Midweek League One Tips: Go low on goals at Vale Park

• Barnsley in action at Port Vale

• Big Dunc still seeking his first win

• Alan's four tips for Tuesday's League One fixtures

Trotters out to back up Posh thumping

Bolton Wanderers v MK Dons
Tuesday 14th February, kick-off 19:45

An astonishing reverse from Saturday was Bolton's 0-5 win at Peterborough - a scoreline that no one would have predicted. Previously Bolton had scored 17 goals on the road from 14 games, so they netted a third of their output in one big swoop.

These scorelines often pop up in League One. We've seen Burton and Morecambe both hit five, yet both of those sides are dreadful. Bolton are smoothly going about their business in terms of a play-off push. Considering they are a better team at home, and very strong defensively, they are well worth their 4/6 price or thereabouts for Tuesday night.

Dion Charles scored a hat-trick at the Posh, but the Peterborough local press bemoaned the fact Bolton fielded on-loan youngsters from both Manchester City and Manchester United. Shola Shoretire, James Trafford and Luke Mbete all featured and the latter, an imposing centre-back, made his debut on loan from City.

Incidentally, Charles' hat-trick on the road was the first for Bolton since 1988. Shoretire combined very well up front with the leading scorer, whose tireless running was too much for the Posh backline.

Bolton boss Ian Evatt said: "We were clinical in the final third and the energy we found to run past their players was superb but we cannot get carried away, we have got another tough game on Tuesday night."

They have pushed into fourth position, just six points off Sheffield Wednesday who slipped up at the weekend by dropping two points.

The Dons have only won twice since late December and I am still to be convinced by Mark Jackson as the new manager - only time will tell, but they are not big scorers on the road and they are fairly easy to play with two banks to keep out.

If Charles can maintain his goalscoring exploits from the weekend, when Bolton host MK Dons, you can back him at 13/8 Anytime Goalscorer and 10/3 First Goalscorer if you are looking to boost the Bolton odds-on price for a Bet Builder play.

Charles is now 17 goals from 35 appearances this term, and might enjoy facing a defence that has conceded three times in two games recently.

The Bolton HT/FT price on the Sportsbook at 6/4 looks fair enough as they have scored early in three of their last four matches.

The Trotters have kept clean sheets against the big guns Plymouth and Derby at home this season and the BTTS on the Exchange at around 4/5 looks the bet.

Vale weakness at set-pieces under scrutiny

Port Vale v Barnsley
Tuesday 14th February, kick-off 19:45

Barnsley are another top six side that feature in the column for Tuesday night, although Michael Duff's team have not been a punting vehicle at all for me this season, so certainly on my part, their progress has almost gone under the radar.

The Tykes comfortably beat Cambridge at the weekend to take their unbeaten run to four and that was achieved for the most part with 10-men and hardly any of the ball. It was a mixed afternoon for Max Watters - who got the first goal on eight minutes and was red-carded just half-an-hour later. They had to dig in on Saturday as Cambridge are a big side that go direct.

Barnsley face an altogether different test on Tuesday as Port Vale can play expansive and open football, but such is the state of the Vale Park pitch at the moment, it won't be easy to execute that for either team. The two met earlier in the season at Oakwell and it finished 1-1. I can see the same sort of low-scoring game again.

Vale played in front of the Sky cameras fairly recently against Peterborough and were very poor that night. Since then, their form has gone into a tailspin and they've failed to win a match in six with four losses.

Saturday's 3-2 loss against Shrewsbury saw Vale set-up in a quite an attacking formation again, but their nemesis of conceding from set-pieces was their undoing.

Darrell Clarke took full responsibility for the loss by saying: "I'll take the blame; I picked a technical team, we started the game on the front foot and scored a very good goal but we were weak at set-pieces and that is what cost us the game - three set pieces."

It's certainly an area of joy for Duff to look at this Tuesday and while Vale were in good form at home prior to the Peterborough loss, they are nowhere near a top 10 team at the moment and their weakness from dead-ball situations has to be a worry.

I think the Barnsley price of around 6/4 on the Exchange is more than fair, as Vale have lost six at home. The Bet Builder option of playing the under 2.5 goals for the double pays out around 7/2. Their xG numbers for and against at Vale Park are low at 1.232/9 and 1.171/6, and that certainly backs up an under 2.5 bet.

Big Dunc still chasing first win

Forest Green v Charlton Athletic
Tuesday 14th February, kick-off 19:45

Forest Green's home record of W4 and L11 highlights the task that Duncan Ferguson has on his hands to drag Rovers away from going straight back down to League Two and it's been an age since they last won a game in the league - December the 10th to be precise.

The signs have been better under the big Scot, and a 1-1 draw at Morecambe on Saturday was a game neither dare lose considering Morecambe's perilous position too. Morecambe had just one shot on target and Forest Green three, although it was a case again of a late goal and Ferguson must be tearing his hair out.

Saturday's leveller came on 89 minutes, and they also conceded on 94 and 98 minutes in the 1-2 home loss to Shrewsbury - a game they played quite well in.

Ferguson is still without a win in three matches since taking over, and while he has made them more difficult to play against, it's hard to fancy them at 2/1 to win a game - something they haven't done for a while.

Charlton are a maddening to tip and bet, as they are so binary. It's win, loss, win, loss. They can look good one minute and lose a game they are expected to win the next.

For that reason alone, it makes them far from attractive as favourites for Tuesday. There's also a lot going on behind the scenes at the Valley with reports of a takeover bid fronted by former Sunderland co-owner Charlie Methven collapsing, and manager Dean Holden's deal expires at the end of the season.

"I just want clarity in terms of what it's going to look like - it's as simple as that," said Holden at the weekend.

Charlton are set to appeal Ryan Inniss' red card in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Fleetwood Town, although Inniss is somewhat of a walking red card, and they were very poor in the final third on Saturday when losing. It's hard to fancy either for this one, and a low-scoring draw would be a possible in the Correct Score market, but the outright stalemate shades it.

Traders will be hovering over back and lay buttons with Forest Green's late goal weakness, but the Addicks are so inconsistent and impossible to read - especially as favourites.