WE'RE giving away a £10 free bet thanks to those great guys at Vernons. All we're asking you to do is nominate a team you think will lose this weekend in the Football League. Here, Mark O'Haire (@MarkOHaire) justifies his own selection.
Burton Albion v Plymouth Argyle | Saturday 15.00
Gary Rowett left his post as Burton manager and I think we’d all agree it’s a well deserved move and one he couldn’t really turn down. But where does that leave Burton? Well until a new manager is appointed, it’s hard to tell.
Those who watched last week’s Football League show could have guessed Rowett was off, judging by his post-match interview. And the performance the Brewers put in against Stevenage raised a few alarm bells, for me.
Ian Sharps’ late own-goal cost them the points at the Lamex, making it five defeats in eight. And if you want to throw cup football into the mix, they’ve been beaten in seven of their last 10!
Chairman Ben Robinson says he’s had over 50 applications for the position and why wouldn’t they? Burton are in the privileged position to be able to use England’s state-of-the-art training facilities at St George’s Park and they’re flying high in third.
But Rowett has taken his backroom staff of assistant Kevin Summerfield, first-team coach Mark Sale and goalkeeping coach Kevin Poole with him to St Andrews. That’s left Brewers academy boss Mike Whitlow to take over as caretaker boss with help from senior professionals Lee Bell and Sharps.
Bell was quick to claim there’s no ‘doom and gloom’ around the place following Rowett’s departure, which he has to say, really. But with all the change around the club in the past week and the erratic form shown, I have to oppose them on Saturday. Ladbrokes are giving us 11/10 on Plymouth in the Draw No Bet market and that’s good enough for me.
All nine of Burton’s wins have come against teams in 10th and below. Plymouth arrive with seven wins from their last 11 including four in an unbeaten five-game spell. They’ve also kept five consecutive clean sheets meaning they’ve leaked just twice in eight games!
Visiting boss John Sheridan will keep his Argyle side organised and incredibly tough to break down. They have lost four of their seven away but six clean sheets in seven deserves maximum respect from a team that will be in the top-seven this season.
I’m happy to be with the Devon-side this weekend and think 11/10 on the Draw No Bet offering from Ladbrokes is more than good enough and I'll also put forward Burton as my Football League lay at 29/20 with Vernons. Good luck with your Vernons pick!
Best Bets
Burton Albion v Plymouth Argyle – Plymouth draw no bet (11/10 Ladbrokes)
Win A £10 Free Bet With Vernons
Vernons have kindly asked to sponsor our weekly Football League video and in return, have given us a few free bets to giveaway. Yes! Want some?
For your chance to win one of two £10 Free Bets from Vernons, we just want to know which Football League team you think will LOSE this weekend. Sounds easy, huh?
For full details on how and where to enter the competition, please check out our Football League post here.
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