Wednesday should be (beside Southampton) the main contender for winning the league. They’ve made some changes in the squad. Strikers Leon Clarke and Francis Jeffers and goalie Lee Grant left the club, but management brought some very quality replacements. Striker Mellor and midfielder Sedgwick from Preston, ex Coventry top striker Clinton Morrison and former Man City and England Under-21 goalkeeper Nicky Weaver. Boss Irvine came too late to clean all the mess that Laws left in the club, but this season Wednesday with players like Tudgay, Purse, O'Connor, Miller, Johnson (beside mentioned four) should be too much for the rest of the league. Also, important thing is they made an arrangement with bank about financial debt and won’t be forced to sell the best players. Only concern for today’s game is mentioned winger Jermaine Johnson who is battling to overcome a knee injury..
After securing promotion to the third tier for the first time by winning last season's play-off final, Dagenham became the bookmakers' favorites for relegation. Manager John Still worked wonders in getting them up, but if he can keep them there it will be a real miracle. Team simply has a limited potential and with average home attendance that rarely get above 2.000, they’ll be hardly competitive on this level. Dagenham have some doubts over defenders Scott Doe and Abu Ogogo who picked up knocks in pre-season, while striker Paul Benson is expected to start.
Home side is a main contender for the top and they look even stronger than in previous season. It’s always risky to take handicap in the first round, but beside obvious class difference, importance of a good start and packed Hillsborough should guarantee a convincing win. 2-0, or 3-0 correct score.
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Pick: Sheff.Wed. -1ah
Stake: 8/10
Odd: 2.04 Pinnacle