Lower league & International winners all rolled into one!

We're back & after a pretty mediocre weekend last time ended our lovely run of winning weekend after running weekends we're trying to get back on track & we've got our usual football picks plus a horse racing one too! It's been a while since we turned to the horses on the blog as the flat season was a little disappointing in our opinion with pretty much just Frankel out in front & then the rest an awful long way back, the jumps are back though & we do occasionally hear things as we're situated right in premier jumps trainer country here in Somerset so we'll try to share when we can.

Stanjames.com International Hurdle

(Zarkandar & connections could be celebrating another win on Saturday)

This race looks like being the best it's been in many a year with three strong contenders for Champion Hurdle glory at the Cheltenham festival in March facing off against each other. We've a real belief in Paul Nicholls' classily bred Zarkandar, the half brother to Arc heroine Zarkava & think that he can win this before going on to win the big one at the festival.

Zarkandar could only manage 5th in the championship race last season whilst Rock On Ruby won the big one - there had however been health problems with various horses at Nicholls' Ditcheat yard in the buildup to Cheltenham & although Rock On Ruby was nominally his horse it was actually trained many miles away by Harry Fry who now holds his own licence & trains the horse in his own right. Zarkandar holds an advantage over Rock On Ruby anyway this time after winning on seasonal debut at Wincanton giving weight away all round & always holding the runner up, stablemate Prospect Wells. Rock On Ruby hasn't raced yet this season & it's a tough ask to win first time out in this company. The chief threat may instead come from last year's winner Grandouet who's already lost twice when taking on Zarkandar, coming 3rd in the Triumph in 2011 & then when getting brought down 2 fences out at Aintree when looking to be going just as well as the selection - we however weren't convinced Grandouet would necessarily have found enough to get past the battling favourite. Nicky Henderson's gelding hasn't however raced since last year's renewal & we think Zarkandar is the best of these anyway even without the fitness advantage so back him at odds of 5/4 for a nice win on the horses.

Leyton Orient vs Scunthorpe United

Down in League One, Leyton Orient entertain Scunthorpe United at the Matchroom Stadium. Leyton Orient are on 31 points & in 11th place whilst Scunthorpe are struggling in a lowly 23rd.

(Star Man Kevin Lisbie scored both goals in the 2-0 away victory at Bury)

The O's are in fanatstic form currently with five straight league wins & Russell Slade's side are brimming with confidence. The catalyst seems to be a change in formation to 4-4-2 which has allowed the team to get more crosses into the box for striking duo Kevin Lisbie & David Mooney to thrive & put away the goals. They have a combined 13 goals in all competitions & between them they have scored one or more in each of their last eight games including FA Cup matches. They have kept two consecutive clean sheets & have only conceded nine goals in ten home matches so look a good at both ends of the pitch.

Opposition Scunthorpe have suffered 12 defeats in their 21 league games & have only recorded four victories against sides in positions of 15th & lower. They have lost their last three league games against Bury, Doncaster Rovers & AFC Bournemouth with a disappointing 8 goals conceded. They have conceded 39 goals at & average of 1.86 per game & they won't be looking forward to the prospect of facing Kevin Lisbie & co. We expect Leyton Orient to be too strong for a poor Scunthorpe outfit at the best price of 23/20 at BetVictor.

Gillingham vs Fleetwood Town

This game in League Two sees the two teams that have conceded the least & 2nd least goals in the division as leaders Gillingham host Fleetwood Town who are sitting high in the table in 8th place but have only won one of their last 7 league games.

(Gillingham need to get skipper Danny Kedwell scoring again)

Gillingham have basically been the classiest operators in the league this season & they've lost only 3 times so far, being absolutely formidable on the road & not at all bad at home either although they're looking to bounce back after a shock reverse to Exeter last time they were at the Priestfield Stadium. The Gills started the season absolutely flying with 7 wins & a draw in their first 8 games & it was always going to be unlikely they could keep that pace going but they've still done well although they could do with captain Danny Kedwell getting back on the goal trail again although veteran striker Deon Burton has got 3 in the last 4.

The fast start  subsequent slowdown is a similar story for Fleetwood but their pace has really dropped off in recent games where they haven't been scoring enough to turn draws into wins (they've had 8 ties in 21 games, 2nd most in League Two). The fact that their left back Junior Brown is their top scorer shows where Fleetwood's troubles lie as they are pretty good at defending their own goal, you need a high powered attack to breakdown Gillingham usually & it looks a very difficult assignment. Back Gillingham at odds of 10/11 to beat Fleetwood & show why they are 5 points clear at the top of the table.

