League Two Tips - 26/09/20

An intriguing match-up between two sides who finished next to each other last season, this has the potential to be an exciting fixture.

Salford comfortably brushed aside Grimsby last weekend by four goals to nil, while Forest Green grabbed a dramatic late equaliser against nine-men Bradford in a fiercely contested fixture.

The Greater Manchester side have conceded 12 times in their last 20 home league matches, while Forest Green have scored in 13 out of their last 20 away from home, so expect there to be goals.

We’ve had a hard time trying to pick a winner in this one, so our tip is for the match to end in a draw and the correct score to be either 1-1, 2-2 or 3-3 at 7/2.

Top of the league Cambridge have looked a side reborn having struggled in the bottom half last season. First a 3-0 victory over Carlisle on the opening day, before an emphatic 5-0 win away to Morecambe means Cambridge have scored eight and are yet to concede.

Meanwhile, Tranmere have struggled to settle into life in League Two so far following their rather strange relegation last season.

A 3-0 defeat last weekend against Cambridge showed a somewhat depleted side, with just one shot on target registered during the 90 minutes.

However, there is certainly enough quality to mount a potential promotion challenge, and the mix of youth and experience should be enough to get some sort of result on Saturday. With Cambridge tapping into a rich vein of form, we could see both sides sharing the spoils, so our tip is for a draw at 11/5.

Following Macclesfield’s failed appeal against a points deduction at the end of last season, Stevenage managed to avoid relegation from the English Football League despite finishing last.

However, with a new season comes new ambitions, and they remain unbeaten after the opening two fixtures having beaten Oldham, and leaving with a point against Barrow. They also welcomed back leader Romain Vincelot having missed nearly the entirety of last season, so this should give them an extra boost to try and beat the drop this year.

Bradford drew both of their opening fixtures against Colchester and Forest Green, and will be looking to get back to winning form following a somewhat disappointing season by their standards last year. 
With Bradford still possessing more quality than Stevenage, and the possibility of a first three points up for grabs, we’ve chosen the home side to win at 11/10.

Newport County come into this game off the back of a 3-1 EFL Cup victory over Watford and will be hoping to build on their last league victory against Barrow. Having been held by Scunthorpe on matchday one, they returned to winning ways last week thanks to a Ryan Taylor goal just after half-time.

As for League Two newcomers Bolton, who find themselves in the fourth tier of English football for the first time since the 1987-88 season, it has been a difficult start having narrowly lost out to Forest Green by one goal, before a 2-0 defeat to Colchester last time out. 

However, with new manager Ian Evatt coming in from Barrow and insisting on playing possession-based football, Wanderers fans will be hoping for a swift return to League One with a promotion challenge this season. As well as this, the addition of Eoin Doyle from Swindon, whose 25 goals helped them finish first in League Two last season, will provide them with a proven goal source.

Bolton need to get a win under their belts if they are to start mounting a promotion bid, and Saturday afternoon could be the perfect opportunity to hit the ground running. That’s why we’ve tipped Bolton to win either 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 at 9/4.
By Andrew Delaney