League One - Best Bets
- Dave Pilgrim
- Mar 9, 2018
- 3 min read
League One is often our happiest hunting ground, and a couple of selections jump off the page again this week.

Portsmouth have enjoyed a reasonably good season under Kenny Jacket, but it’s come in fits and starts, and they aren’t in the greatest of form right now after seven defeats from 11 outings. They haven’t won at Fratton Park in their last six now, so it’s fair to say they are perfectly beatable, and it’s pretty surprising to see them trading at odds-on prices ahead of their match against Gillingham.
The Gills are struggled big time early on this campaign, but a change of leadership had the desired effect, and they’ve lost just six times in 28 since Steve Lovell took the helm. Most recently it’s been even better, with just two reversals in 13, one of which was away to Wigan. Away from home they have been equally effective and since mid-December they have claimed maximum points at Fleetwood, Charlton, Scunthorpe and Northampton.
All this and they are 4/1 to win the match! Thats good, but it doesn’t feel quite as good as getting some insurance on the draw, so we’ll take the 13/5 available with Unibet on the Draw No Bet in this one. A few firms are 5/2 and that’s plenty long enough also (Betfair, Paddy Power, Betfred to name a few).
2.5pts Gillingham to beat Plymouth Draw No Bet at 13/5
Now onto Rotherham v Rochdale. Listening to the powers-that-be at Rochdale lately, you get the impression there is genuine confidence that the club can retain their membership in League One next season regardless of the magnitude of the challenge ahead. We like them as well, and they actually have a positive goal difference at home this season. Away is another matter however, and it’s simply impossible to fathom how Rotherham are available at 17/20 in this one.
The Millers could be forgiven for taking their foot of the gas in recent weeks, with a play-off place all but secured, but automatic promotion looking pretty unlikely. They’ve kept pushing hard though, and have collected 36 points from a possible 42 now in an unbeaten 14-match run and are looking for an eighth straight win this week.
Rochdale showed what they are capable of with a 3-0 win at Walsall last time out, and we all saw the spirited FA Cup Run, but the games are coming thick and fast now and they have played nine matches since January 27th. By comparison, Rotherham have played just five in the same period.
All things considered, Rotherham are a cracking price in this one.
2pts Rotherham to beat Rochdale at 17/20 (General)
Finally, it wouldn’t be a StattoBets League One preview if we weren’t salivating over Plymouth, and we are with the Pilgrim’s once again as they make the trip up to Fleetwood, hoping to take advantage of the struggling side.
Fleetwood has lost eight on the bounce prior to last weekend’s 1-1 draw with MK Dons, and they may have taken a further knock from that result after they dominated the game only to get a single point in the bag. The run sees them down into the drop zone now.
Plymouth are our darlings at the moment, and don’t show any signs of letting up in their run at the play-offs as they completed their sixth straight win in beating Bradford last week. That means they’ve lost just once in 15, and taken some considerable scalps along the way, including Blackburn and Shrewsbury. This one doesn’t look too much of a challenge, and they have to be value at 15/8 in this one surely.
3pts Plymouth to beat Fleetwood at 15/8 (General)
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