Championship Betting Preview: Ignore home form and back Donnie in Yorkshire derby

Championship / Andrew French / 28 October 2008 / Leave a Comment

Andrew French tips Doncaster to pick up their second home win of the season, predicts a miserable Hillsborough return for Paul Sturrock and bets against his team at Preston.

It's not very often I'd be prepared to tip a team that has only won once and scored twice at home - but Doncaster will not get a better opportunity to claim three vital points than against travel sick Barnsley at The Keepmoat Stadium.

A win will not be good enough to lift Rovers out of the bottom three, but if they don't take maximum points they will be in real danger of becoming badly adrift at the foot of the table. However, even with their poor home record (they have not even scored in front of their own fans for virtually seven hours), Rovers are very backable at [2.48] against a Barnsley side who must have endured some truly miserable journeys home in the last few months.

The Tykes have won just once in their last 24 away trips, and this season have mustered only a single point and one goal in six attempts - they have not netted on their travels since Iain Hume's fifth-minute strike in the opening day 2-1 defeat at QPR. That means their loyal travelling fans have had nothing to cheer in nearly nine hours of league football.

So, it's back Doncaster for me - although I'm considering adding in 0-0 as cover on Correct Score at [12.0], simply because it has all the ingredients for a bleak evening!

At the other end of the goal scale, my club Watford are rapidly becoming the Championship entertainers, although manager Aidy Boothroyd will doubtless be happy to sacrifice fun for the neutrals for points for the Hornets.

Watford's last 11 league games have produced a total of 35 goals - but with Boothroyd's boys only taking only 11 points during that period, it shows that the Hornets are not turning entertainment into results.

They have also been bad travellers - their 3-0 win at Southampton 10 days ago was their only away win of the season and was helped by the home side missing two penalties and defending atrociously.

The trip to Preston pits them against a team very much out of sorts - Alan Irvine's side have lost six of their last seven including a 2-1 defeat at Watford earlier this month. I think Preston will edge this rematch though and will back them at [2.1], and I'll also back Under 2.5 goals at [1.94]. Boothroyd made a point after Saturday's defeat to Wolves saying he had to look at his side's defending, and he may well be prepared to be much tighter at Deepdale.

Neither Southampton nor Coventry are setting the world alight, but I'm prepared to take a chance on the Sky Blues when the two teams meet simply because a combination of the Saints' home and current form makes them readily opposable.

The South Coast side have taken just a point from their last four games, scoring one and conceding 10. Although they ground out a 0-0 draw at Sheffield United a week ago, their defending has let them down repeatedly - and their record of one home win in five attempts does not inspire confidence at St Mary's.

Certainly Coventry have fared little better of late and they did trounce the Saints 4-1 at the Ricoh Arena only a few weeks ago. I'll take Chris Coleman's team at [3.1].

The contrasting form of teams in the Championship is well illustrated by Sheffield Wednesday: unbeaten at home in six games, but dreadful on the road. However, their meeting with Plymouth is at Hillsborough and that should give them the decisive edge.

The Pilgrims were comfortable 4-0 winners over the Owls when the sides met at Home Park on October 4th, but that was in line with Wednesday's dismal away record. They are a different proposition on their own turf - and they have not conceded a goal at home since August 23rd.
I'll take Brian Laws' side at [2.26] to take three points and leapfrog over Argyle.

You could do worse than a fourfold covering Doncaster, Preston, Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday, which is paying around [32.1] on Betfair Multiples.