Championship
Fixture: Swansea 2-1 Sheffield United
Venue: Liberty Stadium (Swansea home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: It has now been five games since Swansea last won a game and that was a rather fortunate victory against a Coventry side that has been hit and miss this season.
With the magic ten games in benchmark rapidly approaching (you can pretty much tell what type of season a team is going to have based on their form after ten games) it is looking bleak for a Swansea side that were a revelation last season.
They are a shadow of their former selves.
Meanwhile, United's strength in depth at this level is exceptional and they look to have built a side capable of getting back into the top flight.
A draw against leaders West Brom proved their worth, but it is wins at places like Swansea that will seal their fate.
Expect them to win.
Betting Advice: 3pts Sheff Utd to win at 13/10 (2.3 at Bet365, Sportingbet, Paddy Power and expekt.com)
League One
Fixture: Swindon 1-1 Wycombe
Venue: County Ground (Swindon home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: Wycombe make the short trip up the M4 to play a Swindon side that is unbeaten at home this season, and getting better and better. Since the opening game of the season where they were embarrassed 5-0 at Gillingham, they have been unbeaten in 90 minutes in all competition. Their big problem is failing to win, but a Wycombe side with an erratic defence away from home this season will put them in the box seat.
Betting Advice: 3pts Swindon to win at 4/5 (1.8 at Coral)
League Two
Fixture: Grimsby 1-1 Darlington
Venue: County Ground (Swindon home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: You may think I am slightly mad, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Darlington are going to turn a corner very, very soon. Looking at them from a distance you see a club without a lot going for them. They are rock bottom of the English leagues, they have one solitary point, and they struggled to get 2,000 through the door to fill their 25,500 capacity stadium.
But things aren't all that bad. Their bad form is based on the fact that they had to build a team from scratch in pre-season. Manager Colin Todd is convinced they will be alright. And now they have bought in some useful loan signings in Rusell Hoult (goal), and Hull wing demon Jamie Devitt. Carlisle Irish defender Tony Kane should help Hoult plug the gaps at the back.
Meanwhile, there is nothing I have seen in Grimsby's back-to-back wins to suggest they were anything other than fortunate in finding out-of-form opposition and very lucky in at least one fluky goal.
Betting Advice: 1pt Darlington to win at 7/2 (4.5 at Coral)
Fixture: Shrewsbury 3-0 Northampton
Venue: New Meadow (Shrewsbury home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: You don't become a bad team over the summer, unless you lose all your players. Shrewsbury didn't, but have had a tough start to the season. Part of that can be explained away by their loss in the play-off final, which always knocks a team off kilter. They have got themselves going again now and back-to-back victories home and away have catapulted them into play-off contention.
Northampton, meanwhile, have seen rock-bottom confidence levels in the last six months. They dropped like a stone out of the third tier last season and have started this season so poorly they dropped their manager Stuart Gray at the first opportunity.
Since then, they've played two top teams, which is always tough, but they have shown glimpses.
However, they may have to wait until they play Rotherham at home in midweek for their first win under caretaker manager Ian Sampson.
Betting Advice: 5pts Shrewsbury to win at 11/13 (1.85 at expekt.com)
