There will be a chill in the air this weekend and a number of Football League clubs will be hoping to avoid the freeze against non-league opponents in the second round of the FA Cup.
Horsham head to Sutton on Saturday in the hope of causing an upset, while Alfreton host Walsall and Maidstone welcome Barrow to Kent.
Reading travel to Eastleigh on Sunday, Yeovil head to in-form Wrexham and Aldershot face the challenge of high-flying Stockport.
Wimbledon staged one of the most famous cup upsets when beating Liverpool in the 1998 final and the Dons won’t want to be the victim of a shock defeat themselves when Ramsgate come to town on Monday.
We have you covered with three bets for this weekend’s second-round action.
- Charlton to beat Gillingham
- Barrow to beat Maidstone
- Stockport to beat Aldershot
Addicks Should Advance
Things haven’t gone to plan for Gillingham since they parted ways with manager Neil Harris and replaced the former Millwall striker with Stephen Clemence at the start of this month.
The Gills have lost seven of their last 11 matches and, although the Kent outfit have beaten Salford and Wimbledon in their last two Priestfield matches, those victories weren’t entirely convincing.
Salford won the shot count 13-8 while Wimbledon edged it 8-7 and those numbers don’t inspire confidence when facing a side from the division above.
Charlton, meanwhile, have lost only one of their last 14 matches and they were easily the better side when coming from behind to beat Cheltenham 2-1 at the weekend.
Michael Appleton’s men cut a progressive side and the Addicks, who will have a large away support on Saturday, look good value to win against their Kent rivals this weekend
Red-Hot Barrow Can Avoid Upset
Barrow are flying, winning seven straight matches, and the Bluebirds look a good bet to make it eight on the spin at Maidstone on Saturday.
Pete Wild’s men have lost only one of their last 13 games and their last two League Two matches have seen them record a comfortable 4-1 win away at Colchester and record a 2-0 victory at home to Walsall.
The Cumbrian side beat Liverpool under-21s in the Football League Trophy and then they eased past Northampton 3-1 at Sixfields in the first round of the FA Cup.
Maidstone have been in good form in the National League South, but this is a step up in class and it comes against a Barrow side full of confidence.
Stockport Expected To Go Through
Stockport are setting a relentless pace at the top of League Two and, although promotion will be the priority for the Hatters, it’s unlikely that Dave Challinor will want to snap the positive feeling around the club when they head to Aldershot on Sunday.
The League Two leaders have been on a run that has seen them win 14 of their last 17 matches and their summer investment appears to be paying dividends.
Stockport have had more possession than their opponents in 18 of their 20 League Two matches this term and that should allow them to control the threat of Aldershot.
The Shots put seven goals past Swindon in a crazy 7-4 win in the first-round of the FA Cup, but chances may be harder to come by when Stockport come to the Recreation Ground.
