League Two Tips: Salford can snare a Friday surprise

• Ammies rising to the challenge

• Dale could suffer more doom and gloom

• Bantams could be held

Salfords looking strong for the run-in

Stockport County 1.910/11 v Salford City 5.04/1; the draw 3.412/5

Friday, 19:45 kick-off

During their four seasons in the Football League, Salford City have not been my favourite team to back. They have been pre-season favourites for the title - or thereabouts - each year, simply on the idea of being a quick-rising club under the ownership of former Manchester United footballers.

They have been wracked with inconsistency. Their end of season stats say as much. They have finished 10th, eighth and 10th in their short League Two history.

This season, however, the talking horse seems to be heading for a playoff spot and - who knows? - with eight games left, they could yet bridge the five-point gap to an automatic promotion place. Crazier things have happened: Bristol Rovers winning 7-0 to dislodge Northampton from the top three on the final day of last season, for example.

For various reasons, I feel that Neil Wood's men merit far shorter odds than are being offered on them to win at their near neighbours on Friday night. Stephen Mallan's three goals in as many games (he has just two starts, with four appearances from the bench) have been among a flood of goals by the Ammies in recent weeks.

Luke Bolton and Callum Hendry have also made multiple contributions to 18 goals in six games. The visitors, who lie fifth in the table, have scored in 19 of their past 20 League Two outings.

Their away points tally (30 points, spearheaded by nine wins) is only bettered by Northampton and Bradford, while over six games their 13 points is second best in the division, leaving Stockport (nine points) trailing in mid-table.

The Hatters, who sit fifth, have not been scoring or conceding many of late. In their past six games, there have only been five goals, featuring two 1-0 wins and two goalless draws.

Before that they did go through a brief spell of scoring twice a game. Opta emphasise that Dave Challinor's men are nine unbeaten at Edgeley Park (winning five) but that lack of goals recently has to be a worry for the run-in.

Will Collar (9) must be desperate to join Kyle Wootton (12) and Paddy Madden (10) on double figures for goals, but can they find - or put away - enough chances against a team who seem to be free flowing at present? I love a Friday night shock and this could be one - especially as Opta point out they have scored more away goals than any team in the top four tiers (34).

Hughes' men feeling the pressure

Bradford City 2.01/1 v Grimsby Town 4.67/2; the draw 3.613/5

Saturday 13:00 kick-off

Liam Ridehalgh hit the nail on the head when he said this week that if you lose a game in December it doesn't seem as vital as if you lose in March or April. Everything is magnified now as the end of season approaches.

The defender, therefore, will be hoping his Bradford side can take maximum points to maintain the gap from seventh to eight and even put pressure on the top three for automatic promotion.

However, the Bantams' record at Valley Parade does not demonstrate comprehensive dominance of opponents: only seven wins, with eight draws. There remains a suspicion that Mark Hughes' men somehow find it harder to play in front of their home fans, who can be critical of every missed pass, compared to when playing away.

Maybe keeper Harry Lewis' wonderfully flippant remark - that he's not there to get fans off their seats, that's striker Andy Cook's job - was a way of deflecting the pressure with some humour.

Bradford have four draws in their last six matches and Grimsby mirror that return, indicating stability of form after their long, thrilling FA Cup run finally ended. They still need a couple of points to reach the "magical" 50 that most see as the benchmark needed to stay up.

It's a rather high threshold, but it's better to be safe than sorry. While they have not netted many in recent weeks, they have had a variety of scorers, from top scorer Harry Clifton (now on seven) to January recruit George Lloyd.

Paul Hurst's Mariners, who have eight away wins, are more than capable of frustrating their hosts and claiming a point. Opta say Hurst has drawn four of his seven against Bradford (winning once, at home) while for the Bantams drawing a fifth in a row would match a run last achieved in September 2016, when they were in League One.

Dons can take advantage of Dale woes

AFC Wimbledon 2.265/4 v Rochdale 3.711/4; the draw 3.412/5

AFC Wimbledon have had their fair share of kickings this season, not least from their own fans for some poor runs and results since the turn of the year. But could they kick a dog while its down, by defeating Rochdale and securing back-to-back wins for the first time since December 3? That was only for the second time this season.

Is the midweek win over Walsall a mirage or a chance to rectify some lost pride? At least they have ditched their penchant for goalless draws and scored in eight of their past nine matches. At last! Ali Al Hamadi, recruited in January, has won a game in which he has scored. He already has seven, surpassing the man he effectively replaced - Ayoub Assal.

Defender Will Nightingale notched the other - that's practically a collectors' item - in midweek, but Josh Davison will be desperate to reach 10 goals for the season.

Rochdale sacked managed Jim Bentley after last weekend's defeat at Crawley, leaving stalwart Jim McNulty to pick up the team to try to bridge the divide of 11 points to safety in the few short weeks left of the season.

The Board recognise the "challenging circumstances" that the former manager encountered in his seven months, and say that the next few games must be seen as preparation for next season, whichever division that is in.

One wonders if a few fringe faces will get their chances or whether Ian Henderson and Devante Rodney will be thrown up front together now that Scott Quigley is out injured.

Dale had been showing promise, not least by beating Stevenage and drawing 4-4 with Swindon. One point from six away games, though, does not bode well. Afterall, Opta say the visitors have lost four of their last five against the Dons.

Sutton will be tough to break down

Walsall 3.02/1 v Sutton United 2.942/1; the draw 3.211/5

Walsall boss Micky Flynn won't like the suggestion much, but there has got to be a strong chances of a draw at the Banks's Stadium. This is not least because Matt Gray's visitors practically refuse to buckle away from home.

Before drawing their last two at Mansfield and Barrow, both nil-nil against sides who are not easy to beat at home, taking their unbeaten away run to five, which Opta point out is their longest in the EFL. All those results cae after the manager was delighted to re-sign his backline on longer contracts.

Go back a bit further and they have lost just twice in nine on their travels, drawing five, part of the reason the likes of Ben Goodliffe and captain Craig Eastmond earned those deals.

Lee Angol, signed from Bradford in the same week as the new deals were handed out, has now scored a few goals but winger Will Randall-Hurran remains the top scorer with six.

That lack of a prominent scorer throughout the season is the difference between Sutton being on the fringers of the playoff places and in them.

Walsall had Danny Johnson until he was recalled by Mansfield, and have struggled to score since - failing to score in eight of the 14 games since. Four of those games have been home draws. Isaac Hutchinson has done his best to chip in with goals, but this could be another draw that keeps Sutton just about in touch with their top seven ambitions.