Fleetwood ready to make up for lost time against Accrington
Published:
Fleetwood Town will be eager to thrust themselves back into the promotion places in League Two following the late postponement of their match against Wycombe Wanderers.
Graham Alexander’s men can benefit from an extended rest period between games over the hectic Christmas and New Year period and look to be the value pick in this fourth-tier treble.
Southend United and Hartlepool United are our other two home bankers with a £10 stake returning a very enticing £74.27.
The hosts can bounce back from their Lancashire derby defeat to Morecambe and put pressure on their promotion rivals by defeating James Beattie’s Accrington at Highbury.
Beattie was on the scoresheet as Stanley recorded a 3-1 victory here last season, however his side could struggle to contain an outfit who will be hungry for points having had one less game to play.
And despite their current poor form, Fleetwood can point to the fact that eight of their 11 victories this season have come against teams in the bottom half of the table as they chase a sixth league victory on home soil.
Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem for Alexander’s team, with their 23 strikes at home the second-highest total in the division, while Accrington’s 10 goals on the road this term is hardly a spectacular return.
Portsmouth are showing signs of a revival under new boss Richie Barker with four points collected over Christmas.
However, Pompey should find Phil Brown’s resilient Southend team too hot to handle at Roots Hall.
Away from the boisterous Fratton Park faithful the visitors have endured a miserable run of form, with just one victory collected in their 10 previous attempts while traversing the basement division.
And that streak is unlikely to be broken when facing the Shrimpers, a side beaten only once in their last nine outings.
Southend secured all three points when these sides met on the south coast in November and are well-placed to do the double over a team who have only managed to score once in their previous four matches.
Hartlepool’s consistent home form, coupled with Bury’s notorious difficulty in claiming points on their travels, makes the north east side a very attractive proposition.
Only one league defeat in their last eight matches at Victoria Park, with five victories secured during that sequence, highlights how much Pools enjoy their home comforts.
Meanwhile, Bury’s six defeats in their previous 10 games away from Gigg Lane emphasises the problems they’re likely to encounter in this fixture.
And with the hosts winning the last three corresponding games between the pair, scoring seven times without reply in the process, there is plenty to suggest another Hartlepool success is in store.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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