Weekend betting column: Tough at Toon for PNE

We love North End at ValueBet and it is hard to see the lads go on a losing run having had such a good go this season.

They have been beaten by better sides of late and Monday’s trip to The Toon looks no different. It is hard to recommend something positive but who knows? Maybe the pressure to get across the line is getting to Rafa’s men. The draw is 4/1 which is always a big price for the stalemate…come on you Yellows!

A vital weekend of Premier league action sees Hull, Swansea and Middlesbrough all in action on Saturday.

Out of the three it is the Swans I feel are most likely to get three points, being at home to Stoke. They have lost their last two games 1-0 away from home at Watford and West Ham but have perhaps been a touch unfortunate not to pick up something.

Their home form is really not that bad, having beaten Southampton, Leicester and Burnley at home this year.

Stoke have not scored away from home in the league in their last five and the home side have a match winner in Gylfi Sigurdsson. I fancy the home side to get the job done at 6/4.

I would treble this up with Bournemouth to finally cement their place in the top flight with a home win against the increasingly down and out Middlesbrough at 10/11, and Everton to carry on their nice little run with a win at West Ham at 11/8.

The treble pays 10/1 and looks a good punt for me.

If you fancy using the ValueBet 2 for 1 first goalscorers offer, pairing Romelu Lukaku and Andy Carroll looks a safe route to some profit at 4/1 and 6/1 respectively.

The Championship appears as tight as ever at both ends this season, with Leeds all of a sudden dropping out of the play offs on goal difference. I fancy Fulham to grab a huge away win at Huddersfield and they look decent value to me at 2/1. At the relegation end its a huge match for Nottingham Forest at home to an erratic Reading side. The 4/1 on Reading to win with both teams scoring looks very doable for the Royals coming off the back of a decent 3-1 win at Aston Villa.

John Gosden’s fillies have hit the ground running this season and I fancy Dabyah in the Fred Darling at Newbury (2:30). She was narrowly beaten at Chantilly in October and if she trains on from a 2 year old she should be the one to beat although a little short at 2/1 perhaps.