THERE'S been a huge upturn in people playing the pools with virtually nothing else to bet on.
Over the past few weeks we've lost everything punting wise and even the matches I posted last weekend in Australia were postponed.
Racing was next to fall although the Irish carried on gamely for a bit longer.
I did the pools for the first time in decades last week and while I didn't come close to hitting the jackpot I picked four draws which wasn't too bad.
The Pools Panel will sit every weekend to pick the results of matches 1-49 so as well as trying to predict the results you have to get into their heads too.
Last week generally they picked the better-placed team to win but there were a couple of shocks including Forest Green to draw at Crewe. I'd have been strong on a home win.
It's tougher this weekend with no top-flight or English Championship games scheduled as it was meant to be an international weekend.
We'd have been going to games today with a smile on our faces after Scotland moved to within 90 minutes of Euro 2020 (now 2021) by beating Israel.
In the Scottish Championship, there are two games listed – Alloa vs Dunfermline and Dundee vs Queen of the South and the former is a draw candidate.
In League One Peterhead vs Montrose and Stranraer vs Dumbarton are decent candidates and in League, Two Edinburgh vs Cove Rangers would have been a cracker and a possible title decider. The Panel may see this is a stalemate between the two but I'd have sided with the champions-elect.
England's all about League One and League Two but the National League is in there to make up the numbers. I'm not a big follower of the non-league but Notts County vs Harrogate could be chosen by the Panel.
Your best eight selections count with 24pts the maximum. It's 3pts for a score draw, 2pts no-score draw and 1pt for a home or away.
Players with 23 or 22 points (and sometimes fewer) will win a share of the cash prize pool.
Ten Draws (pools number in brackets)
- Accrington v Coventry (1)
- Oxford v Portsmouth (6)
- Shrewsbury v Wycombe (9)
- Exeter v Bradford (14)
- Forest Green v Cheltenham (15)
- Port Vale v Crewe (20)
- Alloa v Dunfermline (24)
- Stranraer v Dumbarton (29)
- Edinburgh v Cove (32)
- Notts County v Harrogate (42)
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
