League Two Tips: Cambridge can keep Bantams at bay

Bonner's men can beat low-scoring Bradford

Cambridge 2.56/4 v Bradford 3.211/5; the draw 3.55/2

An anomaly in this rock and roll season of weather and Covid-19 suspensions means that Bradford City haven't played a game yet in 2021. They are the only League Two club not to have played since December 29. Some rivals have played four times.

So does this mean they will lack match fitness or that temporary bosses Mark Trueman and Conor Sellers have had the chance to fully bed in new signings? Winger Jordan Stevens, on loan from Leeds, goalkeeper Will Huffer, from Bradford Park Avenue, Plymouth Argyle's Niall Canavan, for 18 months, and Middlesbrough striker Rumarn Burrell, 20, on loan, and Danny Rowe, signed on an 18-month deal from Oldham Athletic, were those announced before this was written.

With so many recruits and a sizable gap between matches, form pretty much goes out of the window. However, it seems fair to wonder if the Bantams can improve on scoring just six times in nine games (four of them not scoring at all). In their past six matches they have let in five, notching three clean sheets. Perhaps we - well, Bradford fans - should concentrate on that post-Stuart McCall era and hope that Lee Novak, who has notched three of his season's six goals under the new management team, can continue his rejuvenation.

Add in that Bradford, sixth from bottom, have the fourth-worst away record in terms of points, and we shouldn't expect too many goals at the Abbey Stadium. Or should we? Who knows if stalwart Clayton Donaldon can score, or if any of the new faces will be inspired to impress on their debuts? In their four recent away games, Bradford have scored at least once, notching wins at Tranmere and Grimsby.

Cambridge will be harder to break down than Rovers or the Mariners. The U's have prospects, too. Once again leaders of the division, they might have lost the reverse match at Valley Parade 1-0 a month ago, but they have won their last three home games, all 2-1. It is a scoreline they also achieved at Grimsby to bring their recent tally of 2-1s to five in eight games, including Tuesday's win at Southend. Five of their seven home wins have been 2-1, including against Newport and Salford, two of the teams bunching in the top seven for a shot at the top three spots this weekend. Cambridge will just hope that the curse of top spot (losing their next game) does not afflict them.

Taking a point at hard-to-beat-at-home Colchester last Saturday, through Harvey Knibbs' early strike, would have given them huge confidence. Ageing Wes Hoolahan might have been relieved at not having to put in the yards to score that time, while Paul Mullin might have been relieved that it wasn't him who had to score again, having netted 18 times this season. By all accounts, Cambridge should have been further behind before Jack Iredale and Joe Ironside scored against bottom club Southend to win on Tuesday.

Cambridge's 2-1 wins have come from leading throughout or from behind. So it wouldn't seem to matter whether Bradford scored or not. The U's seem capable of winning this one and denting the Bantams' hopes, as Opta allude to, of winning three consecutive away games for the first time since December 2017.

Strugglers will each value a point

Scunthorpe 2.56/4 v Grimsby 3.39/4; the draw 3.39/4
Kick-off 13:00

Perhaps the weekend after seven draws occurred in the nine fixtures played last Saturday is not the time to look for more. But after three more out of five games in the division on Tuesday finished level, it seems to make sense to look for another. League Two has featured a 28% draw rate this season, higher than the football average of one in four games, but lower than historic League Two levels of at least 30 per cent and upwards, in my time covering this division.

My theory here is that perhaps two struggling teams will cancel each other out. Grimsby have won once in their past seven games, beating Scunthorpe at Blundell Park. The Iron's only win in six was at Walsall, who suddenly fell off a winning run. Defeat at Barrow last Saturday would have been extra galling, because the Bluebirds rose above them, nudging away from the relegation zone. New face Jem Karacan came closest to equalising, with a testing shot. However Neil Cox's side are struggling and the manager has been given the dreaded vote of confidence by chairman Peter Swann, who insists he is "not worried" about relegation.

A defensive 4-5-1 wouldn't have helped at Barrow, with Ryan Loft on his own up front. Myles Hippolyte has already expressed a desire to play through the middle, believing it is his best position. Abo Eisa must be itching for a start.

Grimsby haven't had their new manager bounce yet, after Paul Hurst replaced Ian Holloway. That is, the best results they have achieved are two goalless draws.

Hurst's problems include how to handle James Hanson. The once-prolific former Bradford man, 33, is by many accounts the Mariners' best fit up front, as Holloway used to be fond on saying. But he is injury prone and has played just six times. Featuring for 20 minutes against Southend last weekend is a huge boost for a low-scoring team. The visitors have scored just 19 times this season. Only Stevenage (16, one place above them) and Southend (15, who are bottom) have scored fewer. Grimsby have also conceded 40, with only Oldham letting in more, 41.

While on the one hand it seems like a perfect opportunity for Scunthorpe to win, Grimsby will surely think the same. Opta say Grimsby are on a four-game losing streak away, conceding at least two in each of those. It is a habit Hurst will want to stop, at fellow strugglers where he will believe he can earn at least a point.

