Mansfield v Leyton Orient

Mansfield Town should extend their impressive run of form against Leyton Orient this Saturday. The Stags are flying at the moment and have won their last seven matches on the spin. Nigel Clough’s side have boosted their squad by luring Lucas Akins to League Two from Burton Albion and should be too strong for their opponents this weekend if they are in their usual form. 

They have been unstoppable on home soil over recent times and have won their last six at Field Mill. They are also unbeaten in their last eight at home and haven’t lost there since 2nd October. Mansfield have also managed to keep hold of the experienced John-Joe O’Toole until the end of the season which is a massive boost. They have risen from the bottom half into the play-offs since he joined in October. Leyton Orient are struggling right now and are there for the taking. The London club have lost their last four games in the league and haven’t scored in three matches. The O’s are also poor on the road and haven’t won away in their last seven. 

They have been dealt a blow with key midfielder Craig Clay out for the rest of the season. He absence in the middle of the park will be sorely missed and he has been placed by the inexperienced Hector Kyprianou. Key attacker Theo Archibald has also been out for the past couple of games and his fitness is still a concern going into this one. Aaron Drinan and Harry Smith started up front against Newport County last time out but both failed to find the net since 7th December. 

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Bristol Rovers v Walsall

Bristol Rovers are in strong form right now and will be looking to exploit Walsall’s recent woes. The Pirates are unbeaten in their last four games in the league and are starting to rise up the League Two table. 

Joey Barton’s have won their last two games at the Memorial Ground so the Saddlers face a tough ask in going there and getting a result as their opponents will be in confident mood. The Gas have boosted their attacking options by luring Ryan Loft to the club from Scunthorpe United. He has offered them something different up top to what they have so far and will look to add to his tally of six goals this term. 

Walsall haven’t won in their last five games in all competitions and are slipping down the table. Matt Taylor’s side have been leaking goals this season and only three teams out the 24 in the division have a worse goal against tally. 

They have been forced to delve into the transfer market over recent weeks to boost their defensive department following Manny Monthe’s seven game suspension. Donervan Daniels has signed from Crewe Alexandra but wasn’t able to stop Bradford City from scoring twice against them last time out. 

At the top end of the pitch, Walsall shouldn’t cause too many problems for Bristol Rovers’ backline. Their top scorer and main attacking threat George Miller has scored just once in 15 games, whereas their second top scorer Brandon Kiernon is on just five goals. 

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Newport County v Barrow

Newport County are on a roll and should extend their strong run of form at home to lowly Barrow this weekend. The Exiles proved they can survive with top scorer Dom Telford last time out with their 1-0 win over Leyton Orient. Corey Baker-Richardson’s two goals in the last three games has also shown he can be relied on in attack. 

James Rowberry’s side have risen into the automatic promotion places with three straights win. They blew Harrogate Town away 4-0 last time they played at Rodney Parade and Barrow won’t stand a chance if they face them in similar fashion. 

They were dealt a blow with Hull City recalling Festus Arthur from his loan spell earlier this month and the departure of Mark Ellis to Solihull Moors this week weakens their defensive department too.

The Bluebirds have lost their last two matches and are nervously looking over their shoulder towards the relegation zone. Mark Cooper’s men have picked up just six wins in their opening 26 matches and find themselves 21st in the league table. The Cumbrian outfit have only bagged 26 times this term, with only five teams managing less in the league. 

James Jones, Matt Platt and Patrick Brough have played in a back three over the past two games but have let in a combined six goals against Mansfield Town and Salford City. They only named six substitutes in their game on Tuesday night so are a bit short of players in their squad which could show with some tiredness against Newport. 

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Colchester v Swindon

Colchester United had a new manager bounce last time out against Salford City. The U’s made the decision to sack Hayden Mullins after their poor run of form and replaced him with Wayne Brown on a caretaker basis. 

They then made the trip to the North West last weekend and returned home with all three points after an explosive 3-0 victory. Colchester have proved they have a goal in them under Brown now and will be a potential banana skin for Swindon. They have scored five goals in their last two games, with AFC Wimbledon loan Corie Andrews being one to watch after scoring his first goal for the club against the Ammies. 

There is no doubt that the U’s concede too many goals though and the Robins will fancy their chances of getting a couple against them this weekend. Colchester have recently lost their number one goalkeeper Jake Turner after he was recalled from his loan by Newcastle United. Shamal George has stepped into his shoes now but has conceded 21 goals in 19 games which shows he is vulnerable to conceding. 

Ben Garner’s men have had no problems in scoring goals this season and are the fourth top scorers in the league. They have also fired 11 in their last four matches. They have players who can hurt the U’s such as Harry McKirdy and Jack Payne, who have chipped in with a combined 19 goals. 

Goals should be aplenty in this one, most likely from both sides.

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Port Vale v Scunthorpe

Despite what the league table shows, Port Vale are in for a tough game this weekend against Scunthorpe United. Darrell Clarke’s men have been in poor form recently but they will know this game presents a great opportunity to get their season back on track with a win. 

They have various players in their squad who can hurt the Iron such as James Wilson and Ben Garrity, both of whom are on seven goals this term. However, they are vulnerable to conceding goals too and have been significantly weakened by the absence of key player Jake Taylor in central midfield. To make matters even worse, his recovery has been knocked back a bit further. 

The likes of Tom Pett and Brad Walker have been playing in his position instead but lack the same creativity. The ex-Nottingham Forest man chipped in with seven goals in the last campaign. 

Scunthorpe will take a lot of confidence from their 3-2 defeat last time out to Bristol Rovers and will look to exploit Vale’s problems. They nearly fought back from 3-0 down after a brace from Blackburn Rovers loanee Sam Burns and he will fancy his chances of adding to his tally. 

The Iron have boosted their squad in the transfer window by landing Luke Matheson from Premier League side Wolves and experienced winger Liam Feeney from Tranmere Rovers, meaning their ranks has more depth going into their upcoming matches. 

Keith Hill’s side are in the relegation zone for a reason though and have been conceding way too many so there will be goals in this one at both ends.

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