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Having played out a fairly insipid first leg 0-0, the layers were quick to hand advantage to Sheffield United for Monday night's return match at Bramall Lane, with the Yorkshire club now strong favourites in the To Qualify market at 1.48. Friday's game at the Lamex was a shocker to be honest. There were as many chances as addresses in a hermit's contacts book, with Stevenage coming closest to breaking the deadlock with a deflected shot hitting the bar. The quality of passing and possession was really poor on a very dry pitch (unhelpful for slick passing) with both too cagey for any attacking options. [u]Tactics[/u] The Blades clogged up the midfield in the opening leg, playing a 4-5-1 asking Stevenage to break them down - which they couldn't. United played Chris Porter as a lone...

[u]MK Dons v Exeter[/u] The big shock of Tuesday's round of fixtures was the MK Dons defeat at the hands of lowly Yeovil, with the Buckinghamshire faithful voicing their disappointment at the result. The performance was actually acceptable, with numerous chances created. However, the MK Dons have shown their Achilles heel this season to be their profligacy in front of goal, which was all to apparent this week. The excellent Stephen Gleeson was sent-off against the Glovers, meaning their most influential midfielder is suspended for this Saturday. Yeovil sat very deep and got all 10 men behind the ball, it might be the same scenario here, so patience is the key for backers of the hosts at a short price. I am frustrated by the Dons, as they have top players and should be in the top...

It's not often Voltaire's Candide can be found as a starting point to a League One column, but the boy of sweet disposition often said of love, "All it brought me was a kiss and scores of kicks up the backside." And Candide was right. Sheffield Wednesday sacked manager Gary Megson in midweek to cement the division's reputation as one of the barmiest in Europe. Megson had guided the Owls to third, five points off automatic promotion and achieved a recent derby clash victory over bitter rivals Sheffield United. He played for the club, clearly loved the club and had greatly improved his beloved team since he landed the position from Alan Irvine. I am aware that his style wasn't to the taste of everyone, but the rumours that were floating around pre-derby last weekend have proved accurate. Hillsborough...

[u]Walsall v Charlton[/u] If this was a home game, Charlton would be trading at about 1.4; the fact they are just as good if not better on their travels means that the league leaders are a must-bet this weekend. Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup win over League One rivals made it eight wins on the spin and once again showed their winning mentality, despite manager Chris Powell making changes to his usual line-up. Carlisle lacked some quality in the final third, but Charlton are a very hard side to play against despite all their quality. Powell favours a 4-4-2, and the Addicks are best when stretching the play out wide, they have pace, and are particularly good on the counter attack. The defence is ultra solid, and they've kept six clean sheets in that winning run of eight games. Against the ...

[u]Aston Villa v West Brom[/u] If there's one thing that this Midlands derby has been renowned for in recent seasons then it has definitely been its tendency to produce goals. Eight of the last meetings between Villa and Albion have resulted in both teams getting on the score sheet, and six of those games ended with at least three goals being scored. In mathematical terms, Over 2.5 Goals has been successful in almost 67% of the last nine meetings then, yet that option is available to back at 2.1 here. There has been no evidence that either side has tightened up defensively this season so I'm all over the recent goalscoring trend to continue. [i]Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.1[/i] [u]Peterborough v Leeds[/u] The team with the joint-best home goalscoring record, hosts the side with the...

Following a brilliant five goal first-leg, the MK Dons hold a slender advantage heading to London Road and trade at 4.0 in the promotion market. Peterborough were dead buried in that first game having trailed 3-1, but a late penalty has given Darren Ferguson's men a lifeline - and are still around 3.95 to make it to the Championship. Peterborough need to score here, simple. Quite an ominous message for any opponent considering Posh netted 69 goals at home during their league campaign, the best in the division. However, they conceded 40 on their own patch, which was the league's worst. [b]Match odds[/b] Peterborough 1.84 played poorly in the first-leg, having made too many bad decisions and several loose passes. The loss of Gaby Zakuani and Joe Lewis through injury was a huge pointer...