Charlton v Doncaster Rovers
We’re getting on to the FA Cup second round betting tips, starting with Charlton v Doncaster Rovers. Charlton enjoy home advantage and will be eager to use it to bag a place in the next round of the FA Cup where the prize money starts to build. The Londoners have been holding their own in League One so far this season; they are sitting sixth after 18 games with a record of nine wins, four draws and five defeats. That has them 10 points off leaders Portsmouth and they set-up on the back of a three-game winning streak.
That purple patch started with victory over Doncaster Rovers – interestingly enough – at this venue early last month. It was followed by wins over Walsall and Bristol Rovers. They also hammered Mansfield 5-0 in this competition last time; however, they needed a home replay to get over the line after being held to a 1-1 on the road. There was no mistake second time out with Taylor helping himself to a hat-trick, adding to goals from Marshall and Ajose. The home win is 23/20 favourite at William Hill and that’s how we plan to approach this.
Rovers Have Been Holding Their Own
Doncaster may have lost to Charlton recently, but they have matched them for large parts of the season so far and go into the FA Cup week with a CV showing 8-5-6. This means they have just two points fewer on the board than their hosts and are only two places lower in the pecking order. They put a miserable run of form behind them to beat AFC Wimbledon at home and followed that with a 1-1 draw away to Barnsley last time.
Like their opponents, Rovers also needed a replay in the last round; they also dealt out a real hammering when back in front of their own fans. A 2-2 away to Chorley was a real upset but they destroyed the same opponent 7-0 nine days later and that result would’ve injected real confidence into the side, although they could do without more games being added to an already hectic schedule. Doncaster are 5/2 at Unibet, with the draw a 12/5 poke through Bet365.
Peterborough v Bradford
Peterborough United are another side from League One who can be found scrapping for the prizes and they will see an extended FA Cup run as a great way to help boost the club’s coffers in time for a January raid on the transfer market, designed to boost their chances of promotion. The Posh have won 10 and drawn five of their first 19 but had to settle for a draw in each of their last two heading into the week, following a 1-1 at home to Bradford with a 1-1 away to Coventry – two sides you would’ve expected them to beat.
The hosts booked their place in this round of the competition with an away win over Bromley last month, achieved without too much fuss thanks to a 3-1 final score. They fell behind to a Johnson opener on 40 minutes that day but battled back before the break through the first of a double from Godden with Ward adding a third near the end. The beaten side had Raymond sent off in first-half stoppage time and that ruined their chances at an upset. The Peterborough win is 11/20 at William Hill and that’s one for your accumulators.
Bantams Continue to Struggle
Bradford continue to struggle at the bottom of League One and their lowly position is due to the fact they have won only four of their first 19 starts, leaving them on 14 points. They have much work to do if they are to turn their season around and wouldn’t see elimination from this tournament as a bad thing, given the fight that lies ahead. All is not lost, however, as they are currently just four points off Oxford and safety heading into game week. The Bantams helped close the gap with a weekend win over Oxford with Ball and Payne on target to upset the odds. The visitors also slipped past Aldershot Town in the last round of the FA Cup; however, it really couldn’t have been tighter with the tie needing a replay and penalties to separate the teams.
They finished 1-1 first time and played out a repeat performance before Bradford held their nerve in the shoot-out to win 4-1 on penalties. That isn’t the kind of form that’ll encourage backers to rush out and invest their cash on the away win and you will find Bradford chalked up at 5/1 with Bet365, which is market best price. That’s a big quote, but it looks about fair. The draw goes 13/4 – best at Unibet. Both teams to score can be taken at 7/10, against the 23/20 for no – both with Ladbrokes. The teams did play out a four-goal draw on league duty earlier this season, so we would much prefer the shorter odds in our multiple bets.
Walsall v Sunderland
League One side Walsall drew last weekend to stretch their recent winless run to four games, two defeats followed by a couple of draws. They were involved in a five-goal thriller with Coventry in the last round, Cook, Ginnelly and Devlin scoring the goals that made the difference, seeing off a fightback from Harris and Thomas. Bet365 have them as 5/2 second favourites, the draw 12/5.
Sunderland appear to be enjoying life in League One; however, they are in a rush to clamber out of the division and an unbeaten run has them second in the table after 18 games played with automatic promotion looking like a real possibility. The Black Cats have drawn each of their last two – 1-1 with Wycombe and 2-2 away to Walsall. They did beat Port Vale 2-1 in the last round and we expect them to nick another tight match here. Back Sunderland to continue their rise with a win at 11/10 through 888sport. That will be popular in accumulators and we are more than happy to have it in ours.