At 2-0 up with half an hour to go the game is far from over

Non-league / Dan Fitch / 03 September 2007 / Leave a Comment

Legendary Non-League manager Frank Gregan draws on all his experience to talk you through the best in-play strategies

One of the oldest clichés in football circles is that 2-0 is a terrible lead. I've never subscribed to that theory, any lead at all will do for me! However, I understand the sentiment and have a strategy that I often employ on Betfair during live games. The mind set of a manager once he is 2-0 up is invariably one of "job done" let's keep what we have got. The guy in the other dugout has a totally different viewpoint, "how am I going to get us back into this game?"

One cliché I have always banned during half time team talks whether winning or losing 2-0 is "it's all about the next goal." The reason is very simple, if the next goal goes against you and you have spent half time convincing your players how important the next goal is going to be you've brought a heap of trouble on yourself. So many teams that lead 2-0 have it drummed into them how important the next goal is, it is little wonder that if it goes against them they can capitulate.
I've trailed 2-0 in big games before, including an FA Trophy semi final and also in a top of the table promotion clash. On both occasions my players have come back from the dead to win 3-2, mainly because at 2-0 I threw caution to the wind and dispensed with a game plan that obviously wasn't working in an attempt to get back on terms. It's a simple philosophy, if something is broke - fix it! Change what you are doing and try something else.

I believe that laying a side that is 2-0 up in a competitive fixture can sometimes represent excellent value. I'm not talking about top of the table at home to a relegation side but a fixture in which the sides are both evenly matched going into the game. It's all about momentum and if the trailing side pulls a goal back and gets to 2-1 the players get a huge lift and will frequently go on to get something from the game. Also, the side that had the comfort of a 2-0 lead suddenly becomes nervy.

This is true of Stafford Rangers V Halifax, the game that provides the live entertainment on Thursday night. On paper, both sides being 2.68 look evenly matched. Have a look at it if either side goes 2-0 up with more than half an hour to play. Lay the leaders, the value is immense, anything as short as 1.15 could be on offer. You don't need to get many right during the course of the season to show a tidy profit.