Big Saturday Multiple: Rowett's boys eyeing hat-trick win

Jonno Turner
14 March 2015

Gary Rowett's side have won two on the trot going into this one

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Jonno Turner is taking us on his Saturday morning tour of the Football League and flags up three value picks along the way...

Bet 1: Birmingham City (HOME) @ 2.1511/10
Bet 2: Chesterfield (HOME) @ 1.855/6
Bet 3: Northampton Town (HOME) @ 2.1511/10

Bet 1: Birmingham City (HOME) @ 2.1511/10

The Championship is the venue for our first selection of the weekend, as Birmingham City welcome Huddersfield Town to St Andrews, looking to build on two consecutive 1-0 wins.

Gary Rowett's Blues side will be delighted with their recent form, and head into this clash sitting 14th in the table following just a single home defeat in five.

The West Midlands side have certainly tightened up over the last few weeks, and three clean sheets in that time will give them much confidence as they prepare to welcome an out of form Terriers side.

Chris Powell's side make this trip from West Yorkshire having succumbed to three losses on the bounce - but what will worry the ex-England defender most is the amount of goals his backline has shipped in that time.

Indeed, nine goals conceded in just four and a half hours of football indicates that the visitors desperately need to tighten up or they might slip even further down the table.

They currently sit 17th in the second tier, just 11 points off the dropzone - and will be keen to put an end to their poor run before things get out of hand.

Unfortunately, I can't see them doing that today, against a Birmingham side which has won two of their last three meetings with Huddersfield.

Bet 2: Chesterfield (HOME) @ 1.855/6

To North Derbyshire now, where Chesterfield meet Coventry City at the Proact Stadium.

The Spireites head into this outing with some real momentum having won their last two games, and that leaves them teetering on the edge of the play-offs, just two points away from sixth place Doncaster Rovers.

Paul Cook's charges find themselves in the fortunate position of having had a weekend off last week, so should be fully fit, focused and ready to go as they line up on their own patch today.

And five wins and a draw from their last eight in front of their own fans suggests that the hosts are more than capable of punishing a Sky Blues side which hasn't won in three.

The visitors make this trip up the M1 languishing in 20th place in the table, only two points from the danger zone, and may well be feeling the pressure ahead of this tie.

Boss Tony Mowbray has watched his side struggle to five without a win, and three goalless returns in that indicates that a lack of goals could well be at the root of their woes.

Tellingly though, the away side haven't managed a clean sheet since the end of January, and that leaky defence will have their hosts rubbing their hands.

Bet 3: Northampton Town (HOME) @ 2.1511/10

And finally, we're focusing on action at the Sixfields Stadium, where Northampton Town meet Tranmere Rovers.

The Cobblers are 10th in the table and that's largely down to some excellent home form of late which has seen them win five on the trot.

Chris Wilder's side have also managed to keep four clean sheets in five games on their own turf, and that suggests that they have more than enough in the tank to overcome their guests, who have fallen into the relegation places.

Indeed, it's been a nightmare few weeks for Micky Adams and his Tranmere side - four consecutive defeats leaves them well and truly struggling as we enter mid-March.

And 10 goals shipped in those games underlines just how one-sided some of those encounters were.

2015 P/L:

Wagered: 10 pts
Returned: 0 pts
P/L: -10.00 pts