English Football League / Gary Boswell / 10 April 2012 /

Roberto Martinez's Wigan and Brian Horton's Macclesfield are both strong odds-on for the drop but they're two sides who promise to carry on fighting till the bitter end under good managers. One or both can beat the drop, says Gary Boswell.

Roberto Martinez was sure of it in the press interview after the frustrating draw against West Brom and I believed him. That passionate self-belief - so long as it is being backed up by standard of performance on the pitch - is half the battle in the bid to avoid the drop. The Latics have beaten Liverpool and Stoke since and were looking an inspired lay at short odds to succeed as they stood at 1-1 with Chelsea on Saturday. Martinez remains convinced they were robbed late by the referee at Stamford Bridge and the price on survival has gone short again with United and Arsenal coming next.

You can still have the Latics at [1.55] and if you remain a believer, it's a great lay price. The final four against Fulham, Newcastle, Blackburn and Wolves will decide it. They need eight or nine points from the six in my eyes and the game on May 7 at Blackburn will be the crunch. Al Habsi is holding firm in goal and Victor Moses, Franco Di Santo and James McArthur have come into form at the right time and I'm still a believer. I agree with Martinez. Wigan won't go down.

I love to see an underdog staying up against the odds and if they achieve it, Wigan will certainly be that after where they were in November. Macclesfield in League Two are in the same boat now. Rooted in the bottom two with the trap door out of league football half open. No wins in the last nineteen despite the arrival of Houdini Horton (he's saved them before) and when Adam Yates scored the Port Vale winner on Monday after the Silkmen had just missed a penalty, the relegation lay price became [1.22].

That's short but the way things are going, you really have to be a Silkmen believer to put cash down on their survival now. Seven points adrift of Bradford - who looked their target team and against whom they have a six pointer on April 21 - it's more realistically a case of whether they can survive at the cost of Barnet. And in a bizarre fixture twist, the Bees play Hereford this Friday 13 which will be a monster game for both but could just play Macclesfield's way, if the Silkmen can themselves start winning again. Crewe, Burton, Southend and that crunch against Bradford for them. They might need nine points from that lot to survive, which is asking a lot, but if the Bulls avoid defeat on Friday, that requirement comes down a tad. How bizarre to be relying on your fellow strugglers to help save you! You couldn't write the script!

Brian Horton is like Martinez. He won't hear of a Silkmen relegation. Moss Rose is proud of its staying a Football League ground against the odds. When they held Bolton 2-2 in the FA Cup this year, you couldn't conceive of them making the drop and I remain a believer that somehow, Horton will find a way. Goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell is sound and in Ben Futcher and Arnaud Mendy, they have the heart and the class for the Great Escape.

Two very short anti-relegation lays in Wigan and Macclesfield at level stakes with good profit if one makes it out and excellent returns if belief in both is well founded.

Gary Boswell's recommendation:

2 pts Lay Wigan for Premier League relegation @ [1.55]
2pts Lay Macclesfield for League Two relegation @ [1.21]

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