Latest League One Odds: Trouble in South Yorkshire

Stockport Still Favourites... Somehow

After this weekend's result, I was expecting a different team to lead the title odds in League One. Yet, it's the Hatters who still sit at the top of the pile, in terms of the odds, at 2/1.

A 1-1 draw against Notts County hasn't moved their odds at all, surprisingly, even if they were the ones chasing for the majority of the game. Saying that, they dominated things and were perhaps unlucky to not get all three points.

Nevertheless, it feels like a shorter price than what they maybe should be, and for me, I couldn't back them - which feels like my catchphrase when discussing them currently.

Six Point Week at Home for Huddersfield

In midweek, Huddersfield grabbed a dominant 4-1 win against Peterborough and that was followed by a 2-1 win against Wigan. A very solid set of results at the Accu Stadium for the Terriers, even if they did concede twice.

Now, the Terriers haven't pulled off anything majorly special here, grabbing six points against two sides threatened by relegation. Yet, it moved them to the top of the league, causing their odds to shorten for the title to 3/1 from 4/1.

Having only lost one game this season, it feels difficult to see who stops them from winning the league at this moment, which may scare Town fans. However, they've clearly improved since last season.

Back to Draws for Duff

After his first win last weekend, Michael Duff could've had a real say on the League One title race this week, with six more points available. However, his side couldn't score against Burton or Oxford United. On the bright side, they didn't concede, but it's not great.

Having scored 10 and conceded five this season, the Bantams are operating on really fine margins. Nevertheless, we can ask whether it's working. They're three points behind West Yorkshire rivals, Huddersfield, but they've scored 14 goals fewer.

It needs to change; it's simply unsustainable to keep going at this rate. Ultimately, the 12/1 for them to win the league feels fair.

Wednesday Sack Pedersen

After another defeat at the weekend, Sheffield Wednesday have been forced to take some action: the sacking of Henrik Pedersen. The Dane had led the Owls through relegation in the Championship until now, but results haven't come.

Wednesday are a very respectable eighth, sitting only two points off the top six. However, they had hoped to be in the title picture. So, it's a failure of a season so far, and with fans lacking hope of change, the writing was on the wall.

Dave Challinor is the heavy favourite for the job, and if he were to be appointed, they'd be a cracking price for a top six place at 13/10 with Betfair and its sister sites. Like I say, they're far from being out of the picture.

Reading are Roaring

I've been quite keen on Reading in recent weeks and their form is looking superb now, with their first loss since mid-September coming last week. In their last five, they've grabbed three wins and a draw, which reads fantastically, too.

One could argue that they've had a pretty kind run of fixtures, with Barnsley, Leyton Orient, Wigan and MK Dons being their last four games. Yet, you can only beat what's in front of you and they only lost to Wigan in that run.

With a bumper of two points in the play-offs, they're in a good spot and 5/6 is a good price.

General Picture

Oxford United are still in a good position to attack the play-offs, especially after their draw against Bradford. They're a point off the top six and their last loss came to Huddersfield at the start of September.

With two games in hand, they're going to be a threat, I think. Despite this, they're 11/4 to be in the play-offs, which looks like far too good a price...

Back to Normal for Wigan

After a win against Reading last week, I thought things could turn around for the Latics. Yet, it just hasn't.

They've responded to that with two defeats - against Oxford and Huddersfield, in fairness - which doesn't help their case for safety. Of course, they're difficult games and most teams would struggle. Yet, the quality of League One this season is ridiculous and they're a long way adrift.

Still backable at Evens to go down this season, the price looks generous.

Trouble in South Yorkshire

For Barnsley, relegation is starting to look inevitable. They've lost each of their last four games and they haven't drawn a game since mid-September.

You'd be worried, wouldn't you.

They're scoring goals, so that is not a problem. However, they've shipped 10 in their last five. Three points isn't a huge gap to overcome, but they just don't look capable of doing so and that's why the 7/5 for them to go down with the best football bookmakers looks generous.

Bromley Grab A Draw

The final game of the relegation-threatened teams was hosted by Bromley, as Peterborough aimed to get a first win since October 10.

Posh, as you'd expect, dominated proceedings, but they couldn't grab three points. In fact, had they not scored in the 93rd minute, they'd have lost. It's a telling game for them.

Despite holding on for such a long period, Bromley are still, very clearly, a way below the teams in the division. It's no surprise that they're 5/11 with Unibet to go down.

However, Peterborough aren't getting off easily, either. They've hit a wall and there's seemingly no escaping that. They might be scoring goals, but they're not converting that to points. Yet, they're 21/10 for the drop...

General Picture

Blackpool are still in real danger in my eyes, too. They beat MK Dons in midweek, which seemed like a chance to start something.

Yet, a 4-1 defeat to Mansfield - at home, too - says all that it needs to. They're in a dire position and they lack any consistency. Only a point away from the bottom four, the 5/2 for them to be relegated looks big.

For Notts County, things are a little better after a good week. A win against Sheffield Wednesday and a draw against Stockport is solid.

However, they've got a potentially decisive few weeks coming up. 12/5 could look like a missed price in a few weeks, but it may also look very harsh. One to keep an eye on for now.