Selections:
Zarkandar to win the International Hurdle at Cheltenham 3.05 - odds of 5/4 currently
Leyton Orient to beat Scunthorpe United at 23/20 (BetVictor)
Gillingham to beat Fleetwood Town at 10/11 (Boylesports & Coral)

QPR can stop West Brom's Home Run Hitting

We always try to keep things relatively simple here at Like Buying Money & also make sure we don't flood you with selections, preferring instead a measured & selective approach - it pays off sometimes & we were delighted to see a couple of away sides win at tasty odds for us in the week & we're looking to play away again this weekend with picks from the Premier League & League Two.

West Bromwich Albion vs Queens Park Rangers

We were happy to go against QPR on Monday night when they hosted West Ham but there are a few reasons to believe they may just offer a bit of value when travelling to the Midlands to take on West Brom at The Hawthorns.

(Adel Taarabt loves Allah & we'll love Taarabt if he helps QPR beat West Brom)

Steve Clarke's men have been getting plenty of plaudits for their good start to he season but they have run into a few opponents who just haven't performed in their early games especially Merseyside duo Liverpool & Everton who both threw in very poor displays against the Baggies & they've also been lucky enough to face a clueless Reading side. Those three home games have accounted for all of West Brom's wins but that is three more than QPR who remain winless yet Mark Hughes seems to genuinely have the support of the club as he continues to work to bed down his multitude of new players. That faith in Mark Hughes inside the club whilst many outside question his position & the results could just help to create a siege mentality amongst his players & he has plenty who could prove effective if they can just learn to function as a team. Zamora & Cisse provide such a physical presence up front & have formed a real partnership with one dropping off when the other moves forward & we could see the mercurial Adel Taarabt make a start after his stunning strike brought Rangers back into the game on Monday night.

QPR still have problems at the back but it looks possible that Fabio, Anton Ferdinand & Jose Bosingwa could all return for Saturday's game & that would make them a bit quicker going down the wings plus although he isn't the greatest player Ferdinand will provide some much needed leadership at the back. West Brom have a boost with Peter Odewingie available after his silly suspension but he mightn't get straight back in with Long & Lukaku having done reasonably well so far, we could see there being an atmosphere in the dressing room whatever decision is made there & creates a little bit of risk for the  manager. Captain Chris Brunt is out for West Brom & also right back Billy Jones as they both went off injured in the derby game against Villa. West Brom were second best against Villa even though they took the lead & it might be that they are running out of steam a little bit after a good start, even though QPR had the worst away record in the league last year we think they offer value here at odds of 100/30.

Oxford United vs Gillingham

Gillingham lost their unbeaten record last weekend but have been 100% on the road & overall have 8 wins from their first 10 in the league, here they travel to take on Oxford who have form that is a little more mixed with 4 wins & 6 losses, those 6 defeats were all in a row & only stopped when beating disappointing AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night.

(Matt Fish has been in good form for a well-balanced Gillingham side this season)

Gillingham just seem to be really rolling with Danny Kedwell in the form of his life since being made captain & the signing at the other end of the pitch of Stuart Nelson has helped shore things up at the back. Not many would have predicted Deon Burton would have proved a success after two years in Azerbaijan but he's come back & found the net 4 times showing that even at 35 he can still just about cut it at this level & all of his goals have come in different games which is something we like to see rather than scoring in bunches. The Gills have only conceded 7 so far & Joe Martin & Matt Fish have been really impressive at the full back positions working hard & supporting in attack.

Oxford have just lacked a bit of resilience at times & their forwards Dean Smalley & Tom Craddock aren't likely to strike fear into the Gillingham defence, they have got a bright spark in Alfie Potter though he's got 4 so far this season after returning from a broken ankle. Oxford do have injury problems though with keeper Wayne Brown coming off injured in midweek & Michael Raynes & Lee Cox also substituted. Gillingham will be without suspended duo Danny Jackman & Charlie Allen but have players to cover & getting odds against for them to win here looks a steal. Back Gillingham to prevail at 8/5 with William Hill, we think the Gills are a fair bit superior actually so odds of 25/1 for a 3-0 win are also worth a small wager.

