England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13

[Shipsupstreets]

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[TR] [TD=class: LargeTextWhite]English Blue Square Bet South 2012-2013 [/TD] [TD=width: 65, align: right] [/TD] [TD=class: TdOutlineEndRow, width: 15] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: racingCell, width: 620] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: darkLightDarkText, width: 620] [TR=class: Odd] [TD]Dover Athletic[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]11/2[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Staines Town[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]20/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Even] [TD]Eastleigh[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]7/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Salisbury City[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]20/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Odd] [TD]Welling United[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]7/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Boreham Wood[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]33/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Even] [TD]Chelmsford City[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]8/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Eastbourne Borough[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]33/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Odd] [TD]Billericay[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]9/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Tonbridge Angels[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]40/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Even] [TD]Basingstoke Town[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]10/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Weston Super-Mare[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]40/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Odd] [TD]Sutton United[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]12/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Dorchester Town[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]40/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Even] [TD]Hornchurch[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]12/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Farnborough[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]66/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Odd] [TD]Havant & Waterlooville[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]14/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Bromley[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]80/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Even] [TD]Hayes & Yeading United[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]16/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Truro City[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]100/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: Odd] [TD]Bath City[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]16/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BET [/TD] [TD]Maidenhead United[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center]125/1[/TD] [TD=width: 40, align: center] BE[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Shipsupstreets]

Re: England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13 The latest player to join Eastleigh is Craig McAllister, adding to a strike force that has already been added to with Marvin Williams. They are missing an out-an-out goalscorer but the promise is of more to come and a striker is sure to be top of the list. Elsewhere, the squad looks top heavy with talent and there are no real deficiencies (though defensively they were a touch leaky last season). The major caveat for me is whether Ian Baird is the right boss to get the best out of the squad - his non-league record is patchy - though even if that is factored in, I see no reason why they should be behind Dover in the betting. BetVictor went a tantalising 12s last week for a while, but a best now of 8s is with Ladbrokes. Even though I can't get as excited about them as I was about Woking, they are a sporting play at this price. (Ladbrokes, incidentally, are also best about Chester for the North at 5s, which makes a useful EW double with Eastleigh).

[Bobby Woodruff]

Re: England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13 Billericay don't look too generous at 9's. Have they significantly strengthened from last year when the Urchins ran them so close in the Ryman Prem? Also noted that Tommy Widdrington has strengthened the Eastbourne Boro squad significantly. I would expect them to finish above both Salisbury and Staines.

[Darran]

Re: England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13 Think the bookies arent taking any risk with Billericay and Alger wouldnt know anything about them thus why he put them in so short. They will be mid table at best for me and both of them needed a lot of improvement from what I saw last year. Its not quite as bad as Bishops Stortford at 7s in the BSN but its not far off.

[Shipsupstreets]

Re: England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13

Billericay don't look too generous at 9's. Have they significantly strengthened from last year when the Urchins ran them so close in the Ryman Prem? Also noted that Tommy Widdrington has strengthened the Eastbourne Boro squad significantly. I would expect them to finish above both Salisbury and Staines.

The initial 9s about Billericay has been on the drift and they are a bit more realistically priced now. They do what they do very well but they won't have the same physical edge that they had in the Ryman Prem and there are plenty of sides who can offer the kind of threat that'll put their defence under pressure. I'm not sure about Eastbourne Borough, Bobby. They're a best of 33s, which is a touch higher than I'd set it but I don't think they'll threaten at the business end. Tommy Widdrington is an excellent boss, but he hasn't got a huge amount to play with in terms of resources. I think Matt Turpin is a good signing, and a focused Ellis Remy is quite an asset, but there are still a few 'they'll fit the wage structure' signings in there. He'll get the best out of them but they'll have to go some to make the top five. Staines Town could be interesting this season, though it's a total rebuild job (albeit with David Wheeler staying), and in truth it could go either way. I agree that Salisbury City won't be pulling up any trees. Oddly enough, I think Maidenhead United might be a dark horse after last season and I don't think they deserve to be so far out in the betting.

[Shipsupstreets]

Re: England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13 Moses Ademola has signed for Eastleigh tonight. A very decent acquisition, and he certainly chips in with his fair share of goals - second highest scorer at Woking last season. I wouldn't class him as the out-and-out goascorer that the squad is missing, though he can play centrally as well as out wide. Having said that, the Eastleigh squad is looking pretty formidable.

[Darran]

Re: England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13 Blue Square South Last year I fully expected Woking to walk away with this award and bar the odd scare they did just that. This year it looks wide open. Dover and Eastleigh are at the head of the market and I expect both to be up there at the end. Dover were a bit of a disappointment last year as they drew too many games and lacked someone to put the ball into the net. Signing Callum Willock from Ebbsfleet was a great coup and he should score plenty. The issue I have is that bar him they may still struggle for goals and I doubt he can bag enough by himself to win them the title. Eastleigh have been the big spenders in the league this season, but even at 6/1 (Betfred) I am happy to get involved. They have signed some quality players and look to have a squad capable of winning the league. I am slightly concerned about manager Ian Baird’s capabilities, but it may well be a case of he can’t fail with the squad at his disposal. Sutton finished fourth last term and considering that they look to have a stronger squad this time around, their odds of 16/1 (bet365) surprise a little. That was their first year back at this level and they look capable of building on that. They have made some great additions over the summer and look to have a better chance than a few of those above them in the betting. At even bigger odds I think it is worth having a small interest on Boreham Wood. They had a solid enough season after gaining promotion last term and look in good shape to improve on that this time around. I am always wary of pre-season friendly results, but they are having a decent summer. I also caught them at the end of last season where they looked to have a side worth keeping an eye on. Retaining Omar Riza is key as I believe he is capable of playing at a higher level and with him in the starting XI, odds of 28/1 (bet365) look too big.

