Friday Night Football - From Rags to 'Ritchies' for Di Canio

Friday night sees a couple of lower league games that can get the weekend kicked off to a nice start, the football action seems to be coming thick & fast with the European action keeping busy through the week but until we get past the group stages it's still the weekends everyone looks forward to.

 

('Different Class' Matt Ritchie (in white) will be hoping to keep up his impressive form)

Four points separate Macclesfield (18^th) & Swindon (10^th) who meet on Friday night in League Two. So far this season both clubs have a similar league record, of the 5 games they’ve each played at home they’ve only each been defeated once whereas away from Moss Rose & the County Ground respectively each club has picked up just one victory. Gary Simpson’s Macclesfield were defeated by bottom club Plymouth last week thanks to two set pieces. Following the match Simpson suggested that changes to his team selection for the up & coming fixtures was likely. Swindon have been scoring plenty goals of late, including 4 in their last game against Barnet & 3 against pre season favourites Crawley Town. Midfielder Matt Ritchie has been the standout performer, after the Barnet victory Ritchie was described by manager Paulo Di Canio as ‘a different level’ & his delivery to the forwards as ‘different class’. Ritchie’s form alongside Scotsman Simon Ferry & summer signing Jonathan Smith should be able to provide Alan Connell & Mehdi Kerrouche (8 goals between them this season) the ammunition to hurt the Silkmen who could be without teenage defender Elliott Hewitt who is likely to leave the club shortly.

The other Friday evening League Two encounter pits two of the early pacesetters against one another, Southend take on Shrewsbury at Roots Hall. Southend come into the game on the back of 3 straight victories without conceding a goal. The Shrews themselves have been in good form winning 6 or their previous 7 league games. In Southend’s 5 league home fixtures to date there have been just 9 goals & in Shrewsbury’s 5 away games this term just 11 goals suggesting this one could be a tight affair against the sides separated by a solitary point. For that reason we think a small bet on no goalscorer at 10/1 complements a decent bet on under 2.5 goals at 10/11.

Selections:

Swindon to beat Macclesfield at 11/8 (Bet365 & Victor Chandler)

Macclesfield vs Swindon – both teams to score at 3/4 (Blue Square & 888sport)

Southend vs Shrewsbury under 2.5 goals at 10/11 (William Hill)
Southend vs Shrewsbury no goalscorer at 10/1 (William Hill)