Selections:
Queens Park Rangers to beat West Bromwich Albion at 100/30 (Totesport & Betfred)
Gillingham to beat Oxford United at 8/5 (William Hill)
Gillingham to win 3-0 at 25/1 (Coral & William Hill)

Home Wins on the Horizon - Gills, Tigers & Mackems Ahoy!

We're back with picks for Saturday after being let down by Brentford on Thursday night even as they dominated chances thanks to an offside Leyton Orient goal & Brentford's inability to find the back of the net. Hopefully things will run more smoothly here as we avoid League One altogether & instead preview matches from League Two, the Championship & Saturday's late Premier League kickoff.

Gillingham vs Bristol Rovers


 (Gillingham skipper Danny Kedwell has 5 goals (all competitions) already this season)

Down in League Two, top of the table Gillingham host Bristol Rovers at the Priestfield Stadium. Last weekend we tipped up Gillingham away at Barnet & they didn't let us down with a comfortable 3-1 victory. The Gills have 13 points from a possible 15 so far with their only blip being a 1-1 draw with Chesterfield. Skipper Danny Kedwell & striking partner Deon Burton are in good goalscoring form with six league goals between them & midfielder Myles Weston has also chipped in with a couple. After relegation from League One Bristol Rovers have made a poor start to the season with two defeats & two draws so far & needed an injury time equaliser from substitute Fabian Broghammer to savage a 2-2 draw against Aldershot Town last Saturday. They are yet to keep a clean sheet & have conceded eight goals in the process so free scoring Gillingham look a reasonable price at 13/16 to put a few goals past them & keep up their impressive start.

 Hull City vs Millwall


(Abdoulaye Faye - strong at the back & always a threat at set pieces)


Steve Bruce's Hull City are looking to continue their solid start to the season as they entertain Millwall at the KC Stadium. Bruce has made a number of good signings this summer most notably ex-Rangers striker Sone Aluko, centre half Adboulaye Faye & most recently Irish midfielder Stephen Quinn. All three players starred last weekend as they put Championship pre-season favourites Bolton Wanderers to the sword in a comfortable 3-1 victory. Again this season Hull have looked solid at the back with centre half partnership of Faye & Alex Bruce already registering two clean sheets & should be able to cope with the Millwall strike force of Darius Henderson & Andy Keogh. Millwall have made a reasonable start with two wins & two defeats so far but look vulnerable at the back having conceded nine goals in five games in all competitions. Hull can use their solid base to take advantage of the soft Millwall defence & grab all three points at the best price of 23/20 with Betvictor.

Sunderland v Liverpool

Finally we come to the Premier League & the battle of the Northern Irish managers as Martin O'Neill's well organised Sunderland side play host to Brendan Rodgers' underachieving Liverpool. Until Liverpool prove that they can score goals they are a side to be avoided against whoever they're playing, the signing of Fabio Borini for £10m convinced no one at the time & his composure in front of goal has been lacking, Luis Suarez meanwhile pulled his old trick of hitting the woodwork whilst on international duty for Uruguay & doesn't look like the natural predator he was in Holland.

(Sunderland's James McClean is one of the Premier League's brightest young talents)

Sunderland have only had the two Premier League games thanks to their game with Reading being cancelled but they've gained draws at Arsenal & Swansea & should be much happier at home. The signing of Steven Fletcher from Wolves raised a few eyebrows thanks to the fee paid but he's reached double figures in his past two seasons in the league & that's impressive considering he was playing for basically a poor side, he started off in impressive fashion with a brace against the Swans. We like Stephane Sessegnon a lot & the attacking midfielder brings the best out in the players around him, James McClean could be one to benefit here as he looks to prove a point after his Twitter outburst when left out of the starting lineup for Ireland. We basically agree that it was ludicrous he couldn't secure a starting berth for ROI but he shouldn't have spoken out, at odds of 11/2 to score anytime it's worth backing the young Irishman.

Liverpool certainly do have a solid core & are strong at the back with Agger & Skrtel & although Reina seems to be increasingly susceptible to handling errors he's still one of the league's best. Steven Gerrard remains a first choice pick for Liverpool seemingly regardless of his performance levels though & he'll be more tired than most after (nearly) playing two full games for England. At his best Gerrard is still capable of winning matches single handedly with his Roy of the Rovers style but nondescript performances are becoming more regular & if he has one here the Reds could be in trouble. Sunderland should be fresher than most teams & a high energy performance can see them make their odds look a steal, back the Mackems at 9/4 to get the win.

