Playoff season is here. Charlton Athletic and Shrewsbury Town went toe to toe on Thursday evening and Paul Hurst’s men came out on top at The Valley. Lee Bowyer’s side will look to regroup ahead of the trip up to Shrewsbury on Sunday evening.

But anyway, enough about that – it is time to focus on the upcoming playoff games. Derby County and Fulham could serve up a feast of football at Pride Park on Friday night; check out our best bets on the five remaining postseason first leg fixtures below…

DERBY COUNTY vs FULHAM

The Rams will be quietly confident of securing a positive result on home soil and the Pride Park faithful could give Derby an edge on Friday night.

Gary Rowett’s side finished 13 points behind Fulham in the regular season but in a two-legged playoff game, anything can happen – and it so often does.

Fulham head into this clash as the Championship’s in-form team and the Cottagers will take some stopping in their pursuit of promotion.

Slavisa Jokanovic will have his troops fired up and the visitors will be looking to emulate March’s 2-1 triumph in this fixture. The selection has landed in the last five games involving both clubs and I’ll be taking that at 3/4.

TIP: Both teams to score @ 3/4

SCUNTHORPE UNITED vs ROTHERHAM UNITED

Scunthorpe are on an eight-match unbeaten run and plenty of punters will fancy the Iron to avoid defeat this weekend.

The decision to sack Graham Alexander raised a few eyebrows at the time but what a decision it was. Since then, Nick Daws has taken over and Scunthorpe are playing well – the hosts are value at 2/5 to win or draw here.

Fortunately for Rotherham, their recent form in this encounter is positive. The visitors won both regular season matches this season and Paul Warne will be quietly confident of picking up a positive result in this clash.

The Millers have been superb in the second half of the campaign and fans will be hoping for another big effort on Saturday afternoon.

TIP: Scunthorpe to win OR draw @ 2/5

LINCOLN CITY vs EXETER CITY

Just five points separated seventh-placed Lincoln and third-placed Exeter and there is little to choose between them ahead of this playoff clash.

A tight encounter is fancied at Sincil Bank; neither side will want to give too much away. Lincoln will look to exploit any hesitancy shown by Exeter though and the Imps could be the team to back.

Meanwhile, the Grecians limped over the line to secure third spot after winning just two of their final five games.

With 19 goals this season, Jayden Stockley could be Exeter’s biggest threat on Saturday and the visiting fans will be expecting a big performance from the 24-year-old. For me, the 4/5 for both teams NOT to score is the one to be on.

TIP: Both teams to score – NO @ 4/5

MIDDLESBROUGH vs ASTON VILLA

Tony Pulis will have Middlesbrough fired up and ready to go on Saturday evening – there is an aura of expectation around the Riverside Stadium.

Patrick Bamford’s 97^th minute goal at Ipswich Town last weekend moved Boro up to fifth and that secured a clash with Aston Villa; the hosts need to get off to a fast start in this encounter.

The visitors will be quietly confident of securing a result in the north east and 8/13 for Steve Bruce’s side to avoid defeat is well worth taking.

Villa have been solid for the most part of the campaign and another consistent performance looks likely here. At the very least, they should head back to Villa Park knowing that a win will be enough to secure a Wembley berth.

TIP: Aston Villa to win OR draw @ 8/13

COVENTRY CITY vs NOTTS COUNTY

It would be foolish to write Coventry off at the Ricoh Arena. The Sky Blues have been solid on home turf all season and another positive result could be on the cards.

It might be a close encounter though; defences may come out on top. 4/6 for under 2.5 goals is the way to go in this clash.

Notts County were leading the way at the top of the table in the early stages of the season but their form tailed off after the busy festive period.

Capable of causing Coventry issues, the visitors may choose to sit back and soak up pressure before counter attacking. It might not be the most entertaining contest this weekend but it will be intriguing nevertheless.

TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 4/6

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

For two decades Shay Given was a familiar presence in Premier League goalmouths, pulling off spectacular point-blank saves and earning an undisputed reputation for being one of the best goalkeepers in the modern era. Only two other players have ever appeared more in a Newcastle jersey while his 134 caps for the Republic of Ireland is a testament to his astounding consistency at the very highest level. After eleven years at St James’ Park, moves to Manchester City and Aston Villa followed for the agile stopper who was included in the PFA Team of the Year on two separate occasions. 

Here the Irish legend discusses the varying fortunes of three of his former clubs starting with the recently crowned Premier League champions and a goalkeeper intent on ripping up the playbook.

