on the road in the league and with caretaker manager Darren Currie keen to keep the job full time he will want to make sure his team keep on winning.
Braintree v Ebbsfleet
Got the Ebbsfleet v Eastleigh game very wrong on Saturday as Ebbsfleet fully deserved their 3-0 victory. It was an impressive performance and they look a different side since Gary Hill took over as manager. They looked like a club who might get sucked into the relegation battle, but all of a sudden they will be eyeing another play-off place and if they are to get there then it is games like this they need to pick up 3 points in. Braintree picked up a much needed 3 points on Saturday when beating Maidenhead 1-0, but it was a poor quality game as you would expect and given they have only won once at home in the league all season, the away team look value at a shade odds against.
Salford v Wrexham
It is a shame that BT Sport didn't chose this game to show on New Year's Day as Bromley v Sutton is hardly a big draw. Salford's poor recent run continued on Saturday in a game that was on TV. It was a cracker as well, but Salford lost out at the death at Barrow losing 3-2 having twice come back to level it up whilst having 10 men. Their defence though is a huge weak point and it showed in that game and it certainly showed at Wrexham on Boxing Day when they put 5 past them. They can't keep relying on their strike force to dig them out of trouble and when you play a team as strong defensively as Wrexham then you are going to find it much tougher to score than usual. I put Wrexham up on Boxing Day as they were a big price and they are too big again here especially after getting another good win on Saturday against 5th place Solihull.
Altrincham v Stockport
There were 3 big priced teams I was considering in the National League North and in the end I plumped with just going with Stockport as a bet. Stockport have sneaked into 3rd place in the table and although 7 points behind Bradford Park Avenue you have to think they are possible title contenders as they should be in a much better position to strengthen than the two teams above them. I don't really need to repeat Stockport's stats having put them up on Saturday. Altrincham have only lost once in their last ten games, but that was on Boxing Day at Stockport. They are only 1 point behind their opponents here and are having a very good season back at this level, but on the whole in that spell of 10 games they have had a pretty kind run of fixtures. As Boxing Day showed I think Stockport have the edge and 5/2 about an away win is too big in my book.
Hampton & Richmond v Woking
I said Woking should have been odds on on Boxing Day in this game and they won easily. They weren't at their best on Saturday but still ran out 2-0 winners against Eastbourne and they look value to beat Hampton again. Hampton were 3-0 down to Chippenham and got it back to 3-2, but that was another poor defeat against a team who hadn't won in 7. Basiclly what I wrote on Boxing Day stands for this game and 131/100 with Marathon is too big.
Hendon v Chesham (Southern Premier South)
On the face of it this game is between the team 8th in the table and the team in 20th and you would expect the home side to be short odds in those circumstances and that is the case here. Hopefully though we can take full advantage of those odds because on form they are very wrong. On the 10 game form table Hendon only have a really poor Staines side below them and they have lost 7 of their last 8 games. Chesham on the other-hand have lost just two of their last 10 games and as I mentioned the other week are much better than their current position in the table suggests. No way should the home side be odds on for this and Chesham are over 5/2 with Marathon which is massive. The only slight concern is Hendon didn't play on Saturday so should be a bit fresher, but otherwise it looks a cracking bet.
Kings Langley v Walton Casuals (Southern Premier South)
The table suggests there isn't a great deal between these two sides, but then you look at Walton's away form and see that the home side are well worth a bet. Casuals have one just once on the road and drawn just twice in their 10 league away games. With the home side in really good form at the moment, they have only lost twice in their last 10 league games and got a great 4-3 win at 4th place Harrow on Saturday, they look a good proposition here. Like the game above the tips did play on Saturday when their opponents didn't, but hopefully that won't make any difference here.
Barnet 1pt @ 121/100 with Marathon
Ebbsfleet 2pts @ 21/20 with BetVictor
Wrexham 1pt @ 16/5 with Bet365
Stockport 1pt @ 5/2 with Bet365
Woking 3pts @ 131/100 with Marathon
Chesham 3pts @ 5/2 with Marathon
Kings Langley 2pts @ 28/25 with Marathon

Saturday was a case of so close yet so far. None of the teams lost their games and having caught up with what happened in the games I think only the Stockport match is the only one where the team we were on didn't deserve the 3 points. It continues the frustrating run of form though which is annoying. Boxing Day is always a busy day of football and I have 5 bets throughout the leagues.
