The betting column returns ahead of this weekend’s trip to Southampton – where QPR are a healthy 11/5 for a win.

The Don is away this week – just as well as he lost £30 on football bets and added two more ten pound bets to his notebook. He’ll be back in a fortnight to sort all that out – no column next week as we have ANOTHER free weekend. Would probably have made sense to move the Burnley game from Tuesday to Saturday of course but what do I know. I’m sure Burnley are going to love their 500 mile round trip on a Tuesday night while we’ll enjoy a gate 3000 down on what it could have been, then we’ll all sit twiddling our thumbs next weekend. I despair with football sometimes. Common sense? They couldn’t even spell it.

Brian Power has had a “nearly” week. He had QPR to beat Bristol City 3-1 and we won 3-0, he had Buzsaky for first goal and he scored last, he had England to win 2-0 and they won 2-1. He had a lucky 15 horse bet as well, we have three brilliant mathematicians away working on the results of that but they haven’t come up with an amount at the time of going to press. More in a fortnight.

Anthony was away last week but lost out on his Super Bowl bet when New York Giants surprisingly beat Green Bay, and then even more stunningly went and won the whole thing! He’s backed against Hull FC this weekend, and while I’d normally swear at him for that, it’s hard not to back Warrington this week with Hull missing ten of their first choice 13 players for tonight’s trip to the ‘dark horses’ of the whole competition. The massacre starts in half an hour. I have whiskey in the cupboard ready for full time.

Brian Power
As I mentioned last week fatherhood is creeping up on me. This time last year I thought Braxton Hicks was the American defender but in six weeks there will be a little addition to the Power Household and while there a few nerves there is a lot of excitement. We don’t know if it is a boy or a girl but I do know it will be QPR. I have already got the hat, boots and baby grow from the club shop but it got me thinking what if in six years time they come home from school and tell me that they want to support their local club. Well I am keeping the receipts so they can refund me for all the merchandise they will get for birthdays over the next few years. I support QPR because they were my local club and although I was almost Fulham (due to an uncle who used to take me to a pub in Hammersmith and that was the name of the pub cat) the Hoops were the ones for me. However now living in Bedfordshire what if my child wants to support their local club. Well Luton are close but a trip to Kenilworth Road would wipe that idea out and MK Dons are 20 minutes away but can you see any child being fascinated by the franchise mob. I have decided that just in case this happens brainwashing from an early age is the way forward. And if Power Jnr does come home and say “Dad, I want to go and watch Chelsea ” then they will be a room for rent in the Bedfordshire area but you will have to put up with the QPR posters on the bedroom wall. Good Luck !!

For the weekend
£5 1st goal Rowlands 16/1 Ladbrokes
£5 QPR to win 3-1 28/1 Ladbrokes
Totesport Trophy Newbury £5e/w Mohayer 25/1 Lads
£5e/w Grand National Cloudy Lane 18/1 Skybet
£10 win Champion Bumper at Cheltenham 12/03 Time Electric 6/1 Coral
£10 Accum Spurs 8/13 Swansea 8/11 Sheff Utd 8/13 Torquay 4/7 Man U 1/3 Ladbrokes

Middlesex Hoop
Rangers make the trip to St Mary's on Saturday afternoon to take on Southampton, looking to avenge that disastrous 3-0 defeat earlier in the season. I will be going back to my old routine in backing a Rangers defeat for this one, when watching the Under 21's in midweek you could see the pitch was in a diabolical state so to everyone going on Saturday, don't expect free flowing football. I feel we could slip to a narrow defeat, although I would love to be proved wrong. The new Super League kicked off last weekend when Leeds escaped with a win against Hull KR and the first round of matches kick off this weekend. First up is Warrington v Hull, I’m sure Clive won't wanna see this but we could see something of a severe beating with Hull decimated by injuries (I agree  - ed). I’ve worked out a weekend accumulator for anyone with an interest in these games.

For the weekend:
Andrew Surman to score first - 14/1 £5 (BETFRED)
Southampton 2-1 QPR - 9/1 £5 (EXTRABET)
Spurs, Everton, Glasgow Rangers, Oldham, Peterborough, Lyon, Real Madrid to win their respective matches this weekend would net you £240 from a £20 stake (VCBET)
Warrington, Wigan, Leeds, Bradford, Castleford, St Helens to win their respective Super League matches this weekend would return £117 from a £20 stake. (VCBET)

Photo: Action Images

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