Dale tipped to edge out Maidstone
ACCORDING to the match stats team at bettingexpert.com, it’s more than a quarter of a century since Rochdale last travelled to Maidstone for a competitive fixture.
The pair each occupied a Division Four berth in 1991 when Dale made the journey to Kent where the sides drew 1-1, the only draw in the pair’s relatively short history of league meetings.
Fresh from a narrow derby success over Oldham that confirmed their play-off ambitions, Rochdale head south again on Sunday, this time in fine fettle, en route to the ‘garden of England’ as Betway’s firm 3/4 favourites to secure a passage to the FA Cup’s second round at the first time of asking.
While they’ve lost four of their seven league duels at the Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone’s home form could hardly be described as dire, though they open at a surprisingly long 18/5 (William Hill) to cause a Cup upset and win.
None the less, four league defeats and a draw, followed by a win over Macclesfield last Saturday, is form which suggests that Maidstone are likely to struggle against a side whose ambition is to challenge for a Championship place this season; yet the appeal of 10bet’s 14/5 chalked against the draw has been enough for a number of punters to back the stalemate and an away win.
For punters expecting a flurry of goals, Ladbrokes offer 4/6 about both teams scoring and Coral post even money about the contest yielding more than 2.5 goals. On paper, Keith Hill’s men should win (they’re 13/2 with 888sport to win 1-0), but the draw cannot be discounted.
Backers anticipating a tighter contest than the home side’s odds would suggest might be inclined to run the rule over Coral’s 6/1 marked against it finishing one apiece.
Odds supplied by www. smartbets.com, the customisable odds comparison site.