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Non-league Football Betting: A tale of two Taits

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Gary Boswell landed his second biggest points bet of the season with the advice to Lay favourites Torquay in the BSP play-off outrights and now looks forward to four days of end of season non-league football Live on TV.

Far be it for me to speculate on the importance of coincidence in football betting. I was brought up by a grandmother, who never let a horse run without her sheckles supporting it if it had my grandfather's name in its title. She swore it showed a level stakes profit each season when I was at the age to think a level stakes profit was something you had served up at Fatty Arbuckle's meathouse (whatever happened to that purveyor of childhood obesity?).

Like all good grandsons, I acted on the conditioning supplied by my maternal role model and as a young man showed whopping profit one season on a horse called Boscean Chieftain who won the Swinton Hurdle at a price to create silence on the stands at Haydock Park (except for the corner I was standing in!).

This season, an all weather flat horse that has exactly the same name as me won for the umpteenth time whilst I was Live on Air on Betfair Radio (last Thursday). Coincidences do follow me about and I've found it unwise to ignore them.

Imagine the quandary, then, caused by the fact that both favourites for the Blue Square North and South play-off finals have trounced their semi-final opponents courtesy of a clutch of goals by a striker with the same surname! Even eerier that Paul Tait of Barrow and Allan Tait from Eastbourne Borough have both come in from nowhere - not having featured prominently on scoresheets for either team throughout the domestic season. Allan Tait is a renowned striker for Borough but has been injured for much of this campaign. Paul Tait has turned up from planet Mars!

Both were impressive with their deadly finishing in the 4-0 and 5-0 two leg thumpings of AFC Telford and Braintree respectively and both have The Boz convinced that they make the sort of co-incidence that must be bet on in tonight's and tomorrow night's Live on Setanta play-off finals.

The quandary comes for me in that I recommended Hampton & Richmond as the team to support in the Blue Square South play-offs and, unlike Eastbourne, they squeaked through their semi on penalties and look to be lambs to the slaughter for a Garry Wilson team that is obviously not suffering the psychological effects of losing the two horse title race with Lewes.

I don't see that much Live football in the Blue Square South so I'm looking forward to Thursday night's game as research for next season's Blue Square Premier portfolio. Because I'm already on Hampton and I see no effective way to hedge on favourites Eastbourne, I'll stay out of further bets except that superstitious one to take Allan Tait in the goalscorer market.

Barrow of course owe me nothing after their 19 game unbeaten end to the season that saw them napped successfully by The Boz a total of six times in six weeks. The slightly disturbing omen for Friday night's game is that Stalybridge were the last team to beat them - 3-1 at Holker Street.

Steve Burr remains one of the best and most experienced managers in Blue Square North and Celtic will be a formidable opponent for the Bluebirds to overcome, but the way Sheridan and Bayliss have got the Cumbrians playing 'keep your shape' football means that the fairy tale is a possibility. The team who were 16th at Xmas could be promoted and with his bet already on this one too, The Boz will be a Romantic fan rather than a gambler. Just a small sentimental bet on Paul Tait in the goalscorer market in this one too.

So all that remains is the FA Trophy final on Saturday and the FA Vase on Sunday. You'll find my match review of the former on site from Friday evening (also listen out for Live feeds from Wembley stadium on Betfair Radio on Saturday) and I'll be recommending no match bet in the latter simply because I've already got it covered in an earlier portfolio advice In case you haven't clicked in yet to the realisation that they are what I do best, know that we are on Ebbsfleet for the Trophy and Kirkham and Wesham in the Vase.

I won't be too disappointed if Torquay prevail in the Trophy.I've made my money opposing them all season and won't begrudge such a friendly club their deserved moment of glory. Won't be backing them though. If you saw the game goalkeeper Simon Rayner had against Exeter on Bank Holiday Monday, you'll know why!

He's the reason I won't be match betting in next week's Blue Square Premier play-off final either. Torquay's demise locked in the biggest profit (outside the season long Blue Square Premier championship portfolio) for me and it's a case now of all bases covered 'til the start of next season.

Time to put feet up and plan for the summer!....

Recommendations:
0.5 pt bets on Allan Tait and Paul Tait in the goalscorer markets in Thursday and Friday's Live BSS and BSN play-off finals... but only if you believe in the power of co-incidence!