Latest League One Odds: Cat and Mouse Game Continues Across the Table

We're really in the business end of things in League One and this is where a few shock results may mean slightly more, as the game of cat and mouse stretches across the entire table.

12 Points in Hand for Birmingham

I say it every week at this point, but it is becoming more than challenging to accurately summarise this Birmingham team without stating the same facts. The Blues are well on their way back to the Championship and any doubts are long, long gone.

With a 12-point gap to Wycombe in second place after beating them at the weekend, their position at the top of the league has only been further secured. Oh, and the Bluenoses still have a game in hand on the Chairboys, and two games in hand over the division. In other words, if you had a bet on Birmingham to win the league, congratulations!

Wycombe No Longer Sitting Pretty

We start where we left off with Wycombe's loss to Birmingham. The Chairboys have been superb this season but in recent weeks, it could be argued that they have begun to struggle a little. With just one win in their last five, the door has been opened to others, and they no longer have games in hand to their advantage.

Whilst I wouldn't write them off just yet, I could not confidently say that they are in a strong position anymore and I think that opens up a few chances in the market for automatic promotion.

Sitting just two points behind them is Wrexham, and had the Welsh outfit won at the weekend against Bolton, they would be level on points, separated only by goal difference. Phil Parkinson's side have been brilliant recently, however, I do have a slight qualm.

Wrexham's home form is phenomenal, and they sit second this season with home games alone. However, when playing away, their record drops and the Red Dragons sit ninth, which is a worry considering only five of their remaining 13 games are at the Racecourse.

Stockport, perhaps, could put up a bit of a fight for that second spot, considering they are just four points behind second. However, they do not have the luxury of a game in hand to play, so things are less likely there.

For that reason, you'd also have to say an automatic spot is not impossible, but unlikely for Huddersfield Town, who have been too inconsistent for too long, a real problem for the Terriers this season.

Charlton's win at Leyton Orient was a fantastic result for Nathan Jones' side this weekend, and the Addicks now sit in the play-offs after weeks of contesting for a place. Considering the O's recent form, it is a superb result, especially with the equalising and winning goals coming after 90 minutes.

Finally, Bolton's draw against Wrexham, with their aforementioned home record, is a really big result, and credit must be given to Steven Schumacher and his team for that.

Burton Causing Shocks at the Bottom

It's not just cat and mouse at the top, and we have seen Burton resurrected in recent weeks. However, we'll get to them in a second.

Shrewsbury, as things stand, sit at the bottom of the league on 27 points, and after losing their fourth consecutive game at the weekend - to fellow strugglers Peteborough United - their woes have only deepened and you have to say that they are in a really dangerous position now, if they were not already.

Crawley then follow sitting on 29 points, and once again, their recent form is certainly not pretty. A 2-0 loss to Cambridge has only furthered the struggle, and despite them having a game in hand, you would not expect much to come from it.

The same can be said for Cambridge, even though they have won their last two games, including the one previously mentioned. Once again, their form has been quite a woeful picture so far, and with other teams around them picking up points slightly more consistently, I have to admit I am a little worried.

Furthermore, there is a six point gap between them and 20th which makes things really difficult.

Burton, the highlight team here, follow on next in 21st, and I am starting to really like the idea of them managing a great escape. With two wins and a draw being their latest form, they sit really solidly with a goal difference better than the bottom seven (-14).

They prove consistently to be a slightly difficult team to beat and teams above them certainly are not kicking up any/many trees.

Sitting above the relegation zone somewhat perilously is the trio of Bristol Rovers, Exeter and Northampton. The trio are just a few points clear and their recent form does not read nicely for their own sake, barring maybe that of Northampton.

An upsurge is needed quickly if they want to survive.