GAVIN Horsfall's (@GHorsfall) excellent Anytime Notebook returns as he hunts value anytime goalscorer picks in the Football League. This weekend he's eyeing up a striker about to make his name in League Two…
Doncaster v Chesterfield | Saturday 15.00
Doncaster are on a bad run but I'm a sucker for ignoring recent form. Three weeks ago this Rovers side had lost just one of their opening six and had kept three clean sheets from their opening five games. But if you look at their recent results, you can make allowances for their defeats to Bristol City and Oldham whilst Crawley were always coming to try and just grind out a point.
I expected Rovers to underachieve this season and their opposition Chesterfield to overachieve. In essence, that's how it seems to have gone so far. Both teams should finish around mid-table and the angle I've found here is, the Spireites aren't one of those sides that are going to come and try and just take a point.
An admirable draw at Preston after going 3-0 down in midweek yes, but it's now just one clean sheet in nine for Chesterfield. With the pressure on Donny and the way Chesterfield are playing, we should expect a bit more of an open game. With the hosts the outsiders, look for value in their goalscorers this weekend.
I'll ignore the front two of Theo Robinson and Nathan Tyson who aren't playing well enough to justify their prices so I'm going to put up Kyle Bennett who goes off at 4/1 with Boylesports. He played well in midweek and was in a good run of form before Donny's slide, should keep his place and already has a couple of goals to his name this season.
Tranmere v Exeter | Saturday 15.00
Tranmere boss Rob Edwards was getting a bit of stick after successive 0-0 draws but leading up to those shutouts they'd kept just one shutout in seven and had leaked three goals against Accrington and Cheltenham.
Edwards had extolled the virtues of his attacking philosophy at the start of the season and that was evident in the games before those goalless games, with the Birkenhead team scoring at least two in each of their four previous league outings. Exeter arrive having bagged their first win of the season but they've not managed a clean sheet in their last nine…
So we're going to put up Tranmere forward Elliott Richards here at 11/5 with Bet365. He scored two in his three fixtures against Exeter in his time with Bristol Rovers, plus he ticks the ‘former player' box, as well having scored five goals in 11 games on-loan at St James' Park last season.
Mansfield v Carlisle | Saturday 15.00
I've saved the best to last. Like last season, Mansfield are a difficult team to second guess but they've had a great 10 days having beaten Morecambe at home in midweek after seeing off Exeter previously. They've already notched up three home victories too which is always encouraging.
Carlisle are in all sorts of trouble and a clean sheet for the Cumbrians looks miles and miles away at the moment. So we're going to put up a young lad, Rakish Bingham for Mansfield who we might expect to hear a lot more from over the next couple of weeks and months.
Bingham joined from Wigan a couple of weeks ago and scored on his debut in that win at Exeter. He's already formed a good partnership with Matt Rhead, a couple more chances have gone his way too but the feeling here is, we're not going to get many opportunities to back him at 9/4 (Betfred) in games going forward. So let's get on while we can!
Best Bets
Doncaster v Chesterfield – Kyle Bennett to score anytime (4/1 Boylesports
Tranmere v Exeter – Elliott Richards to score anytime (11/5 Bet365)
Mansfield v Carlisle – Rakish Bingham to score anytime (9/4 Betfred)
