Barnsley Betting Preview Friday, 18th Jan 2008 14:17 Our three pundits return for a good look at the sporting action for the weekend ahead Welcome back to the betting column. It’s to be hoped The Don isn’t making a return to the atrocious luck that made him the whipping boy of last season’s column. During our enforced absence over Christmas (cheers Sky) his regular first goal scorer bet Damion Stewart was firing in from all angles – since the betting column made a return he’s had one blank weekend and then last week at Sheff Utd he put through his own net. You don’t get anything for one in your own net, as Jim Bowen or Bruce Forsyth or some other crusty old fart might have said. He’s down £76.98 now, but with that Lucky 15 still looking promising for a return that could all change as the season reaches its climax. I thought Brian Power’s Sunday double of Blackburn and Portsmouth looked a shoe in last week, I reckoned without Kieran Richardson – and so did he. Still, Pompey are generally good value on the road and have added Lassana Diarra to their squad this week – signing of the transfer window for me. Even more surprising was Barnet’s win at MK Dons sending his accumulator down the pan, and Peterborough lost at home to Macclesfield as well – two shock results and he had them both on his coupon, his 14/1 shot in the 2.30 at Warwick placed, but didn’t win. Should we be worried therefore that he’s backed Rangers to beat Barnsley? Probably. He has won the club’s box lottery for this game though – his first notable success of the season so far (only kidding mate – ed :-) ) Last season Anthony was king of the first goalscorer bet and he was back on form last week at Bramall Lane, pocketing a tidy £45 when Big Dave smacked in the opening goal for Rangers. He had the score right as well, sadly the wrong way round. The two shocks on NFL Sunday cost him one accumulator – who would have thought Indianapolis and Dallas would both lose at home? Not me that’s for sure, but it made for compelling viewing and both were fair results. The Colts defeat was particularly sweet considering the amount of seriously dodgy refereeing calls that went their way during the match – for non-NFL fans there’s a bit of an Old Trafford thing going on with referees when the Colts play at home. That means that despite the win he only broke even last week and remains £67.39 down. He sent his tips in good time this week but we’re struggling to open the attachment so they will follow on later. We hope! The Don Did 40/1 Stewart to find the net? Yes he did. Did the ‘Toon’ fail to lure ‘odds on’ Harry and his wonky eye to St James’ Park? Naturally! You see, I must be some kind of visionary. That or I have presented certain outcomes in a rather favourable fashion. I guess, on balance, I have to concede it may be the latter as neither of the above ‘facts’ has put any cash into my bank account (unlike the ‘facts’ I’ve just used to secure a rather weighty mortgage). Anyway, moving swiftly along, how am I going to ensure this week’s column (my last before I turn 40 incidentally kids) produces a decent return? Well, for a start, I’m not going to abandon big DAMION STEWART – you all know the routine by now, £5 on the first match goal and £5 on the last. It looks like Bet365 offer the best price for both markets @ 28/1 (and yes, the buggers have squeezed the price, but you just know he’ll oblige if I leave this one alone). I’m also pretty confident that we’ll beat the Tykes, so back a QPR win, and also wins for BLACKBURN (v Middlesbrough), PALACE (v Bristol City) and, I won’t be alone here, NEWCASTLE (v Bolton). I suggest an £11 accumulator and four £5 trebles. I’ve done this with SkyBet (respective odds of 4/5, 8/11, 4/5 and 5/6), but I’ve been lazy – please shop around for the best combination of prices. Finally, yet another ante post wager – this time on the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle ( Cheltenham , March 11) – and my selection is SIZING EUROPE. To be honest I’ve probably been watching this one too long and I’ve missed the value, however I keep looking at the competition and I keep finding reasons to oppose them. So, £4.50 each way @ 10/1 with Ladbrokes it is. And please don’t be surprised if I invest again next week before his final preparation race over in Leopardstown. For the weekend: For the notebook: Brian Power For the weekend For the notebook Middlesex Hoop Having seen my beloved Dallas Cowboys bow out of the NFL play offs last weekend, my cheeky tip for the Superbowl are the Green Bay Packers. lsewhere this weekend the Australian Open Tennis hots up going into the second week and I've included an accumulator along with my usual football letdown! For the weekend: For the notebook Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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