Hartlepool - Plymouth, English Division 2
2004-05-01 16.00 CET
Pick: Hartlepool (Asian hcp 0:0)
Stake: 3%
Odds: 1,60
Final reason for bet
· Hartlepool has played very good football lately and has the best form in the league.
· Hartlepool needs to win to be safe on a playoff spot.
· Hartlepool has a fully fit squad.
· Plymouth has nothing to fight for.
· Plymouth has three straight defeats on the road.
· Plymouth will miss their skipper.
General comment about the game
Play off chasers Hartlepool will take on second division champions Plymouth. Hartlepool is in very good form having won their last five league matches. This has put them in a fine position in the league, currently in sixth place. With two matches to go they are five points above seventh placed Port Vale. This seems quite safe but it is not. Hartlepool has two very tough matches left; on Saturday table toppers Plymouth and in the last round they will play away against fellow playoff hopefuls Swindon. Port Vale, that is the only team chasing, plays at home against in form Tranmere on Saturday. In the last round they face out of form and relegation battler Rushden & Diamonds away. We believe that they have a real good chance of grabbing six points from these matches. If they do that Hartlepool must take at least one more point, two to be absolute safe. The best chance of doing this should be at home on Saturday even if the opponents are Plymouth. Motivation must be very high in the Hartlepool squad. It would be a really big blow if their excellent finish of the season would end without playoff. Plymouth on the other hand is already champions which mean that they have nothing to compete for except their pride. The two latest weekends Hartlepool has lived up to our expectations by winning in style and let our Bank balance grow. In both of these matches they have played really well and scored good goals. Manager Neale Cooper has a fully fit squad to choose from and has thereby the advantage of the possibility to name an unchanged side for the Saturday clash. However, there are good news also from other players; both midfielder Gavin Strachan (34(2) apps, 5 goals) and defender Michael Nelson (37(1) apps, 3 goals) has come on as substitutes in the last games and is now pushing for a return to the starting eleven after their respective injuries. Also striker Paul Robinson (19(11) apps, 7 goals) seems to have regained his goal scoring touch since he scored four goals with the reserves in midweek and is now waiting for a recall to the squad.
Congratulations Plymouth!
In last round they beat second placed Queens Park Rangers with 2-0 at home. This made them champions and they can now look forward to first division football next year. Earlier last week they appointed a new manager; Bobby Williamson. The squad responded to this in their best manner by securing the title just a few days after. Plymouth deserved the victory against QPR. It was only some good saves from the visitor’s goalkeeper that kept them in the game. However, in the end he could do nothing when Plymouth scored two late goals and rightfully earned the title. Despite Plymouth’s fine achievement recently there are question marks about their away form; they have three straight defeats and only five points from their latest eight away games. Plymouth will have their club captain and defender Paul Wotton (31(6) apps, 9 goals) suspended for this game. He will most likely be replaced by Hasney Aljofree. Aljofree replaced also in the last game since Wotton was named only on the bench which we believe was a move made by new coach Williamson just for preparation for this game. Otherwise, Plymouth has a fully fit squad to choose from.
Hartlepool is the best form team in the league. We believe that this together with home advantage and motivation will decide the outcome of this game. We must also bear in mind that Hartlepool very seldom loose at home; only four defeats from 22 attempts. Plymouth is the best team in the league but now they have nothing to fight for so we keep faith in an old cliché; Motivation beats class! Since we will not underestimate Plymouth we will suggest an Asian handicap bet that gives the entire stake back if the match ends in a draw. Medium stake, 3%.
Recent games for home team
|
2004-04-24 |
Rushden-Hartlepool |
0-2 |
|
2004-04-17 |
Hartlepool-Notts County |
4-0 |
|
2004-04-12 |
Wrexham-Hartlepool |
1-2 |
|
2004-04-10 |
Hartlepool-Bournemouth |
2-1 |
|
2004-04-06 |
Hartlepool-Luton |
4-3 |
Recent games for away team
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2004-04-24 |
Plymouth-QPR |
2-0 |
|
2004-04-17 |
Oldham-Plymouth |
4-1 |
|
2004-04-13 |
Bristol City-Plymouth |
1-0 |
|
2004-04-10 |
Plymouth-Wycombe |
2-1 |
|
2004-04-03 |
Barnsley-Plymouth |
1-0 |
Home table
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Hartlepool |
22 |
10 |
8 |
4 |
38-21 |
38 |
Away table
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Plymouth |
22 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
30-27 |
31 |
Links for this game
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// SportsObserver 040430
