Non-league / Gary Boswell / 21 January 2008 /

Boswell's Non-League blog

What type of punter are you? The 'rather have an odds on winner than a 100/1 loser' type or the 'don't mind six losers in a row if the seventh is a ten to one winner' type?

If you're the former, [1.57] about a side that has got WWWWWWWW in its last eight league games should interest you. Stalybridge Celtic to beat Burscough in Blue Square North on Tuesday night.

If you're the latter, maybe you'll be tempted by Stalybridge's Tameside neighbours Droylsden who have gone LLLLLL in their last six league games and are [10.0] and bigger to win at the Abbey Stadium in Blue Square Premier.

On paper, Jimmy Quinn's Cambridge United should cream a Droylsden defence that has been woeful all season and took another five goal body blow at Stevenage on Saturday. Cambridge however are on a bit of a dip themselves and have lost three of the last six in the league and a couple more in the cup.[1.4] is a wildly short take on an out of form team. They are also not the greatest goalscorers among the top echelon and have only notched six more all season than Dave Pace's Bloods who still prop up the division.

It has been a tough learning curve for Droylsden and the realisation that they have yet to win away whilst Cambridge are unbeaten at home should make me bury the game as a betting propostion. Cambridge too short on current form. Droylsden just too bad to back.

And yet I keep coming back to it cos I'm that second sort of punter who has admittedly got a dangerous soft spot for the beleaguered underdog that is Droylsden. I watched them first game of the season and was impressed with the attacking force that is embodied in Chris Denham and Jody Banim.They've only won twice out of twenty six but the 5-3 against Forest Green and the 3-1 against Oxford were both good gets on days when the defence conspired to let in less than the strikeforce fashioned. I don't like to miss the 10/1 winners when they happen and I'm not afraid to have six losers in pursuit of them.

You can hear me trying to talk myself into it but price mechanics will have the final say and my value marker wants [14.0] before I'll back the Droylsden defence to hold firm. So it's a 10/1 winner that I'll have to shrug my shoulders and miss. It is no struggle at all to decide that although on balance I score the game as a likely home win, I won't be backing Cambridge at [1.4] in their current form!

So back to Stalybridge it is. Steve Burr has Celtic purring with Alex Meechan making hay down the left and Chris Hall a menace down the middle. The win at Rockingham Road on Saturday propels them into the play-off places for the first time this season and there is little doubt that they are THE Blue Square form team of the moment. Burscough by contrast are on the slide. A plethora of injuries and suspensions has dented their excellent early season form and just five points from the last six games - with eight defeats already this season on the road - they are an opponent that a rampant Celtic can be expected to chomp at fortress Bower Fold. [1.57] might seem short if you are the lover of outsiders but it's a peach for those who just like backing winners!

RECOMMENDATION:

2pt BACK on STALYBRIDGE to beat BURSCOUGH at 1.57 or greater

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