Odds & Sods - The wipe-out last time was not entirely expected due to the plethora of cup games interfering with the selections as pointed out here.
Still was the first time so far this season that we couldn't manage even a wee double.
Back to league business as usual this weekend and hopefully a return to the more profitable forecasts of previous weeks. All four of our top picks are in the Scottish leagues, the area of the best returns so far throughout the season. Enjoy your holidays and hope you all have a wonderful bookie-bashing Christmas.
Motherwell V DUNFERMLINE 5/4
Motherwell are paying a heavy price for the clearing out of almost their entire squad this year. 18 games, 12 defeats and 3 draws makes extremely grim reading. Their miserable tally of only 3 wins so far this season were however individually Astonishingly Brilliant9 results; 3-0 at Kilmarnock, 2-1 at home to Celtic and a magnificent 6-1 drubbing of Hearts 3 weeks ago was the stuff of would be Champions rather than relegation candidates.
The Pars are still at third place not so astonishing as they have only suffered defeat against 3 non-OF teams this season. The the early season 2-0 to deficit against the Jambos was avenged to the tune of 3-1 in November and the 3-0 defeat by the Dons in September was compensated last week with a 3-1 win. The only recent blip was the week previously when Partick Thistle had replied to their early season 4-2 humiliation at Dunfermline with a fine 4-0 victory at home. Still having beat almost every team outwith the OF is a good a record as you will get in the SPL outside of Glasgow's Big Two.
Ayr United v FALKIRK 11/10
The honest men are in the no-mans land of 6th in the 1st Division, thanks mainly to an abysmal record of only two wins out of their last eleven games.
Falkirk are back on top, courtesy of eight straight games with only one defeat. Held the league stormers ICT to a 1-1 draw last week. Don't expect the bairns to be handing out any presents in Ayrshire.
AIRDRIE UNITED 11/10 v Forfar
Sitting 5th in Division 2 are Airdrie with some improved form from earlier hiccups and now seem to be getting into the winning habit once more with the latest victims 7th place Stenhousemuir being crushed by Airdrie's new lease of life last week. Forfar on the other hand won 4, drew 4, then as an obvious pattern emerges duly got two defeats, including the 5-2 humiliation by leaders Raith Rovers last Saturday. Diamonds are forever, not just for Xmas. Expect them to sparkle for some pre-festive joy for this weeks punters.
QUEENS PARK 11/10 v Elgin
7th in Division 3, Elgin fail to impress within their new environment despite a respectable 3-1 win over East Stirling last week. Have to do better than producing 1 win out of the last 10 outings to demonstrate they can play with the big boys of the SFL. However, Queens Park's lower position of 8th came as a result of very poor form at the beginning of the season.
One win and 8 defeats in their first 10 games is hardly going to set them up as Championship front-runners. But clear improvement has been apparent since they followed this with four draws before chalking up a complete reversal of the early season run with only one defeat from their 8 games. Doubt we will be seeing much Xmas cheer in Borough Briggs when the spiders scuttle back to Glasgow on Saturday night with 3 points attached firmly to their web.
Suggested bet: Perm all four trebles plus the fourfold, 5 bets @ #1.00 per
unit=#5.00
Pars/Falkirk/Airdrie returns=#9.92
Pars/Falkirk/Queens Park returns=#9.92
Pars/Airdrie/Queens Park Returns=#9.92
Falkirk/Pars/Airdrie Returns=#9.26
Fourfold Returns #20.83 + all trebles =#59.79
Singles and doubles, take your pick from above or from the Best of The Rest below.
English Div II-Chesterfield v OLDHAM 13/8 Swindon v CREWE 5/4
Div III-SWANSEA 1/1 v Leyton Orient
SPL- ABERDEEN 1/1 v Livingstone. Dundee United v HEARTS 11/8.
Kilmarnock
v HIBERNIAN 9/5
SFL I - Arbroath v ROSS CO 5/4
SFL II-Brechin v BERWICK 13/10
SFL III-E. Stirling v MONTROSE 5/4
Stirling v ALBION 6/5
All odds quoted from Wm Hills.