Sign up for a SkyBet and fans who bet with Sky Bet will earn a token for every pound they spend, putting them in with a chance of winning the £250,000 Transfer Fund for their club in a draw in December 2014.
With Yeovil Town kicking off their SkyBet League One campaign in just a few days, Ben’s Bets has a look at some of the markets we can have a flutter on to keep us interested right through until May.
The league’s principal sponsors have no fewer than 19 different markets for League One and here we will look at just a few.
Starting with the League winner and there is of course a part of me that wants to play a loyalty bet on Yeovil Town to lift the trophy by the time May comes around and at 18/1, the Glovers are certainly a bit of value.
However, there are a few other teams that consider themselves in much better position to be top of the pile.
Sheffield United lead the betting at 5/1 with Bristol City in behind at 8/1.
However, my selection comes from another side at 8/1, Preston North End.
North End could well claim to be one of the sleeping giants in this division and with their summer business all being fairly positive they could be a real threat.
Manager, Simon Grayson has been promoted out of this division twice before and securing the services of Paul Gallagher and Kyel Reid will add firepower to the front line to compliment the experience of Kevin Davies.
It’s the Deepdale side that I think will be sitting pretty by May. Of course, there are three promotion spots available and as many as 12 or 13 sides will harbour genuine ambitions to be a Championship side this time next year.
Aside from the favourites, Leyton Orient’s new owner hasn’t been afraid to splash the cash, Doncaster and Barnsley will want to bounce back after relegation and even sides like Fleetwood, Coventry and MK Dons will think they have as much chance as anyone.
In such a tight division, it could be hard to pick the side to triumph but one thing we do know is that Bristol City have been very active this summer and they have secured some very good signings.
Korey Smith, Luke Freeman and Luke Ayling are three names Glovers fans will know very well, they add League One quality, experience and flair to a side already brimming with talent. So, I think that 5/2 for Bristol City to be promoted is good value.
My next point covers two potential bets, but one side I figure will do quite well is the newly promoted Scunthorpe United.
Momentum could be on their side and adding experience and nous in the form of Miguel Llera, Neal Bishop and Jennison Myrie-Williams are just what the side need.
I am expecting goals from this side and there’s one man who needs no introduction who could be the man to make the net bulge.
Paddy Madden is back in League One and hunting down another golden boot. He is now the Iron’s main man since Sam Winnall departed. Madden can be backed at a very tempting 28/1 to be League One’s top scorer.
If Madden is successful, he could be the catalyst for ensuring Scunny not only survive but fight their way into the top half of the table.
The play-offs might be asking a bit much of a side fresh out of League Two, but 11/8 on Scunthorpe finishing anywhere in the top half looks great value.
At the wrong end of the league, Crewe and Colchester lead the betting in the ‘to be relegated’ market but there is one side who may well be dragged into the bottom four at a slightly bigger price.
Crawley Town, led by former Aston Villa boss John Gregory have gone through a massive turnover of players and have struggled to bring in any seasoned stars to help keep them out of danger.
More former Glovers; Lewis Young, Matt Harrold and Gavin Tomlin make up a key part of the squad and with loans from the Championship and others in on free transfers they may not be able to put a settled side together for long enough to keep their heads above water. Crawley are 7/2 to find themselves in League Two in a year’s time.
As for Yeovil, the Glovers are odds on to finish in the top half of the table, 7/2 to make the end of season play offs again and 6/1 to get promoted and repeat the heroics of 2013.
I like a couple of the players in the top scorer markets however, Kieffer Moore is 40/1 to notch the most this season, James Hayter is 25/1 and A J Leitch Smith is 66/1 having been 200/1 before his prolific pre-season.
I wouldn’t put off anyone having a small each way bet on any of those three, with the top four scorers getting you a return on an each way bet, Glovers fans might be cheering the goals and counting the pennies if they are the league’s hot shots this season.
Yeovil Town and SkyBet promote responsible gambling for over 18s.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.
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