City are champions for the long-haul

It is always interesting to seek out the opinion of retired number ones on the extreme sweeper-keepering of Manchester City’s Ederson Moraes. This is especially true of Given who revelled in playing out from the back before it became fashionable. 
Even so, when it comes to all-round quality the 42 year old insists that the brilliant Brazilian remains the second best in the city of Manchester. 

“On the other side of the city of course is Ederson and he has just won the Premier League in his first season. He’s relatively young and still learning his trade and if you asked Pep Guardiola this same question he’d go with Ederson because of how good he is at the back and keeping the ball. He picks people out fifty, sixty yards up the pitch. At times you think it’s a miskick along the ground but it’s to Jesus’ feet and he’s turning and away. It’s a different kind of goalkeeper but at the same time he’s made big saves this season as well and he’s got a great future ahead of him.”  

The former keeper turned pundit was recently present for the trophy-parading celebration at the Etihad after City completed their third title in seven years. Having signed for the club in 2009 at the start of their incredible journey he has witnessed close-at-hand the transformation that has taken place by the blue half of Manchester. 

“You have to give a great deal of credit to Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon Al Mubarak the chairman who I have met on numerous occasions and he has a great passion for the club. They are here for the long-haul and what they’ve done for the club speaks for itself. It’s awesome and you only have to look at the jobs they have created in Manchester and obviously the brand because City are massive now around the world.”

“They said they were going to do all this when they came in but initially people are always sceptical aren’t they because owners have come in before and sold up after a couple of years. They deserve great credit for sticking to what they said.” 

Newcastle need to strengthen or risk losing Rafa

North-east of the Etihad meanwhile an owner continues to survey his kingdom while the Newcastle fans hope in vain that he does sell up and move on. 

Since taking control at St James’ Park in 2007 Mike Ashley has proven to be an immensely unpopular figurehead among the Geordie faithful with his reluctance to invest on the pitch and a sacrilegious decision taken seven years ago to rename the sacred ground after his sporting goods company. 
Having experienced Ashley’s roughshod methods first-hand when his transfer to Manchester City turned sour Given despairs of how his beloved club is being run. 

“You wonder about Amanda Staveley and whether that’s all dead in the water. If someone did come forward and offer financial support then with Rafa in charge I think they could do big things.” 

If the boardroom is distrusted by the Toon Army the same can certainly not be said of the man who inhabits the dug-out with Rafa Benitez greatly impressing with his managerial nous and striking up a genuine connection with the fan-base. How important is it that the Spaniard’s services are retained this summer?

“It’s massive. He brings so much to the football club and he’s a big presence with the city not just Newcastle United. He’s got a wealth of knowledge and experience and he’s in that top bracket of managers. He could go to most jobs in Europe and he’s quite sought after and that’s my concern – can they keep him this summer? That will come down to the owner and his support but we don’t want to lose him.” 

“His work this year has been phenomenal on not a big budget but will he want to do the same again? It’s a worry for the fans that he might leave.” 

Benitez has rightfully and widely been praised for coercing a Championship-standard squad into the top ten of the top flight yet in Jamaal Lascelles they have a centre-back of rare quality. Does Given believe the 24 year should be Russia-bound this June? 

“Lascelles is a young defender of course but he is clearly a leader both on the pitch and off it and he’s captain of Newcastle as well. There are still a couple of places to be finalised and I think he could be one of them to get on the plane. Obviously there is Smalling and Jones at Manchester United and Maguire has done well but Cahill hasn’t been in the last couple of squads and there is room for Lascelles.”

Bruce is perfect for Villa 

Further south in the Midlands we reach Villa Park where Given was forced to display his excellent shot-stopping talents perhaps more than he would have wished during a mixed four year spell. 

Having endured relegation in 2016 the Villans are now preparing for the tumultuous and tense ordeal of the Play-Offs with a season-defining semi-final against Middlesbrough imminent. Does the veteran stopper believe his former club can prevail?

“We all know it’s a bit of a lottery but they have a good chance because they’ve got an experienced group of players. Some of them have been there before and Steve Bruce has definitely been there before as a manager. He knows how to get the job done. I hope to see them back up there because they’re a huge club with a great stadium and fan-base. We’ve seen a full house at Villa Park again this season and it’s great to see that atmosphere returning.” 

Looking beyond the critical next two games does Given believe they have the right man in charge to take the club forward? 

“Yeah I do and I said that at the start of the season when they had a poor start. I said they just needed to relax and take a deep breath because he’s been here before and knows how to get out of the Championship. It’s a long season and ultimately he’s proven a lot of people wrong again. He’s the perfect man to get them up.”