Selections:
Gillingham to beat Bristol Rovers at 13/16 (Pinnacle)

Hull City to beat Millwall at 23/20 (BetVictor)

Sunderland to beat Liverpool at 9/4 (Various)
James McClean to score anytime at 11/2 (William Hill) in Sunderland v Liverpool game

International Football? Pah! Give us Yeovil v Bournemouth any day!

It's international qualifiers this weekend meaning a break for the top two tiers of English football but that doesn't mean the action & betting opportunities have stopped as we've got League One & Two games as their season really starts to take shape & get rolling. We can't say we're big fans of international qualifiers full stop with some real mismatches & often fairly tepid low scoring games, give us the thrills & spills of the ultra competitive lower leagues any day!

Barnet vs Gillingham

In League Two we have an early season top vs bottom clash takes place as Barnet host Gillingham at the Underhill Stadium, Gillingham have made an unbeaten start whilst Barnet are already struggling with only a solitary point after four games.

(Myles Weston has made an instant impact for the Gills with two goals)

Manager Martin Allen has had a good start to his reign with three victories & a draw in the league so far. On the road they have won both league games beating Wycombe Wanderers & Dagenham & Redbridge & also Championship Bristol City in the Capital One Cup. Last season they were the league's top goalscorers with 79 goals & have started in the same vein with midfielder Myles Weston & skipper Danny Kedwell bagging six between them in all competitions.

Barnet were favorites for relegation in the ante-post betting & so far they are living up to expectations. They have lost three of their four games against Port Vale, newly promoted York City & Rochdale & conceded eight goals in the process. Their draw came against Bristol Rovers who themselves have had a very disappointing start to the season & only sit one place above Barnet in 23rd spot.

Gillingham lost in midweek away to Crawley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy but put up a spirited display & they aren't going to be too disappointed that they now have the league to concentrate on as they look to make a genuine promotion push after last season's disappointment of finishing one place outside of the palyoffs. Gillingham's attacking players will be licking their lips in anticipation of this trip & would expect to add to their goal & points tally against a poor Barnet side at the best price of Evens with SkyBet.

Yeovil Town vs Bournemouth

(Yeovil have surprised many with their start to the season - helped by astute signings such as keeper Marek Stech)

Yeovil have had a cracking start to the campaign & similarly to Gillingham above have begun their season with three wins & a draw in the league, the Glovers are hosting Bournemouth this Saturday & the Cherries have yet to win so far with just three draws & a loss to their name. The two sides also had differing fortunes in midweek in their Johnstone's Paint Trophy matches with Yeovil coming away victorious against local rivals Bristol Rovers with a 3-0 win & Bournemouth losing to fellow south coast side Portsmouth on penalties.

Yeovil have basically looked very impressive this year, dominating against Coventry in their first game (65% possession) but only getting a 1-1 draw, they've been more clinical since & gained great away wins against Brentford & Scunthorpe before a measured 2-1 win against Doncaster last Saturday (Doncaster only scored with a late consolation goal). New goalkeeper Marek Stech has slotted right into the team & with more game time the 22 year old Czech stopper could make up into a player who can compete at a higher level, they've only concede 3 in their first 4 games. Stech will need to be at his best because Bournemouth shouldn't have problems scoring with Lewis Grabban up front although they could do with local lad Matt Tubbs coming back to form.

Bournemouth scored three against Sheffield United last week but still ended up losing 5-3 & have conceded in all of their games so far (three 1-1 draws), we're unconvinced that their rearguard can keep Yeovil's in form strikers out & that may prove their achilles heel here. Yeovil have brought in two new strikers in veteran James Hayter & loanee (from Reading) youngster Gozie Ugwu but both have bagged three goals in their opening games so far. Hayter was a bit of a risky signing as his scoring record for Doncaster was unremarkable before being released in the summer but he seems to have enjoyed coming back down south & he could punish the club where he started his career here. Bournemouth will be feeling disappointed after putting up spirited displays against Sheffield United & Portsmouth yet still coming away with nothing, whereas Yeovil are on a roll after three successive league wins & they can outplay & outscore the Cherries at generous odds of 7/5.

Selections:
Gillingham to beat Barnet at Evens (SkyBet)
Yeovil Town to beat Bournemouth at 7/5 (Coral)

Double on above selections at odds of around 7/2+