Non-League Predictions - 15th October

[Darran]

Blyth Spartans v Wrexham

Clearly Wrexham should be odds on to win this, but I can't resist having a small bet on the home team at 20/1. We know Wrexham don't travel well and although Blyth are hardly one of the better Step 2 sides they might be able to cause them some problems. I'm not sure Parkinson will want to risk some of his stars either which will as well. Also if Wrexham defend as well as they did against Barnet last week then Blyth have a great chance of getting a goal at the very least.

 

Barnet v Weston-Super-Mare

Speaking of Barnet they clearly didn't defend very well either and are conceding goals for fun at the moment. The have let in 20 goals in their last 4 games and have kept just 2 clean sheets all season as well. Weston are having a cracking season so far and are the leading scorers in their league at the moment. They have real quality up front who if Barnet give them a chance can take full advantage. Barnet are scoring goals and whilst Weston will be facing very different players from who they face in the league, they have only conceded 7 goals this season. If they defend strongly then they could keep Barnet fairly quiet on that front. This is a tricky game for the home side and Weston are a spot of value to cause an upset.

 

Beckenham v Dagenham & Redbridge

I am going to this game on Saturday as they are one of my local sides. I hadn't been to a Beckenham game prior to this season and I have been to see them in two earlier rounds of the competition including the previous round where they beat Binfield 5-3. Beckenham won their league last season and are playing at Step 4 for the 1^st time. They are doing well as well and only lost their first game last Saturday when having 10 men for a lot of the game didn't help. They beat Dartford in the 2^nd qualifying round so have already caused one upset and I think they have a chance of causing an even bigger one here. They have some good players in their team and striker Louis Theopanous would be the pick of them. He has been around Non-League for a while now and he is capable of scoring goals. I'm certain he will get chances in this game as Dagenham love to concede chances. York had an xG of 3 against them on Tuesday night and really should have beaten them as the game ended 1-1. Apart from beating Chesterfield, Dagenham's away form has been pretty bad and with them suffering from a few injuries I just wonder if McMahon wont want to risk some of his stars. I suspect there will be plenty of goals in the game as both teams have seen plenty of goals in their games season. Dagenham will be dreading this game and I think Beckenham have it in them to reach the 1^st round for the first time in what will be their 7^th game in the competition already.

 

Boreham Wood v Wealdstone

Last week we were on Wealdstone to win at home against Boreham Wood and they lost 2-1. The first half Wealdstone weren't great, but they were much better in the 2^nd half especially after they went 2 down. The Boreham Wood 2^nd goal was from a rebound from a penalty and then it was pretty much all Wealdstone. Their assistant manager said that he thought they had been excellent again and that they aren't getting the rewards for the performances. That they had 8 good chances to their four and should have had a stonewall penalty. He also thought they dominated the game and should have won and whilst that is probably stretching a bit, they did more than enough to get a point at least. I'm happy to back them again here as I think last week proved their isn't much between the two sides and after their good run in the FA Cup last season I reckon the priority will be the league for the home side whereas Wealdstone will see this as a good chance to pick up some money.

 

Buxton v Hyde

This was a league game last season and I could have understood the prices then because Hyde weren't great last term and Buxton won the league. This season though Buxton are struggling to win matches in National League North, indeed at home they have only won once and have drawn 4 times. Hyde have been doing much better in the league this time around and have only lost twice whilst recording some good victories. They did lose to a team from the league below in the FA Trophy last week, but I would imagine this game was a distraction as it is a good chance for them to get into the 1^st round. Buxton clearly should be favourites, but there isn't as big a difference as the bookies have in my view.

 

Maidenhead v Eastbourne

This is just the type of game that Maidenhead will lose. They thrive in the big games against the big clubs, but play against a lesser side in the league and they tend to struggle. Maybe it being the Cup they will perform better, but I think it is worth taking a chance on Eastbourne causing an upset. As I highlighted last week Eastbourne are very inconsistent and it was one of their better performances when they ended up beating Weymouth 5-1 after going a goal down. If they are at their best and Maidenhead under perform then an upset has a decent chance of happening.

 

South Shields v Scunthorpe

South Sheilds have got a very good side this season and one who would be in play-off contention in National League North in my view. I know Scunthorpe have improved since the change of manager, but I suspect there probably isn't a huge amount between these two sides and certainly not as much as the odds suggest so I am happy to back the home side to cause an upset.

 

Alfreton v Gloucester (National League North)

I am backing my own side here who are a big price to beat Alfreton on Saturday. The home side have been hard to beat at home this season with only Chorley leaving with 3 points, but Gloucester getting Steve King in as manager is a huge plus for me. Over the years I have always let it known what a big fan I am of King at this level as he has proven time and time again what a good manager he is. He usually gets his sides into the play-offs at the very least and I am expecting a big improvement to come. I wasn't sure what would happen last week against Southport so I left the game alone and City came from 2 goals down to win 3-2 which was impressive especially given King had yet to sign any players. I am expecting new players to arrive although I also expect they wont be announced until Saturday so I have no names as of yet. What was good to see last week were the positive tactics that were used compared to the negative tactics of the previous manager. I don't think there is much between these two sides at all and the odds don't reflect that so I am happy to back an away win.

 

Blyth Spartans 0.5pts @ 20/1 with Skybet, Paddy Power and Betfair (take up to 12/1)

Weston-Super-Mare 1pt @ 100/30 with Betfair and Paddy Power (take up to 11/4)

Beckenham 1pt @ 13/2 with William Hill, Betfair, Paddy Power and Betfred (15/2 with BetVictor and 7/1 with Skybet take up to 5/1)

Wealdstone 1pt @ 29/10 with Betfair (take up to 2/1)

Hyde 1pt @ 4/1 with William Hill, Betfair, Paddy Power (take up to 5/2)

Eastbourne 1pt @ 3/1 with Paddy Power, William Hill, Betfair, Coral, Ladbrokes and Betfred (take up 11/5)

South Shields 1pt @ 13/5 with Bet365 (14/5 with William Hill and take up to 2/1)

Gloucester 1pt @ 100/30 with Bet365 (take up to 2/1)