Latest League One Odds: Derby and Draws

It was another interesting weekend in League One, and there are now several teams with revived hopes this season. At the top, the play-offs may get a shake-up, and whilst not as drastic, even things at the bottom have advanced.

Let's take a look!

First Home Draw for Cardiff

We head to the top of the league first, where Cardiff City were denied a ninth straight home win, as Stockport County held the Bluebirds to their first draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.

One of the early kick-offs this weekend, a win would have taken them six points clear at the top. 

However, they are forced to sit with just a four-point gap; of course, this is nothing problematic, though. In fact, that is a fantastic position to be in, and the bookmakers still see them as the clear favourites (4/9 in most places) to win the League One title this season. 

After all, can you really blame them after what we have seen so far? It would surely be difficult to stop them at this point. 

Lincoln are the closest challengers, and this weekend they have gained ground on the Welsh outfit, with their win against Burton on Thursday night. Despite falling behind in the first half, the Imps actually went ahead thanks to a Jack Moylan brace. Talk about showing up when it matters. 

Whether they will get into the driving seat between now and the end of the season can surely be questioned. However, their chances of a top two spot look pretty solid with a six-point gap in place after this weekend’s fixtures. 

The price of / looks nice, indeed.

Derby Day Delight

Dropping down to the play-off section, as has been predicted by the bookmakers, Bolton Wanderers now sit third in the table, after sitting in that position in the odds race for some time.

This weekend, they overturned last season’s play-off finalists, Leyton Orient, thanks to a last-minute penalty from Mason Burstow. 

It is not impossible that they can get into the top two, and with seven points in their last three games, they are looking solid. However, they need a lot of variables to change, and time is beginning to run out. It is understandable why Spreadex have them at 3/1 to go up automatically. 

Bradford City follow behind them, and they lost a massive game at the weekend against their West Yorkshire rivals, Huddersfield Town. Despite going down to 10 men, the Terriers fought strongly in another of the weekend’s 12:30 kick-offs. 

It is now the Bantams’ third loss in their last five games, and with only three goals scored since the turn of the year, the requests for a new striker are only growing louder, understandably. 

For the Terriers, things are suddenly looking much better. A win for Liam Manning in his first game in charge is massive, especially considering they beat a play-off rival and a geographical one. They are still above Evens for a play-off spot, which certainly could be interesting. 

Stockport, then, are sandwiched between the two Yorkshire rivals, and they are sitting very comfortably inside the top six right now. Their draw against Cardiff is a big one, being the first team to get a point there this season.

Perhaps they can also be considered for a charge into the top two, with them only six points away from second. However, the lack of a game in hand suggests it may be tough.

The promotion picture looks tough, especially considering how many teams are chasing currently!

No Gap Yet

Moving towards the bottom of the table, Port Vale were not able to turn things around at the weekend, falling to another defeat. This time, Exeter got the better of them with an important 3-1 scoreline, which has continued their incredibly impressive form of late. 

Since arriving at the club, Jon Brady’s side have conceded six goals in their two League One games, whilst only scoring one goal. If things did not look bleak before, they certainly do now…

Rotherham look equally troubled at the bottom of League One, and whilst they did not lose this weekend, they had a big chance to gain something. Facing a Wimbledon side who have slid down the table, it was a big chance to turn things around. 

Despite taking the lead, though, they could not hold on at home. Whilst it is their first League One point since November, that in itself is pretty damning. 

Doncaster, sitting in 22nd, may be turning things around slightly with five points in their last three games. However, again, it probably should’ve been more. Rovers played out a thriller against Wigan, but it needn’t have been. 

At one point, Grant McCann’s side had a 3-1 lead. Yet, they failed to hold on, and again, this only proves why they are struggling. 

Northampton’s loss to Blackpool keeps them inside the bottom four, and it was a must-win game for both sides. So, the Tangerines have gotten a big three points this weekend, which has actually taken them into a position of safety (for now). 

It was their third home win in the last five games, so Ian Evatt can only be pleased with this latest result. However, for the visitors, it leaves them in a perilous position, and the 10/11 for them to be relegated is understandable. 

Burton sit a point away from safety currently, so they are certainly still in the relegation mix, as are Wigan and Wimbledon, who both got draws against fellow relegation candidates this weekend.

Had both won, there may have finally been a bit of a safety gap forming.