Football Bet of the Day: Make an educated guess and back Oxford

Kevin Hatchard
15 March 2016

Michael Appleton's Oxford United are in the promotion picture

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After securing three odds-against winners in a row, Kev's moving a bit closer to home in search of more profit...

"Oxford United haven't been in great form, but Dagenham and Redbridge suffered a hammer blow to their survival hopes at the weekend, and they are bottom of the table for a reason."

Back Oxford United -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at 1.768/11

Oxford United v Dagenham and Redbridge
Tuesday March 16, 19:45

German joy for us last night, as our boys Bochum won 2-0 at Kaiserslautern. Das ist wunderbar.

To England now, and the earthy delights of League Two. I have friends who love nothing more than to talk about their beloved Oxford United, and they tell me the team's been playing its best football for years under the astute guidance of Michael Appleton. Tonight that progress is put to the test once again against relegation-threatened Dagenham and Redbridge.

Oxford have only taken a point from their last two matches, but they are still second in the standings. That wobble has to be put into context - the U's twice led at promotion rivals Plymouth Argyle but had to settle for a 2-2 draw, and they lost 1-0 at home to a Leyton Orient side that has improved markedly under player-manager Kevin Nolan.

A home game against Daggers should be an altogether easier proposition, despite the absence through injury of skipper Jake Wright. Appleton, who was a thoroughly nice and engaging interviewee when I used to cover West Brom, is expected to freshen up his line-up.

Dagenham and Redbridge have been battling the drop pretty much all season, and they are nine points adrift of safety. Legendary boss John Still has returned, but after the weekend's hugely damaging 3-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Hartlepool United, he faces a near-impossible task to keep his team in the Football League.

Daggers have taken just two points from their last five away games, and they've conceded nine goals during that sequence. Overall, Still's men have lost six of their last nine matches, and that defeat in the north-east must have been a huge blow to their morale. The return from suspension of talented midfielder Joss Labadie is a small crumb of comfort.

There's no question that Oxford have been feeling the pressure of the promotion push of late, and I can understand how a run of two home wins in nine games would put you off backing them. However, they have been playing a lot of the teams around them in the top third of the table, and I think it's significant that they bashed second-bottom York City 4-0 just a fortnight ago. The progressive football they play means they can dominate the weaker teams, and they also beat the bottom two away from home, winning 1-0 at Dagenham and Redbridge and 2-1 at York City.

Recommended Bet

Back Oxford United -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at 1.768/11

2016 P/L (1 pt per bet)

Points Staked: 35

Points Returned: 38.98

P/L: +3.98 points

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