The Vikings stole my cheese

Like them or not, the demise of The Vikings is certainly a blow to the betting community. In the simplest of terms we are now deprived of one betting opportunity per week for the rest of the season. The road to profit demands plenty of turnover. Less games = less turnover = less profit = cheaper cheese at El Punter's celebrated banquets.

We're on the high-quality Camembert thanks to the advised single on Sligo in midweek. Let's see how long we can leave the manky Galtee festering on the SuperValu shelf!




Shelbourne v UCD

The Reds are in imperious form at the moment and while the turmoil continues at the club, the players are certainly earning their wages whatever the speculation about receiving them. Glen Crowe is in his richest vein of goalscoring form since he arrived at Tolka while Joseph Ndo is also netting with impunity in recent weeks.

The Students have taken scoreless draws from Drogheda and Derry in recent weeks while only going under by a single goal at Turners Cross. If Shels can win by more than a single goal it will be a big marker as to how much ahead of the pack the Tolka Park side are in ability. I expect them to continue their outstanding form tonight with a two goal victory

1/3 Shels
3/1 Draw
15/2 UCD




Longford Town v Waterford United

Longford recorded their best league performance of the campaign midweek when they beat a faltering St Pats 2-0. Alongside their cup win over Cork, and the 3-1 victory over Bohs, this is perhaps only their third decent result this season. Alan Matthew's side are now short odds to record back to back wins for only the second time this term.

Waterford may not be the whipping boys from this point on that they have been up to now. A couple of new signings and some promising performance from their developing youths is likely to give them a little more steel and make them more a threat to the opposition. Despite a string of losses, the blues have scored in each of their last seven games. With Longford not being renowned scorers themselves, a solitary Waterford goal may be enough to get a point. The draw is the value bet here.

8/15 Longford Town
12/5 Draw
5/1 Waterford Utd



Bray Wanderers v St Patrick's Athletic

Well, have the wheels come off at Inchicore? We were all expecting the Saints to come back from the world cup break with an even stronger challenge on the league as long term injuries healed, but they have taken only four points from half a dozen games since the start of the second term. They simply must win tonight to get back on track and continue with their progressive early season form.

The fixture list has presented Bray with four home games on the trot - this being the fourth. They have mustered only one point from the last three games and I think there's too much a gulf in class between the sides for that stat to improve tonight. Pats are the bankers - the money's down!


5/2 Bray Wanderers
9/4 Draw
10/11 St Pats

Better the treble you know

There's Premier Division action on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night for us to blow our wads of cash on...so lets get to it. The special treble on offer at 5/1 from Stan James could be the best way to make the midweek football pay - especially if you take up the free bet offer.


Monday 20.00
Shelbourne v Waterford Utd

The Blues put in a solid enough performance at home to Sligo Rovers at the weekend and we're very unlucky not to have taken something from the game. As suggested in the last post here Alan Reynolds looks like making a big difference to the Munster club.

His side come up against his most recent employers tonight as Waterford head to Tolka Park to take on a free-flowing Shels side. Shrewdly, under the conditions of Reynolds' transfer, he can't play tonight.

Unsurprisingly Shels are massive favourites here, and there may be more profit in predicting Shels winning scoreline than anything else.

Shels to win 3-0 at 7/1 looks worth a pop.


1/6 Shelbourne
9/2 Draw
12/1 Waterford United

Correct Score Prices
10/1 Shelbourne 1-0
8/1 Shelbourne 2-0
10/1 Shelbourne 2-1
7/1 Shelbourne 3-0
10/1 Shelbourne 3-1
7/1 Shelbourne 4-0

0-0 Draw 12/1
1-1 Draw 12/1

20/1 Waterford 1-0
66/1 Waterford 2-0







Tuesday 19.45
Bray Wanderers v Sligo Rovers

Bray sat out the weekend round of fixtures in deference to Cork's European ambitions so have a bit more rest than the Sligo side which took a hard fought win against Waterford.

