League Two Tips: Newport to gain another point

• Exiles' new boss has given them a lift
  
• Stevenage still on a roll
• Carlisle would take a stalemate

Depleted Cobblers could relish draw

14:00 kick-off

Northampton Town 2.35/4 v Newport 3.613/5; the draw 3.412/5

Assessing a set of League Two fixtures is tricky enough at the best of times, but 11 draws from across two sets of games (five last weekend and six in midweek) makes it feel like a killer Sudoku! At face value, the match at Sixfields might not seem the most likely place to start the draw hunt, but I feel there are good reasons.

The high-flying Cobblers have drawn just once at home - on Tuesday against Sutton. Meanwhile Newport have been struggling this season.

However, Northampton were seven players short when drawing with Sutton, Jon Brady describing them as "tired" in the second half. Danny Hylton, who has been in fine form, and Bex Fox are both suspended while Sam Sherring and Ali Koiki are among the wounded. Had Kieron Bowie's late chance gone in they would have been sitting on a six point gap to fourth place. Letting a two-goal lead slip will play on their minds, after Marc Leonard and Mitch Pinnock strikes had given them a comfortable half-time lead.

The visitors are looking to build on four points from two matches under Graham Coughlan, who has experience in League Two. He has warned he will not tolerate "slackers" and will give peripheral players a chance if the players do not perform.

A midweek point, in a goalless draw at Mansfield against 10 men, was one gained, Coughlan insisted. Consecutive clean sheets (as many as in their previous 21 games, say Opta) are one thing, but the Exiles - while stopping the rot of one win in eight which earned James Rowberry the sack - need to find someone to score goals.

They had 16 shots in that game (three on target) but Will Evans couldn't repeat his goal from last Saturday and Omar Bogle (six this season) has not scored since his penalty earned a surprise win at Leyton Orient six games ago.

If one of them or Nathan Moriah-Welsh (three goals from midfield) can find the chinks in Northampton's depleted armour, they can earn another point.

**

15:00 kick-offs

Grimsby glad to be on the road

Hartlepool 3.613/5 v Grimsby 2.35/4; the draw 3.613/5

It's a case of stick or twist with Grimsby's away form. The last time they faced a team who were struggling to win at home (Stockport) they won comfortably, gaining a fifth win and adding to League Two's second best away record.

I am dismissing defeat to Barrow on Tuesday - a first loss in five. Midweek results are easily excused from formlines, in my experience.
Paul Hurst's men are very capable of beating Keith Curle's basement position dwellers, although it is interesting Pools did not score, against Salford, for the first time in six, while the Mariners have not scored in consecutive games, having netted in their previous nine.

Both teams will surely look to make amends and produce an open game that could lead to over 2.5 goals at just over evens. Harry Clifton and Gavan Holohan will be keen to get back on that wagon for the visitors, while Josh Umerah has scored four in seven for his new Carlisle boss who will be thinking this might be a chance to start a second spell of positive results.

Sadly for him, that might have to wait. As Opta point out, Hartlepool have lost their last four, enduring a longer run in November last year.

Evans not one for resting on a draw

Colchester 4.03/1 v Stevenage 2.1211/10; the draw 3.613/5

Stevenage boss Steve Evans has always seen things in black and white: you are either for him or against him. Especially if you are a referee! Therefore it is perhaps not a surprise that Boro have not suffered from the recent draw epidemic: they are one of just six teams who did not draw either of their past two games.

With only two draws this season - both away as it happens - it's win or lose for Evans. His side got their game management right after a single goal, by Jordan Roberts on 25 minutes, set them up for a fine win at Doncaster on Tuesday. They are the same price to win at second-bottom Colchester, which seems an opportunity too good for punters to turn down. The U's seem to have had a few years of struggle, but as Opta state their record of just two wins in the opening 15 games is their fewest since 1999-2000. Meanwhile, since Evans took charge of Stevenage in March, only Leyton Orient (51) can better their 48 points in League Two games.

It is often Roberts, who has five goals, who looks the more potent threat to open up opponents than the team's strikers, Luke Norris, Danny Rose or Jamie Reid.

Any which way Colchester, who put in a fine performance to first lead against Crawley then come back to claim a point in a 2-2 draw, will find Stevenage a far tougher prospect.

The visitors' away record might not have the most exhilarating ring, scoring nine and conceding nine, but there is no doubting their determination and togetherness as they battle for every point. By which, of course, I mean three points, given their lack of draws.

While Colchester striker John Akinde might like to put one over on his former manager, Luke Chambers and his fellow defenders will have their hands full for the Matt Bloomfield's hosts.

Opponents size each other up for the Cup

Tranmere 2.26/5 v Carlisle 4.03/1; the draw 3.613/5

Another place to look for a draw could be Prenton Park. This time, partly on the basis that the home side are one of four teams (the others Sutton, Bradford and Crewe) to have drawn their past two matches. Again, the hosts might not have drawn at home, but Carlisle have six in total, split equally home and away - just not in the last two games. They have a non-losing run to reclaim, however.

Drawing at home to third-bottom Rochdale on Tuesday didn't do Micky Mellon's side's street cred any good, but at least Kane Hemmings struck back quickly after they went ahead. He doesn't score enough for me - and that could be Tranmere's undoing this season: they need to not just dominated through possessions and chances, but convert more than one per game. Elliott Nevitt, Kieron Morris and co and pulled themselves up close to the play-off places with a series of 1-0 wins, before extending clean sheets with two and three goal victories.

That they have eight clean sheets this season and are unbeaten in seven are facts in their favour. Carlisle dropped below them after an uncharacteristic double defeat, first to pacesetters Leyton Orient and then to Stockport. They last lost more in a row (four) in February, say Opta.

Paul Simpson's men seemed to be making a fine stab at the season, scoring in all but three games to reach the top seven. Strangely, the manager has talked his side down, not up. He says that the Cumbrians are not as good as everyone was starting to believe: he doesn't think they are at the stage of being play-off contenders yet. Maybe he is right. After Tuesday's defeat, when Ryan Edmonson was suspended and with a few players out, supporters felt the squad looked tired and threadbare with just a few missing. Opta say they last lost more than the current two in a row when suffering four defeats in February.

One hopes striker Kristian Dennis's early season strikes have not dried up. Jack Stretton and Owen Moxon have partially filled the void. The teams face each other in the FA Cup next weekend. When Simpson says it is time to dig deep and stick together, maybe there is a bunker mentality that will help them give little away before next week's tie and gain a draw, to thwart Tranmere. Few have done so. Opta point out that in the past three seasons Rovers are the only current League Two side with more than 100 points at home.