Charlton climbing steadily now

When I suggested a modest bet on Bristol Rovers at Northampton last week I hardly expected them to win 6-0. It was good news for us and for manager Darrell Clarke, who is doing a splendid job with little outside comment. Should Rovers gain promotion this time – admittedly a long way off – he will have taken clubs up in five of the last six seasons, two at Salisbury and three here.

The prices about the top teams in the Premier League this weekend are pretty hopeless and I can’t see why anyone would make Southampton odds-on to beat Newcastle on Sunday. It may happen but the Saints are woeful in front of goal and unless they score early and force the opposition to come out and attack, it could be another frustrating afternoon for the faithful. No bet.

Fulham have not found their form yet and must not let the top teams in the Championship open up too big a lead. They would still be my each-way choice for the title and I think the goals will start to flow at Craven Cottage before too long. They will need to rediscover last season’s form when Preston visit on Saturday because this is a tricky match but I still think they are value at 20/21 in a place and 10/11 generally.

A more substantial investment is CHARLTON to beat Doncaster at The Valley. Karl Robinson did nor suddenly become a poor manager overnight and there were times at MK Dons when he seemed to be on the verge of something quite special.

Doncaster can make it difficult for teams but they score very few themselves and that is always the key point when going for a solid home win at odds against – in this case 6/5 with Coral and Betway.

FULHAM 15 units at 10/11 to beat Preston
CHARLTON 25 units at 6/5 to beat Doncaster