Oldham Vs Salford
(SAT 26th Sep, 4:30PM UK - Sky Sports)

Its the international break, and you know what that means… It’s the first of the Lower League Specials this weekend in Tipple, and the Big Bet bonus points are more crucial than ever! No Premier League, no Championship, and a heavily reduced League One schedule leaves us with little to pick from in terms of matches this weekend, and that makes it even more dangerous. Will you risk the lottery of picking a non-league side, or are you sticking to your EFL guns and hoping what’s left of the fixture list is enough for you to go the perfect 6/6? With Bruno Fernandes and Erling Haaland on their holidays, some of the locals might come out of the woodwork to pack out Boundary Park for this weekend’s Big Bet! It sees pre-season title favourites Salford make the ~10 mile journey across Greater Manchester to face Oldham, another side fancied by pundits to do something special this season. It’s fair to say that neither side’s start has lived up to expectations, but what better way to turn that around than by smashing one of your local rivals live on the tele? Can Salford finally put together the supersonic performance we’ve all been waiting for, or will Oldham arrest their slide away in form with a statement victory at home to the favourites?

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Disappointment is the word of the day at both of these clubs. Neither have been unforgivably terrible, but both are well off the mark they expected to find themselves at this season.

Oldham finished up in 10th on their return to the Football League last season, and could’ve even snuck into the play-offs had it not been for a late season collapse in form that saw them tail off from the chase. They showed some really encouraging signs over the course of last year and, with some shrewd summer recruitment, many believed that Micky Mellon’s side were a sure pick for the play-offs this time around. It hasn’t quite transpired the way they’d have wanted it to, and they find themselves sat in 16th with 7 points from 7 games coming into this weekend. Peeling back the curtain, however, Oldham were the better side in a lot of their losses, and they might owe their subpar league position to the fact that no club have missed more big chances than them in the entire division so far. Maybe try sticking them away and see how the results look, lads. 

Their visitors have been the story of League Two so far, but it looks like they might finally be starting to get themselves on track to achieve what everyone from professional pundits to casual fans had them pegged for, promotion. They’re only in 12th with 10 points still, but results have improved in recent weeks. My concerns with Salford are the fact they’re yet to blow anyone away. Normally a win is a win, but with a squad of the level of Salford’s in this division you