Portsmouth v Hull City, Saturday 20th March

My Thoughts

First off, an apology for the lack of action on here recently- this writer has been busy plotting his first step on the property ladder (and having a stinking run at Cheltenham), while Graeme has been setting up his own blog, graemelikes.blogspot.com.

On to the match. Both sides effectively had their relegation confirmed this week- Portsmouth's 9-point deduction for entering administration was confirmed, while Hull appointed Iain Dowie (who would win an ugliest face competition even when up against Carlos Tevez and The Elephant Man) as their new manager.

The Verdict
In all probability, this will be a Championship fixture next season, and hence that is the standard of football that these 2 are likely to serve up. Hull's away form (0-4-11) is truly shocking, and they ship goals at a rate in excess of 2 per game. Add to this the remarkable stat that Portsmouth have failed to score at home just 3 times this season (the most recent of those against Everton in September), and it's very difficult to see Hull keeping a clean sheet. Portsmouth's recent run of form (Monday's 4-1 defeat at anfailed notwithstanding) is actually half-decent considering their position, with Avram Grant's side winning away at Burnley and claiming a point at home to Sunderland in the last 5 league games, as well as reaching the FA Cip semi-finals- they may just sneak another win here. You'd have to be a bit brave and/or mental to back the team bottom of the league to win, but regular readers of this blog know that this writer falls into both of those categories.

The Bet
Portsmouth outright should be worth taking around the 6/4 mark (sorry folks, I'm at work. Odds to follow later), and if you're feeling really brave, Portsmouth to win to nil could be worth considering. Also worth considering could be Frederic Piquionne anytime scorer for Pompey, who is beginning to find his feet in the Premier League (they were at the bottom of his legs all along).