[Shipsupstreets]

Re: England > Antepost > BlueSQ Bet South 2012/13 The comparison between last season's Woking and this season's Eastleigh is close: they've got last season's Woking stars Dale Binns and Moses Ademola on board and, like Woking, have a midfield that's a generous mile ahead of anything in the section. Perhaps one could quibble about the central defensive partnership of Andy Forbes and Tom Jordan (they looked pretty shaky when I saw them in friendly action last month) and maybe they haven't got the kind of goalscorer who notches for fun (both of these same question marks were raised about Woking last season). Like Woking last season - a complete jolly for this thread come kick-off - Eastleigh have been steadily backed down since the initial offerings (a jumpy BetVictor have gone from 12s to 7/2). And yet there remains one major difference when you compare the sides: Woking had a veteran pot-winner at the helm in Garry Hill and Eastleigh don't. Regulars on this thread over the seasons will recall that Ian Baird hasn't really set the Conny South alight in all his years at this level. Starting at Havant with a reasonable budget, he didn't always make the most of his resources, although after he left - to be fair - Shaun Gale managed some cup success with what was in part Baird's side. At Eastleigh he has had mixed fortunes, and partly that has been due to a lack of clarity over what exactly the club have been trying to achieve. There have been spells were they have spent, though not with the level of commitment they are showing now; at others, they have experimented with youngsters and a full-time element. Off the field there does seem to be the kind of stability to see this project through, though I believe they are heavily linked to the fortunes of one company, which does add a potential vulnerability to their situation (though in truth it was ever thus in non-league matters). Having seen plenty of Baird's Eastleigh over recent seasons, I sometimes feel he's a tentative manager who reacts rather too late to situations. But there are some plusses in his favour - he clearly knows the game inside out, and did his time as a non-league player. He has a solid backroom staff to call on. He also seems to be pretty good with players and should be able to keep them onside, even though keeping everyone happy is going to be a hell of a job - with Marvin Williams, Moses Ademola, Lee Peacock and Craig McAllister to fill two (and sometimes maybe one) forward berth there is going to be a lot of man-management required. But I expect a massive season from Jai Reason, performing in a similar role to Jack King at Woking last season. There is still plenty of fives available and that's not the worst price you'll ever see, though I won't be taking any more as I've been feeding on better numbers. I've been generally dismissive of Dover Athletic's chances over the summer, but the signing of Ben May is a real coup. Callum Willock (who along with Jai Reason is the signing of the season in the section) needs that sort of figure alongside him, given that Nicky Forster himself will probably be only be able to do cameo roles. Dover are probably slightly ahead of Eastleigh in terms of forward power, though they are not as strong in midfield. Defensively, both sides are equal. They both have biggish squads to call on and - rather annoyingly - it seems the bookies have got the section right. I'd still give Eastleigh the edge but I think it will come down to how well the managers perform. Last season, Dartford didn't get going until the late autumn, but they were a match for Woking after that. I thought Garry Hill did a great job in negotiating the final months of the season when Dartford were on their tail. Neither Dover nor Eastleigh are led by a Garry Hill this season, and it will be pretty close but I still give Eastleigh the edge. After that, it looks hugely open. I'd give Havant & Waterlooville a chance EW at 12s, though the price is not as appealing as it was last season when Dartford were my pick at this mark. They have a winner at the helm now in Stuart Ritchie and he's assembled a decent squad, with Sahr Kabba and Ollie Palmer looking like a devilish attack, and Steffan Bailey adding the midfield beef they've been missing, and as long as they can keep Christian Nanetti they'll have the one of the most entertaining non-league players you'll ever see. I'm a bit worried about their defence, but at this price they are worth an EW play. Any significant weakness from the market headers and they'll do well. After that, the lottery really starts. Some upper-mid-table sides have been going backwards this summer, but some have an unknown-quantity feel about them. How must Maidenhead United feel, set further out than troubled Truro City? I will be watching Hayes & Yeading United with interest as they might emerge as credible play-off challengers later in the season (though it could easily go the wrong way, so I'm not backing them unless there is a price drift early doors), and I think Basingstoke Town can build on a solid second-half of the season. Having said that, there are at least a dozen sides chasing those play-off places. Sutton United could go well, with the exciting Kyle Vassell likely to cause a lot of problems, and Chelmsford City won't be too far away. I'd set a top five of Eastleigh, Dover Athletic, Havant & Waterlooville, Hayes & Yeading United and Basingstoke Town, though as things stand I can't get too excited about Eastleigh at 5s as the section is too open and I'm already on at healthier prices, though it's worth popping them in any EW league accas.