NTT20 Saturday Football ACCA: A 40/1 Football League four-timer

Cobblers set to turn on the style.

Cobblers made a winning start in their bid to return to League One at the first time of asking, edging past the well-fancied Port Vale 1-0 at Sixfields. Jon Brady has promised a new attacking brand of football at Northampton and, while that may not have been obvious to neutrals on Saturday, they will look to turn it on against some of the division's weaker sides.

Colchester could well be one of them, having been very poor for the majority of last season and being very fortunate to pick up a point on Saturday. Carlisle, their opponents that day, created chances at will, having 18 shots in total and there was no doubt that it was only Colchester 'keeper Shamal George who kept Hayden Mullins' side in the tie.

Early signs suggest Northampton are justified in having loftier ambitions than the team they travel to this week and, although the return of a clear home advantage goes some way to explaining the price, they look to be the clear favourites here despite the odds saying otherwise.

Back Northampton @ 2.757/4

Time for Barrow to walk the walk

Hartlepool are hoping to emulate their opponents' feat of League Two survival after promotion from the National League, and look to have a fair chance given no team has ever returned straight back to non-league the season after escaping.

Barrow's business in the summer suggests that they are looking up rather than down, and Chairman Paul Hornby has raised some eyebrows this week by talking openly of his team's budget and their ability to prise players from rivals' grasps, namely Offrande Zanzala from Barrow.

While we can't read too much into this, it does expose that the markets expectations of Barrow as a side merely looking to avoid the drop is wrong, both in terms of ambition and resource, and as such they should be shorter against a Hartlepool side who look to have it all to do after winning promotion via the play-offs and promptly losing many of that winning side.

Stevenage are a side to keep an eye on this season, so Barrow's opening day defeat may look better in time, and this looks a great opportunity for Mark Cooper and his side to show the rest of the league that they aren't just talk.

Back Barrow @ 2.56/4

Goals forecast for youthful Wimbledon

These two sides scored five goals between them on opening weekend and conceded four, so it's worth siding with goals in this League One affair.

Mark Robinson's Wimbledon side look like one for the neutral this season as they look to play a brave and expansive style using a plethora of exciting homegrown talent such as Ayoub Assal, Jack Rudoni and Ethan Chislett. Aaron Pressley could come in here as an upgrade in the Target Man role to Ollie Palmer, with Luke McCormick looking to carry on the blistering start to his career at the club after a goal and assist star turn on opening day against Doncaster.

In the mid-week Carabao Cup trip to Charlton it was striking how this young side continued to throw men forward even when protecting a lead during seven minutes of injury time, a mentality that is sure to reward overs backers in time.

Bolton's dramatic 3-3 draw with MK Dons saw them take 17 shots, of which 12 were from inside the area. With the usually clinical Eoin Doyle leading the line and the added set-piece delivery of Josh Sheehan, it's fair to think Bolton will have more joy going forward than the second-string Addicks.

This should be a thrilling encounter between two exciting young managers who like to get the ball down and play, and the 20/23 on both finding the net is a bet.

Back Both Teams To Score @ 1.875/6

Posh marksman to sink Rams

Threadbare Derby have surprised many in coming through their first two competitive games of the season unbeaten after 1-1 and 3-3 draws with Huddersfield and Salford. The recent signings have bolstered manager Wayne Rooney's options, but this is still a club in crisis for who the aim of survival remains and unlikely task.

They have conceded plenty of chances in the two games, with a great deal of defensive burden falling squarely on centre-back duo Curtis Davies and Richard Stearman, who only signed their contracts on the eve of the season.

Posh's start has been less than ideal, being soundly beaten 3-0 by the impressive Luton, before a second string side were embarrassed by Plymouth Argyle at home. We can draw a line through the mid-week result, and this game provides the perfect opportunity to get their season moving in the right direction.

If they are to beat Derby, it's likely that Jonson Clarke-Harris will be the man to get the goals. A total of 33 in all competitions last season show his class and, while his quality at Championship level is up for debate, the opposition here will be more akin to what he faced last season. He scored two or more on six occasions in 20/21, so even the 10/1 for him to do it here isn't out of the question.

Jonson Clarke-Harris to score @ 2.8815/8