English Football League / Ian Lamont / 14 August 2008 / Leave a comment

Ian Lamont talks us through this weekend's betting opportunities in Division Two that include Aldershot being a good bet to celebrate their first home match in league football for 16 years with three points and Wycombe getting the better of Chester.

In a throw-back to medieval times, football managers often talk of making their home ground a fortress, a defensive stronghold where attackers will find little joy.

So if your team's hotly-anticipated opening league fixture of the season is away from home, there is something equally mouth-watering about the team's first game of the campaign on home turf.

This is especially the case for Aldershot Town, whose game against Bournemouth on Saturday has extra emotion as the Hampshire town hosts its first Football League game for 16 years.

Promotion for the runaway Blue Square Premier champions prompted a fresh sponsorship deal - The Rec has been renamed after EBB. The summer also saw a windfall of £130,000 from the sale of winger Joel Grant, the signing of lithe striker Marvin Morgan from rivals Woking and, crucially, keeper Nicky Bull re-signed for the club after it seemed certain he would leave. A team is nothing without a keeper of character and calibre.

Saturday's match is all ticket, a rarity so early in the season. There will be scores of former players and officials present who were involved in the old club that folded in March 1992, as well as those who have been part of the reborn club's rise from the ashes. So there will be a little pressure on Gary Waddock's men to put on a good show.

Aside from being as local a "derby" as Aldershot are likely to come across in this division, playing Bournemouth could also define their season.

The Cherries were only just relegated from League One last season. Despite their chairman's talk of "convalescence" under new owners after the traumatic of another points deduction over financial troubles, they are showing no lack of ambition.

Manager Kevin Bond has been working his contacts to freshen up his squad. Ex-Yeovil defender Scott Guyett - who played 13 games on loan for Aldershot - is good in both boxes while Darren Anderton, when fit, can produce a bit of magic. Even with on-loan Leicester City striker Ricky Sappleton now on board, Aldershot defenders Anthony Charles and Chris Blackburn (in from Swindon) should be able to resist and I'll be looking to back The Shots at [2.20].

While Aldershot's home comforts are already cushioned by an opening day win - 1-0 at Accrington - for others the first match at their own ground offers a chance to lick their wounds and regroup.

Unfortunately for Chester City fans - reeling from that 6-0 defeat at Dagenham last weekend - I fear they will still have little to cheer come 5pm on Saturday.

Chester seem to have been on a downward spiral more or less since they won their Football League place back in 2004 and they were on my radar for relegation well before Luton, Bournemouth and Rotherham suffered their heavy points deductions.

The Cheshire side will not get any change out of Wycombe Wanderers, who should definitely be backed at [2.28].

Wycombe boss Peter Taylor - who has better form at this level than in the higher echelons of English club football - is concentrating on bringing in hungry players with a point to prove. Last season winger Chris Zebrowski, who has been brought in from Millwall, did much to keep Torquay flying in the Blue Square Premier, the level at which experienced Football League striker Magno Vieira also spent the last campaign with Crawley and Cambridge United. Most notably, forward-running midfielder Lewwis Spence was persuaded to turn down a new deal at Taylor's old club Crystal Palace to prove himself at Adams Park. The signing has already reaped dividends with Spence scoring against Morecambe last Saturday.

Elsewhere, Jack Lester's goals will do much for Chesterfield this season and make them capable of improving on eighth place last season. Two fine strikes as Chesterfield came from behind to beat Barnet last weekend underlined his side's credentials for the season.

Chesterfield did the double over Saturday's opponents Bury last term and should be taken to win this one, too.

With the Shakers having an equally prolific marksman in Andy Bishop, there should be plenty of goals and a good chance of a profit by backing the over 2.5 market.

Tags: Aldershot, Division Two football, football bets, Nicky Bull