Fear not, dear reader. Alan Dudman is only away temporarily, and will return to the captain's chair soon.
Posh on the charge
Ipswich Town v Peterborough United
Saturday 23 January, 15:00
In a division where it's often hard to find consistency, Peterborough are looking for a third straight win in League One, and are unbeaten in five. They remain one of the most entertaining sides in the division - Darren Ferguson's side has whacked in 35 goals in 21 League One matches, and they haven't drawn a blank since a 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth in the first week of December. They have scored at least twice in over half of their league matches.
Ipswich are still in touch with the playoff places, but their yo-yoing form is a puzzle for manager Paul Lambert. Their last five games have seen them alternate between victory and defeat, and if you stretch back a bit further, they have only won three of their last eight in the league. The form at Portman Road is particularly concerning, as they have lost four of the last five, and have conceded at least twice in all four of those defeats.
Given that form, I'm drawn to backing Peterborough to score at least twice at 5/4 on the Sportsbook. I know that the majority of their goals and points are claimed at London Road, but they have a clean bill of health, and midfielder Sammie Szmodics is in terrific form, with braces in his last two games. Alternatively, you could just go for Over 2.5 Goals at 1.9310/11.
Pandemonium at Priestfield
Gillingham v Rochdale
Saturday 23 January, 15:00
Gillingham stopped the rot in midweek, as a 1-0 victory at Accrington brought an end to their three-match losing run, and they'll fancy their chances of picking up points against a Rochdale team they thrashed 4-1 just over a month ago. They have found goals hard to come by at Priestfield, having drawn a blank in six of their 11 home matches, but the arrival of a chaotic Rochdale could change that.
Rochdale have been great fun in recent weeks, with a total of 36 goals featured across their last seven matches. That sequence has included a pair of 3-3 draws, a 4-4 draw, two 4-1 defeats and a 5-0 win. Overall this season, 14 of their 22 League One games have seen an Over 2.5 Goals bet land. On the road, eight of 11 have featured three goals or more. All of this excitement isn't translating into wins though - Rochdale haven't claimed maximum points from a league game since mid-December.
Gillingham's profligacy at home has pushed the price of Over 2.5 Goals to a shade under evens, and I think that's an attractive proposition.
Solid Shrews can upset Sunderland
Sunderland v Shrewsbury Town
Saturday 23 January, 15:00
Shrewsbury Town certainly didn't disgrace themselves in midweek, as they slid out of the FA Cup by virtue of a 2-0 defeat at Premier League Southampton. Manager Steve Cotterill is still recovering from COVID-19 and missed the match, and the team did well given that an outbreak of the virus had kept them out of action for three weeks.
Shrewsbury's form before that hiatus had been excellent. They had kicked off a good run with a win at current League One leaders Hull, and they won by the same score-line at Lincoln and Doncaster Rovers. They have taken 13 points from the last five league outings.
Sunderland are often odds-on at home because they are a big name in the division, but their form doesn't necessarily justify a price of 1.84/5 here. They have only won eight of their 21 league games, and they haven't won a league match at home since the first week of November. They have claimed a paltry three points from their last six at the Stadium of Light, and manager Lee Johnson has a big task on his hands.
I know there are a few imponderables because of Shrewsbury's recent difficulties, but they can avoid defeat here.