GW 25 – Ones to Watch
Ally: Last weekend saw a double success for me on these pages, in so far as not only did I manage to select 2 teams whose games did not succumb to the weather, but I also reversed an unwanted trend in that both also managed to find the back of the net, no fewer than 6 times between them I might add.
With this renewed optimism I’m kicking off this Gameweek by heading to League One, where promotion chasing Hull City welcome struggling Swindon Town to the KCOM stadium. The Tigers currently occupy the second automatic promotion spot, trailing leaders Lincoln by 3 points and with a host of clubs chasing them down in the play off spots, many of whom have games in hand. The visitors are firmly locked in a relegtion battle and travel to the East Riding of Yorkshire with a terrible away record, with just one league clean sheet to their name since December 2019, and have conceded 2 or more goals in 10 of their last 12 trips away from the County Ground. Hull meanwhile are the division’s top goalscorers, and appear to have got over the minor blip they had in December which saw them lose two succesive games at home, failing to score in each (my fellow tipster Matt won’t need reminding about one of those!) – their only two home league goalscoring blanks since relegation from the Championship last summer. They’ve hit 9 goals in their last 4 homes games in all competitions, and Grant McCann’s side should see this as an ideal opportunity to bag three points in their quest for an immediate return to the second tier.
For my second selection I’m delving into the National League, where current leaders Torquay United travel to north London to face basement side Barnet. The Bees are having a torrid time this season, and are without a win in any competition since early November, a run of 13 games which has seen 11 defeats and 34 goals conceded. You have to go back another four matches to early October for their last league victory, so it is no surprise to see them 8 points adrift of safety at the foot of the table. The last thing a team in such a dire situation wants to see is a visit of the league leaders and top scorers, but there is a little crumb of comfort in that The Gulls have drawn their last two league matches 0-0, albeit against quality opposition in Notts County and Sutton United. Torquay travel to The Hive averaging over two goals per game away from home, and will likely view this as a great chance to get back to winning ways and strengthen their position at the top of the league. Good luck with your selections!