Jack is the lad for England

Moving away from club allegiances it would be remiss to be in the company of such a venerable master in the art of goalkeeping and not enquire who he thinks should be starting between the sticks for England this summer.  Here Given is torn not by club association but friendships. 

“It’s a difficult one for me to answer because I’ve worked with Joe Hart and I’ve worked with Jack Butland. The ‘tell’ for me came in the recent friendlies when Gareth Southgate picked Jordan Pickford to play the first game – that said to me that he could start.” 

The Chester Cup, first run in 1824, takes place on Friday 11^th May and is the highlight of the Chester May Festival. It is a Class Two Heritage Handicap, run over 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 147 yards and in recent years horses that have been running over hurdles and are trained by a predominantly National Hunt stable have fared extremely well.

Here are some trends and statistics based on the last ten renewals of the race:

Recent Chester Cup Winners

2017 – Montaly (16/1) 2016 – No Heretic (11/1) 2015 – Trip To Paris (10/1) 2014 – Suegioo (10/1) 2013 – Address Unknown (12/1) 2012 – Il De Re (10/1) 2011 – Overturn (11/2) 2010 – Mamlook (7/1 fav) 2009 – Daraahem (7/1) 2008 – Bulwark (33/1) 2007.

Age Trends (winners-placed-runners)

4-yo-: 2-7-31

5-y-o: 1-6-44

6-y-o: 4-10-47

7-y-o: 2-4-28

8-y-o+: 1-3-18

Six-year-olds have had a decent time of it in recent years. Only two seven-year-olds have won the race in the last twenty years.

Weight (winners-placed-runners)

9st 7lb or more: 0-4-17

 9st to 9st 6lb: 5-14-68

 8st 7lb to 8st 13lb: 5-11-71

 8st to 8st 6lb: 0-1-12

Nine of the last ten winners carried a weight between 8st 9lb to 9st 4lb.

Historical Form

7/10 had won a Class Two race or higher.

7/10 had won a race over 2m+.

8/10 were having their first flat start of the season.

6/10 had their last run in April.

4/10 had previously finished in the first four in a race at Chester.

Draw

Despite being run over a distance of 2m2f the draw plays a big part – mainly due to Chester being one of the tightest tracks in Great Britain. Horses drawn low have always held sway at Chester meaning they can save ground and get good positions in the race – 10 of the last 15 winners were drawn from stall seven or below.

Fate Of The Favourites

Despite the market leaders having a poor win record a fair few of them have placed, with 8 of the last 15 favourites making the frame.

Official Ratings (winners-placed-runners)

100 or higher: 0-9-38

90 to 99: 10-16-105

 89 or lower: 0-5-25

The last ten winners were officially rated 93 to 99.

Price

There are no strong trends on the prices, the last ten winners were sent off at odds of between 11/2 to 16/1.

Top Trainers

Richard Fahey has a fine record in this saddling seven placed runners as well as the winner in 2007, first tow home in 2013, runner-up in 2014 and 4th in 2015 & 2016.

Donald McCain trained the winner in 2011 & 2012.  

Dermot Weld has been knocking on the door in recent years.

Mark Johnston has had plenty of runners in the frame but no recent winners.

Miscellaneous Trends 

Dr Marwan Koukash has owned three of the last 9 winners

The race has seen repeat winners three times since 1997

Since 1975 there have only been three winners aged 8 years-old

Since 1975 there have only been 4 winning favourites

The average winning SP in the last 15 years is 12/1.

The Main Contenders

An early season contest for staying handicappers, the Chester Cup is the target for several horses that are regular visitors to the Roodee.

Fun Mac, Magic Circle and Watersmeet all feature amongst the early declarations and will be hoping to improve on their respective 2017 runs.

Watersmeet has been raced successfully on the all- weather over the winter by trainer Mark Johnston and is a regular attendee at Chester during the summer season. Fun Mac won a valuable listed race at Maison-Lafitte last July and Magic Circle was successful at York in August.

Local trainer Donald McCain has already won the Chester Cup twice and has entered Good Tradition. McCain told reporters: “Obviously it’s a great race for the area and there’s a consolation race as well this year, so we could sneak in there, it will be good to have a runner at Chester. It’s surreal to win the Chester Cup, very satisfying and it was magic when we won the first time.”

Tom Dascombe is another local trainer and he will be represented in the race by the four-year- old Teodoro, twice a winner at Haydock Park in 2017 and also successful at Yarmouth at the tail end of last season.