Wrexham v Salford
The fact Aldershot's keeper got the man of the match award tells you all you need to know about their game with Wrexham as they couldn't get past him. Back at the Racecourse though I think they can pick up 3 points on Saturday and at the very least are value to do so. Only Leyton Orient have won there this season and even then it took two late goals to nick it. With Salford under performing at the moment this could be a good chance for them to go above them in the table. I was surprised they lost to Dagenham on Saturday and they probably didn't deserve to, but having gone a goal up they really should have put the game to bed. This will be a much tougher game for them and having lost two league games on the bounce it might just be the right time for Wrexham to be facing them. Betway go 2/1 about a home win and I would make Wrexham slight favs for this.
Havant & Waterlooville v Eastleigh
Big local derby this, but I fancy the away side to come out on top. Eastleigh's away form is much better than their away, but they managed to even win at home on Saturday when coming from behind to beat Harrogate 2-1 which was a very good result. Eastleigh had won 5 away games on the bounce prior to their 2-0 lose at Wrexham in their last league game away, but as pointed out above their is no disgrace in that. Now Havant have won 4 home league games on the bounce scoring 16 goals in the process, but they have played the bottom 3 sides and Halifax who have only won one away game all season. This is a huge step up in opposition compared to those 4 and they are suffering for injuries going into this game. They got a solid draw at Hartlepool on Saturday, but they suffered 3 injuries in the process. I think Eastleigh's price of 11/8 with William Hill and Betfred offers fair value.
Woking v Hampton & Richmond (National League South)
Not sure there is a great deal of value around at Step 2 on Boxing Day, but this match really sticks out for me as I really fancy the home side. Hampton surprised me when they beat Welling recently but hopefully we can get or money back here. They were well beaten by Torquay on Saturday and I still think they are a side who might get sucked into a relegation battle. Having faced the top team they now have to face the 2nd team in Woking who were superb on Saturday. Yes Billericay have lost a few players, but they still have a really strong side and Woking were really impressive in beating them 4-0. That had been their toughest test for a while in the league but they overcame it with ease and they are now unbeaten in 6 having won 5 of them. I think Woking should be at least 4/6 for this so the fact they are even money with Marathon surprises me and looks huge value.
Lancaster v Workington (Evo-Stik Northern Premier)
Lancaster started the season in really poor form, but they are working their way away from the relegation zone and they have lost just 3 in their last 10 league matches now. They very nearly beat South Shields on Saturday as well, but having scored in the 87th minute the away side levelled in the 90th. Workington have won just 3 games all season and just one of those have come in the last 10 games. Away from home they have picked up just 2 points all season and things won't have been helped by the fact both central defenders were sent off after the final whistle in the 3-2 defeat to Scarborough on Saturday. BetVictor's 7/5 about a home win looks well worth taking.
Stafford v Nantwich (Evo-Stik Northern Premier)
Nantwich are top of the table and although that is partly because they have played more games than some of those below them they have still lost just 3 league games this season and only one of those have been in the last 10 games. Their only away defeat of the season came against South Shields in their first away game of the season. Stafford had gone 6 home games without a win before beating Hednesford in their last home match, but that doesn't say much as they have only picked up 1 point in their 6 games and won just 1 of their last 10. I'm surprised that Nantwich aren't shorter than 7/5 (BetVictor) for this as they look by far the most likely winners.
Tonbridge Angels v Folkestone Invicta (Bostik Premier)
The away side look a huge price at 9/4 (Marathon and BetVictor). Angels started the season very strongly, but lately things have been mostly miserable. They have lost 5 out of their last 6 games and although they sit in 5th position they look anything but play-off contenders at the moment. They haven't played a league game since December 11th so they will be fresher given Folkestone played at the weekend, but on the other-hand they will be rusty having not played a league game for 2 weeks and given Invicta are in good form this is a very tough first game back. They have only lost to top of the table Haringey, who are really flying at the moment, in their last 6 games and they have won 4 of them. Granted their away form as they have lost 5 of their last 7 on the road, but they have a real chance here of picking up 3 points and I would have them shorter than 9/4.
Wrexham 1pt @ 2/1 with Betway
Eastleigh 2pts @ 11/8 with William Hill and Betfred
Woking 4pts @ Evs with Marathon
Lancaster 2pts @ 7/5 with BetVictor
Nantwich 2pts @ 7/5 with BetVictor
Folkestone 1pt @ 9/4 with Marathon and BetVictor