Wednesday May 4, 2011
Blue Square Bet Premier Play-Off Guide by Alan Alger from Blue Square
Four teams are still in the hunt for promotion to League 2 through the Blue Square Bet Premier play-offs and it could not be closer according to the league sponsors.
Blue Square Bet Premier Play-Off Guide by Alan Alger from Blue Square
Four teams are still in the hunt for promotion to League 2 through the Blue Square Bet Premier play-offs and it could not be closer according to the league sponsors. Blue Square make Luton Town the 2/1 favourites to go up, but the outsiders in the market, Wrexham, are only a point and a half bigger at 7/2. League runners-up AFC Wimbledon are second favourites at 5/2 with Fleetwood Town making up the quartet at 10/3. The closeness of the clubs is illustrated by the regular season mini-league between the four which would have seen the sides finish equal with two wins, two draws and two defeats each from the games against each other.
The action gets underway at The Racecourse Ground on Thursday night when fourth placed Wrexham host Luton Town, who finished one place and three points ahead of them in the table. Despite that small gap, Wrexham got the better of The Hatters over the course of the season with a home win and a draw at Kenilworth Road on the final day. That would be enough to see them progress to the final at odds of Evens should they repeat it. Luton are getting used to the stewardship of new boss Gary Brabin and the Liverpudlian has had experience of the play-offs with Cambridge United two seasons ago. That campaign ended in disappointment at the hands of Torquay. There are signs that Brabin has improved his side in recent weeks. Ten games under his management have only seen one defeat, although six draws in that period could also hint at the need for something extra in this four team shoot-out. Both clubs will be buoyed by the statistics that show seven times in the eight year history of the competition the winner coming from the middle section of the play-off draw.
On Friday AFC Wimbledon make the long trip up to Fleetwood Town for their first-leg encounter. The Wombles top the recent form guide having overcome the worst of their injury crisis and, regardless of the eventual outcome of the play-offs, their runner-up position in the division deserves immense credit on its own. The hard work begins now against the fifth placed Cod Army who beat off late competition from Kidderminster and York to stake a claim for back-to-back promotions. Micky Mellon's team come into the equation as the team with momentum in the second half of the season. Mellon's side are 10/11 to qualify for the final over two legs, their South London opponents are 4/5 slight favourites to reach Manchester. Both will have the hurdle of history once they get to Eastlands as only once in the eight years of the play-offs has the runner-up in the league been promoted and the fifth placed team has yet to break its duck.
Blue Square Bet Premier - Who Will Win The Play-Offs?
Luton Town 2/1
AFC Wimbledon 5/2
Fleetwood Town 10/3
Wrexham 7/2
SCHEDULE
Semi-Final 1st Legs
Thursday 5th May 7.45pm
Wrexham v Luton Town
Friday 6th May 7.45pm
Fleetwood Town v AFC Wimbledon
Semi-Final 2nd Legs
Tuesday 10th May 7.45pm
Luton Town v Wrexham
Wednesday 11th May 7.45pm
AFC Wimbledon v Fleetwood Town
FINAL - Saturday 21st May 3pm - City of Manchester Stadium.
FORM GUIDE
Play-Off Teams Mini-League
Luton Town P6 W2 D2 L2 F8 A5 GD+3 Pts8
Wrexham P6 W2 D2 L2 F4 A4 GD0 Pts8
Fleetwood Town P6 W2 D2 L2 F5 A6 GD-1 Pts8
AFC Wimbledon P6 W2 D2 L2 F4 A6 GD-2 Pts8
Last Six Matches
AFC Wimbledon P6 W5 D1 L0 F12 A3 GD+9 Pts16
Fleetwood Town P6 W5 D0 L1 F14 A4 GD+10 Pts15
Wrexham P6 W3 D2 L1 F10 A7 GD+3 Pts11
Luton Town P6 W2 D3 L1 F9 A3 GD+6 Pts9
Season vs Top Half Teams
Luton Town P22 W8 D9 L5 F35 A20 GD+15 Pts33
Wrexham P22 W8 D9 L5 F25 A19 GD+6 Pts33
Fleetwood Town P22 W8 D8 L6 F26 A25 GD+1 Pts32
AFC Wimbledon P22 W7 D6 L9 F25 A31 GD-6 Pts27
Where Do The Winners Come From? (8 year history)
SECOND PLACE Winners 1 Runners-up 2 Losing SF's 5
THIRD PLACE Winners 5 Runners-up 0 Losing SF's 3
FOURTH PLACE Winners 2 Runners-up 1 Losing SF's 5
FIFTH PLACE Winners 0 Runners-up 5 Losing SF's 3
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