Nakeeta, trained by Iain Jardine, was just touched off by a short head in the 2016 renewal. He could only finish tenth last year in the Chester Cup and but went on to land the Ebor Handicap at York in August.

Locally-owned Stargazer heads the betting at 8/1. The Phil Kirby-trained five-year-old has already proved his worth after he was snapped up cheaply from the Sir Michael Stoute stable.

Alan King’s Who Dares Wins has shown his liking for Chester in the past and he should run a big race, keeping up the fine record that National Hunt trainers tend to have in this race.

So What Will The Weather Be Like?

Early signs suggest it could be dry and sunny at the Chester for this year's Boodles May Festival with temperatures reach a high of 18 degrees on Ladies Day (Thursday, May 10).

City Day (Wednesday, May 9) and Chester Cup Day (Friday, May 11) both look good with plenty of sunshine forecast.

Click here for the latest odds on the Chester May Festival...

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

The end of the Premier League season often gets a bit chaotic. Teams, usually due to cup commitments, are left with extra matches to play, that are wedged into the May schedule.

Teams seemingly neck and neck are less balanced than it may appear due to an extra fixture. This week is when we discover if they can take advantage of that additional opportunity for points.

Here are a few thoughts and tips on the midweek matches…

Swansea City vs SOUTHAMPTON

The Premier League calendar has a way of finding these showdown fixtures. Few expected Southampton be in this sort of trouble when the season started, but Saints are firmly in must-win territory now with a visit from Manchester City on the last day of the season.

via GIPHY

Swansea are not in such dire straits. While their form is very poor – they’ve lost three straight – the visit of Stoke next weekend will give them a greater hope of survival even with defeat. Bouncing back from a defeat in this one would be an almighty task, mind.

Southampton were unlucky not to beat Everton at the weekend. I fancy Mark Hughes’ side to get something from south Wales given the struggles of the hosts lately. A draw, though, may well not be enough for Hughes.

TIP: Southampton to win OR draw @ 7/20

CHELSEA vs Huddersfield Town

Chelsea’s victory over Liverpool was peak Chelsea. Despite giving up countless first half chances, the Blues snatched a goal in the first half and held off the advances from Jurgen Klopp’s side in the second half. The win kept their top four hopes just about alive, but they still need to win their two remaining matches.

Although all the attention will be on Swansea and Southampton in the relegation scrap, Huddersfield could still go down. The Terriers got an invaluable point at the Etihad on Sunday but are only three points above 17^th with a final day matchup against Arsenal to look forwards to.

The hosts should win this one quite easily. Eden Hazard was superb on Sunday, another performance like that from the Belgian will see Chelsea cruise.

TIP: Chelsea to be winning at half-time and full-time @ 11/20

Leicester City vs ARSENAL

Leicester’s run of one point from five matches puts them at risk of slipping into the bottom half of the table. Claude Puel seemed to have sorted many of the issues at the King Power, but the former Southampton manager is under severe pressure to keep his job for next season.

One man who we know is changing job, Arsene Wenger, waved an emotional farewell to the Emirates last weekend. The Gunners have nothing to play for, but there has been a notable upturn in performance since Wenger’s announcement.

The attacking link-up of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is producing some magical football. Arsenal should be too strong for the Foxes here despite their dire away record.

TIP: Arsenal to win @ 19/20

MANCHESTER CITY vs BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

Manchester City’s players might have sobered up from Sunday’s title celebrations by the time they welcome Brighton. Pep Guardiola may take this opportunity to name some of his younger players. They struggled against Huddersfield at the weekend, and it’s hard to know what sort of performance we will get from the champions.

The visitors will be in party mood themselves. Their Friday night victory over Manchester United secured their Premier League status for next season, as Chris Hughton completed what has been a superb season for the south coast club.

I expect a relaxed atmosphere for this one, which may see a fair few goals. More likely to be a 5-2 than another 0-0.

TIP: Over 3.5 goals @ Evens

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs Newcastle United

Tottenham’s slip up against West Bromwich Albion has put the club under pressure for their top four spot. Mauricio Pochettino has seen his side win just once in four league outings, and they could slip to fifth if they lose at home to Newcastle on Wednesday evening.

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Everything is good for Newcastle for once. Safety was guaranteed with plenty of breathing space, and rumours of Rafa Benitez departing are quieter than they have been at almost any time during his tenure. A top half finish would be a remarkable achievement for the Magpies.

I think Spurs will return to form of sorts at Wembley. It might end up being a relatively comfortable one as Newcastle’s players begin to turn their attentions towards the Mediterranean beaches.

TIP: Spurs to be winning at half-time and full-time @ 8/15

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*