You've to go back to the middle of May to find the last time Sligo scored less than two goals in a game - that's a pretty impressive record for the Eircom League. Sean Connor's men quiet achievements have seen them creep in to fifth spot in the table. There's a good spread of goals among the squad as well, they are not over-reliant on one or two players to find the net for them. There's plenty more ambition there too as indicated by the signing of ex-Leeds youth starlet Harpal Singh.

In this game I think we see the most confident side in the division take on one of the least confident. We were extraordinarily unlucky when we opposed Bray in the UCD game, but we must persevere. The class will out and at odds against Sligo are a cracking bet for singles backers.

9/4 Bray Wanderers
2/1 Draw
11/10 Sligo Rovers




Wednesday 19.45
Longford Town v St Patricks Athletic

Both sides come in to this game on the back of two defeats. Pats have lost their hold on fifth spot to Sligo while the Longford revival that looked to be starting with the two goal victory of Dublin City has now been derailed with only one point taken from the last nine available.

Longford's season is starting to slip away from them, they are not yet competing for a top six spot and this would really have to be their minimum target in the league this year.

Meanwhile - at a glance - Pats look as if they are standing on the brink of undoing much of the good work from the first semester of the season, but on closer inspection that's not the case. They could well have taken a point from their defeat against Bohemians - a Mark Quigley penalty miss not helping matters. Pats aren't playing like a team down on their luck, there is still a verve and excitement about their play - largely powered by Trevor Molloy's enthusiasm.

I'm tempted by the draw here, but I'm going to plum for a Pats win.

7/4 Longford Town
2/1 Draw
11/8 St Patricks Athletic

SPECIAL MIDWEEK TREBLE AT STAN JAMES
Shels, Sligo and Pats all to win 5/1

Go to 'Football Specials' after registering on the Stan James Website

FREE BET UP TO Eur40 FOR NEW ACCOUNTS

"Put that gun back in your holster sir"

Oh it's a cruel, cruel game. Undone by a dodgy piece of goalkeeping in the 90th minute last week to see our pile of profit turn in to a massive hole in our betting tank. Alas men, bloodied and battered, though not yet beaten...we will soldier on, once more in to the fray.


Waterford United v Sligo Rovers
The most profitable fray this weekend looks to be down at the RSC, where El Punter has enjoyed many a prosperous weekend opposing the out-of-their-depth Waterford United side. Sligo Rovers are the opponents this weekend and I was going to give them both barrells with extreme confidence, until Waterford re-signed Alan Reynolds...

Reynolds will make a big difference to the home side, a former player-manager at the RSC he now returns solely in a playing capacity from Shels who have begun the panic off-loading of excess salaries.

Reynolds is a wrecking ball of a player and he'll probably terrify his teammates in to putting in a decent performance now.

So, for me it's a case of return the gun to holster and I'll keep a watching brief here until we see how Waterford respond.

5/2 Waterford United
9/4 Draw
10/11 Sligo Rovers



St Patricks Athletic v Bohemians
This is the pick of the weekend's football, and El Punter shall be among the attendance at Richmond Park this evening.

Bohs are on the brink of something like a recovery although that took a bodyshot in the controversial home defeat to Derry City. St Pats also come in to the game on the back of a defeat having gone under in Drogheda last weekend.

I don't think the St Pats confidence will be overly adversely affected here, and I fancy them to put the Gypsies to the sword.

EVS St Patricks Athletic
2/1 Draw
13/5 Bohemians


Dublin City v Shelbourne
Troubled as they are down at Tolka Park with talk of player strikes etc, I don't see any other outcome here beyond a comfortable away win as Dublin City find themselves drifting towards the bottom two.

Fenlon to say "We're only interested in what happens on the field, and we're getting that right at the minute".

Keely to say "Aaachh, pfff, aah...we're playing against professional footballers here....aah...a waste of time...what do you want me to say?"


4/1 Dublin City
12/5 Draw
8/13 Shelbourne

Who said never trust a Student with money?

Fri. 7 July
Bohemians v Derry City
El Punter's followers are now doubtless brimming with as much cash as the Gypsies have optimism following last weekend's successful punt on the De Boez. Farrelly's men - with three good results on the bounce - now face a Derry team which stuck four goals past Drogheda on Tuesday night.