Orient in an express lane to home wins

Leyton Orient 2.747/4 v Forest Green 2.915/8; the draw 3.55/2

Soft. Mentally weak. They let themselves down. Players have to track back as well as do the Cruyff turns and showy stuff. Scrap at 0-0, don't wait until you are behind to start playing. That's a summary of Forest Green manager Mark Cooper's verdict on their last two matches, defeat in midweek at Tranmere and last weekend's home draw with Port Vale.

Elliot Whitehouse and Scott Wagstaff appear to have played themselves into a starting position, having impressed as substitutes. Odin Bailey was restored to the starting 11 on Tuesday. Charlton loanee Josh Davison will be itching for a start up front, whereas Derby loanee Isaac Hutchinson was given a first start in midfield.

As much as Rovers had a couple of weeks break without matches, enabling them to work on fitness, they lost key players. Liam Kitching's exit was more or less expected by Cooper, but Carl Winchester's move to Sunderland was unexpected. He had to find a new captain, defender Chris Stokes.

Part of the reason for bringing in Davison is that Cooper also knows a lot rests on Jamille Matt, his top scorer with nine whom he can't afford to lose to injury. The striker has experience of promotion with Blackpool and reached the play-off final with Plymouth. And he had many thrills at Newport, one of two different sides (Blackpool the other) with whom, Opta point out, he has scored at Orient. Aaron Collins, his strike partner if they line up that way, has five goals.

However, one of Rovers' strengths is that they have scored in 16 consecutive matches, something they will need to pull on if they are to gain anything from Brisbane Road. Hosts Leyton Orient have won seven of their last eight home matches, six of them to nil, as they have sprinted up to seventh. Only Crawley have beaten them, while they have seen off Newport and Salford in the past month or so.

Boss Ross Embleton is bullish but says the team has to "remain focused" ahead of the game. He believes they were "unfortunate" not to gain something when losing the reverse game, having beaten them in the League Cup before the season began.

West Ham's loan striker Dan Kemp made a great first impression in the 2-0 win over Morecambe and certainly adds competition for the likes of Lee Angol, who scored last weekend, up front, even if places for Conor Wilkinson (seven goals) and Danny Johnson (14) when fit seem more assured. It says much about Orient's progress that Jordan Maguire-Drew, a creative midfielder, has not been able to secure regular football and has been allowed to move on loan to Crawley Town, who are jostling Orient for a play-off spot.

Orient have won their last three home games, which might be the decisive factor as Cooper looks to tweak the perfect, match-winning side again after a few transfer upheavals.

Time for Exiles to get serious if they all want to be Kings

Oldham 3.39/4 v Newport 2.486/4; the draw 3.55/2

What a life it must be to be a lower league footballer. One week you could be facing Brighton in the FA Cup, narrowly not saving quite enough penalties to cause a major upset. And a few weeks later you could be in the record books without trying, by scoring the longest distance goal. Life could only get better for keeper Tom King right now if he could score more frequently to help Newport gain promotion or even be champions.

After goal gluts in recent weeks across League Two, last Saturday had a feeling of After the Lord Mayor's Show, with just 11 goals in the nine matches played. Newport were involved in one of three goalless draws, failing to score for the first time in a league game this season.

No wonder boss Mike Flynn has been busy recruiting attackers, among others, after Scott Twine returned to Swindon. West Brom striker Owen Windsor, cup tied for the Brighton match, swiftly found himself behind Bournemouth's Jake Scrimshaw in the pecking order - and even Ryan Taylor, who plays only occasionally. Now even Tristan Abrahams is having to wait his turn to start.

The Exiles have drawn three of their past four away games 1-1, losing the other at Leyton Orient. They need to up the ante if they are going to rise back to top spot, for which they must aim to complete promotion.

Opta point out they have won just three of 11 league matches against the Latics. But each of those were last season, which is at least recent. Even more recently they lost 4-2 at home to Harry Kewell's men in mid-December.

No more mistakes, then. And this is a real opportunity to win, because Oldham are on a three-game losing streak at home, add Opta, conceding a minimum of two goals on each occasion. Newport have only scored two or more three times away in this campaign.

Opta add that Newport have scored in each of their 12 away games in the league this season, their longest such run since August 2017 (12 games).

Oldham perhaps won't be quaking in their boots. They scored twice in a home defeat to improving Mansfield in their last home game. They scored twice when losing by the same score, 3-2, at home to Walsall in mid-December. They scored three against Bradford at home a few days before that. Losing striker Danny Rowe (four goals in 15 games) to Bradford isn't ideal, but Conor McAleny has really found the mark this season with 10 goals and Zak Dearnley has six from midfield.

Kewell feels the Latics should have won at Walsall, not drawn. Marcel Hilssner, a winger on loan from Coventry almost scored with a 30-yarder. Oldham have a poor home record, with two wins and a draw. There seems little pressure on a mid-table side. Newport need to improve their away form, which includes four wins and five draws, to keep up title momentum and to get over their FA Cup exit.