I'm taking a punt on Paddy Gamble

Non-league / Gary Boswell / 22 October 2007 / Leave a Comment

Boswell's midweek Non-League betting blog

Been a funny old week in which I've been called a coward and a wind-up merchant for expressing my concern that the British National Party have been allowed to have candidates standing for local council in my area again. Always a worry for non-league football fans when this happens (breeding grounds that the terraces are) but I had to laugh at being called a coward for pointing it out!
Not that I don't confess to cowardice mind. Ever since Gary Southwell came onto to me at school with his knuckledusters, I've been a first class practitioner of the run and hide school of dealing with bullying. It's a survival technique that has got me to where I am today!

My cowardice as a gambler manifests itself in my cautious approach. Where the brave were backing Burton at 4.0 in last week's Live on Setanta, Boswell was recommending keeping the draw on side and laying Stevenage. I got called a coward for that as well but I can handle cowardice when it pays a profit!

There's no such caution in this week's recommendations. I spent the weekend in the Midlands on a spying mission at the Valley Stadium. The Redditch-Stalybridge game was under the microscope with both teams featuring in my betting plan for this midweek. Reds play away at champions elect Kettering Town on Monday night in the Blue Square North and are rank outsiders to come away with anything. I already knew about the wobble that's going on at Rockingham Road at the moment with Mark Cooper's Poppies only picking up one point from their last two league games. I went to see what chance a Redditch upset given that I'd heard Reds had re-signed Carl Heggs to their front line.

Heggs has done the business for Redditch before and he can be assured of giving Gary Whild an extra dimension up front. He was the man of the match on Saturday and was unlucky not to score first half when a powerful effort cannoned back off the woodwork. He is still settling in and couldn't affect the result of this game on his own but with Redditch also having Jai Stanley in the line-up now and the excellent Exodus Geohaghan combining with him aerially in the box there will be some threat for Kettering to deal with. Redditch also have an excellent goalkeeper in Danny Lewis and there is a chance that Cooper's wobbling Poppies could have trouble scoring in their current form.

I'm prepared to Lay Kettering at around 1.5 for small stakes and that should keep the coward catcalls at bay!

The main reason for the visit to the Valley was to check out Steve Burr's Stalybridge for Thursday's Live on Setanta Shield game against Blyth Spartans. Burr is a much admired manager who did wonderful work at Northwich Victoria and has Celtic well organised this year. The recent 0-5 cup defeat against Workington had me worried but I saw no signs of that result on Saturday.

Carlos Roca weaved his magic and still looks too good for this level. Chris Hall is a powerful forward threat and James Dudgeon an experienced rock at the back. And with a goalkeeper named Paddy Gamble, I'm sold on supporting them at home to a Spartans side that has been a disappointment all season. Blyth assistant manager Graham Fenton was reportedly fed up again at the weekend despite a 3-0 win away at doomed Hucknall Town. This Celtic side ought to be too good at the Bower Fold and any price around the 2.0 mark should be taken.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

2pt LAY KETTERING at 1.5 against Redditch United
2pt BACK STALYBRIDGE at 2.0 to beat Blyth Spartans in the Setanta Shield