Football betting tips: League One outrights
3pts Charlton to finish in the League One top two at 11/1 (General)
Phil Parkinson was frank in his post-match assessment of Wrexham's 2-0 defeat at Reading in midweek, saying they missed a huge opportunity in the race for automatic promotion from Sky Bet League One.
They have an immediate chance to go some way to putting that right with a trip to second-placed Wycombe, only above them on goal-difference.
The Chairboys' form has dropped off markedly in the second half of the season and goes beyond Matt Bloomfield's departure for Luton; the reality that it was unsustainable was perhaps one of the reasons he was so keen to jump ship for a Championship relegation battle.
Interim boss Sam Grace took eight points from four games. Mike Dodds has nine from six. But Wycombe's gradual slump goes back to early December, and having taken 38 points from their opening 16 games (2.38 points per game) they have since taken 30 from 19 - an an enormous drop to 1.58 ppg.
Wrexham haven't been much better. While their away form has improved since January, generally they remain patchy.
Over their past 17 matches they have won nine, drawn four and lost five (1.82 ppg) not nearly enough to sustain an automatic promotion push with CHARLTON steaming through the division.
The Addicks have matched runaway leaders Birmingham (40) over that same period, with Nathan Jones' side taking 39 points (2.3 ppg) to make up a staggering 15 on Wycombe and 12 on Wrexham.
With 10 games to play they are now just five points off the top two, with points automatically lost by at least one of their rivals on Saturday. It makes CHARLTON TO FINISH IN THE TOP TWO at 11/1 a bet worth taking.
Their run-in is of note too, with the Addicks travelling to Wycombe on Easter Monday and then Wrexham five days later on the penultimate Saturday of the season, meaning a large part of their destiny remains in their own hands.
League One top two finish (odds via Sky Bet)
- Wycombe - 5/6
- Wrexham - 13/8
- Charlton - 10/1
- Stockport - 14/1
- Bolton - 40/1
- Huddersfield - 80/1
Seven of their other eight remaining fixtures are against teams currently in the bottom half, another huge bonus.
This is of course far from an exact science, but should the three teams in question continue on the ppg average quoted for their recent runs of form, Charlton and Wrexham would finish the season on 86 points, with Wycombe on 85.
Let's hope Stockport, Bolton or whoever else don't win their last 10 games and blow this all out of the water, though in this season's League One it really would be no huge shock.
Odds correct at 1720 GMT (13/3/25)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.