Getting value in the corners market

Non-league / Editor / 18 September 2007 / Leave a Comment

Legendary manager Frank Gregan tells us why the corners market is the one to be looking at as Histon meet Oxford United

One of the reasons I enjoy betting on Betfair is the diversification of markets. My bet for this week features a market that is generally not heavily subscribed but a wager can still be made - just post your bet early and wait for it to be matched. The Thursday live match is Histon V Oxford United and the market I recommend this week is the Corners Match Bet.

Histon are managed by Steve Fallon but a key member of their backroom staff is John Beck. John has been a manager in his own right and enjoyed great success with Cambridge United and Preston North End amongst others. He is renowned for his direct style, his teams tend to go from back to front very early. They are always a threat from set pieces, will usually have a long throw expert in the side and work exceptionally hard not only on corner routines, but on winning the corner in the first place. There is the legendary story of his time as manager at Cambridge United during which he had all four corners of the ground covered with brilliant yellow advertising hoardings. Midfield players were instructed to look up, find the yellow sign and bang the ball into the corner. From there the winger would either get a cross into the box or win a corner. Simple but effective.

I have looked at the stats from the last two seasons during matches in which I was managing the opposition at Histon. Both games were close, two seasons ago it finished 1-1 and last year we lost to the odd goal in five which was scored late on. The corner count tells a different story. During the 1-1 game we lost on corners 11 to 3 and last year it was 13 to 4. Those stats and the knowledge that Histon will be looking to turn Oxford at every opportunity are the reasons I fancy a bet. Look at the market and snap up anything at odds of 2.0 or greater on Histon. If the market is flat try becoming the market maker and post at 2.0.