Odds & Sods
Cup games are sound enough for singles and doubles for the careful, but for even small accumulators they are full of one-off 'upset' traps and are perhaps best avoided altogether for them fun bets if we want to keep a realistic chance of a return.
And so with the English FA Cup taking a chunk out of the coupon for Fab Four fans this week, finding odds-against opportunities that have some resemblance of daylight between the competitors is a little more challenging than usual.
Still, this Saturday we have four of our season's money-makers all available for another possible bite at decent odds. However, as pointed out, due to severely limited overall selections this could be a possible 'Best Of The Worst' investment and stakes should perhaps be supplemented with a silent prayer to the heavens.
THIS WEEK¹S FAB FOUR
Dundee United v HIBERNIAN @ 7/5
4th placed Hibs had a couple of bumps at the hands of Rangers and Hearts who ended their six match unbeaten run with two defeats in the first fortnight of November. Hibs re-started their winning ways at home to Dundee (2-1) and Motherwell (3-1). The only recent blips being a draw away to even higher-flyers Dunfermline and Wednesdays narrow defeat versus Celtic. Second bottom United have yet to win at home this season and with only 3 wins in total it's doubtful the Edinburgh men are any mood to let the Arabs make it four at their expense.
Ayr United v INVERNESS CT @ 1/1
A rare opportunity to get back onto 1st Division leaders ICT at odds-against. Eight straight wins in a row since their defeat by romping Clyde back in September and 4 wins-in-a-row prior to that. Ayr perhaps a little fortunate to be as high as 5th despite 6 games without a win before beating St Johnstone at Perth (who hasn't?) and followed this with a home win against Alloa before reverting back to losing ways last week v St Mirren at Love Street.
ICT's superb run has to end some time but hopefully it will happen on one of the many occasions where they are odds-on and we normally jump off their bandwagon.
CLYDE v St. Johnstone @ 11/10
Clyde in 3rd place courtesy of an earlier 3-0 trouncing of ICT that signalled the beginning of an eight game run without defeat until they met ICT once again last week and the Highland Jags took their revenge to the tune of 1-0.
St Johnstone are in 4th place due largely to good form earlier in the season but since then almost half the league has taken a bite out of them. Only 7 wins out of 16 games, and four of these victories were way back in August, should not impress the Bully Wee in the slightest who will be champing at the bit to get back to their more familiar winning ways.
Burnley v NOTTINGHAM FOREST 7/4
3rd place Forest have six draws to blame for not being in a more commanding position in Division 1. Out of their only four defeats this season however, 3 were back in August and early November.
A more recent brace of victories first against Brighton, then followed by Ipswich last week may be an indication they have at last lost the drawing habit- at least at home. They travel to Burnley currently in 9th place, who have managed only two wins and 2 draws from their last 8 games.
The four defeats include the 2-1 reverse to 7th placed Watford last Saturday. Enough to suggest that Forest's even higher league position, if not slightly better form, may prove a little too much for the struggling Clarets.
Suggested Bet. Perm all four trebles + the fourfold @ £1.00 per unit=£5.00
TREBLES RETURN -
Forest/Hibs/ICT -£13.20
Forest/Hibs/Clyde -£13.86
Forest/ICT/Clyde -£11.55
Hibs/ICT/Clyde -£10.08
FOURFOLD RETURNS -£27.72
TOTAL RETURN = £76.41
AND THE REST
For singles and doubles take your pick from above or from the best of the rest below.
English 1st Division
C. Place v MILLWALL 9/5
Derby C v WATFORD 11/5
Reading v PORTSMOUTH 11/10 *12 noon k.o.*
FA Cup
6/5 BRISTOL ROVERS v Rochdale
13/10 CAMBRIDGE V Northampton
Stockport v PLYMOUTH 21/10
York v BRENTFORD 13/10
SFL Div 1
13/10 ROSS COUNTY v St Mirren
Div 2
Elgin v PETERHEAD 11/10
Div 3
5/4 STENHOUSEMUIR v Brechin
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