The win over a slightly depleted Drogs side is just the response the Brandywell faithful wanted following their upset at Sligo last weekend. Kenny's presence at Dalymount is sure to add a dash more piquancy to the encounter - and this is the game your roving bookiebasher will be taking in tonight.

Bohs looked pretty sharp in the first half against Cobh midweek - I don't know whether it was just coincidental but they were pretty lifeless after Farrelly left the field with a head injury.

Now in the last four of the cup and unbeaten in three games, I wonder if the Bohs fans will think about turning their flags the right way around soon in a show of support for the Farrelly regime?

I'm opting for a score draw here, with Bohs fans to be heartened by a solid performance.

Bohs 9/4
Draw 2/1
Derry 11/10


Drogheda United v St. Patrick's Athletic
Eamon Zayed gets to make his debut against the Supersaints tonight in another eyecatching clash. Ol' Eamo looked to be headed for a bottom two finish this year (note my clever way of avoiding mentioning relegation) now he could end up with a league winners medal.

Much of that destiny is in his own boots however, and he will need to bang in 15 plus goals from here on in to be part of a championship winning team.

Pats win over Sligo was a super tonic following their worst performance of the season when outclassed by Shels. The Molloy-Keegan axis will look forward to pitting themseleves against the league's meanest defence - it's notable than Jason Gavin didn't play when the Drogs shipped four midweek.

A cracking tie, Drogs 1-0 yet again?

Drogheda 10/11
Draw 11/5
St Pats 13/5




Sligo Rovers v Dublin City

Sean Connor's men should be well able for the Viking's visit - only Drogheda, Shels and Pats have escaped from the Showgrounds with a point this season. With Paul McTiernan and Darren Mansaram in fine form, I can only see this match going one way. City's defence is more flooded than leaky at the moment having conceded two or more goals in each of their last five games.

Having said that, Keely's side are not without their charms and looked reasonably threatening against Longford, but this is too much an ask for the visitors.

4/5 Sligo Rovers
11/5 Draw
3/1 Dublin City


Sat. 8 July
Longford Town v Cork City

Trouble int'camp down Turner's Cross way. Rico has resorted to Blair-isms to explain the George O'Callaghan speculation - 'Back to Basics' being the line from the verbose boss. Rico needed to sign some players before he could start plucking his stars from the sky and bring them crashing to an earthly bench, so we could well see Brian O'Callaghan and Cathal Lordan in action. Having toiled against both Bohs and UCD, Cork are a risky betting proposition at the moment.

Longford find themselves in an unprecedented purple patch of goals having netted twice in consecutive games. Admittedly it was against some of the division's more obliging defences in Dublin City and UCD. The champions will not be so generous and Longford will need to keep a clean sheet to take anything from this game.

13/5 Longford
11/5 Draw
10/11 Cork


Sun. 9 July
Bray Wanderers v U.C.D.

If you can manage to hold on to the heavy artillery in the betting bank until Sunday afternoon, it is time to unload a semiseismic punt on the Students. Bray are poor at the best of times this season. Now they are without their (arguably) two most talented players as Wesley Charles is suspended and Eamon Zayed is on the Dart out of there.

UCD beat a better Bray team than this 4-1 in April, and modest though the Belfield talents may be I think they are a class above the Seasiders and are the bet of the weekend.


13/8 Bray
2/1 Draw
6/4 UCD



League Cup Betting

With the draw for the semis to be made tonight, the odds at this stage see Shels as market leaders ahead of Derry. Bohs and Limerick must be getting very excited at the thought of sneaking in to the Setanta Cup by winning just two more games.

4/5 Shels
13/8 Derry
4/1 Bohemians
10/1 Limerick



Race To The Top Half

Bohs apparent resurgence coupled with Sligo getting tonked at Inchicore sees the Gypsies harden in the betting for this fiveway race - despite the Bit o' Red holding pole position at the moment.

Four points in two games from Longford with a couple of games in hand means Matthew's men are not to be discounted yet.

5/4 Bohs
6/4 Sligo
7/2 Longford
8/1 UCD
14/1 Dublin City