Ante Post Tips 2023/24: Back Stockport for a top three finish

The new football season is almost upon us and after a summer break Tipster Wizard has provided us with his best ante-post bets. Read below about his favourite fancies for the forthcoming campaign.

Stockport County to finish in Top 3 @ 9/4 - 1pt (Bet365)

Stockport County narrowly missed out on promotion last season, falling four points short of an automatic spot and losing the playoff final against Carlisle on penalties at Wembley. 

No side picked up more points than them in the second half of the season with County having the highest goal difference in the league and losing just one of their last 20 league games. They had the second best defence in the league last season, with only Champions Leyton Orient conceding less goals. 

In terms of additions to their already strong squad, notable incomings include Nick Powell coming in from Stoke City as well as defender Ibou Touray from Salford. 

In Dave Challinor, they have a successful manager who has gained promotions at all four clubs he has been a part of: Colwyn Bay, AFC Fylde, Hartlepool & Stockport. Challinor had two promotions in two seasons going into the last season and only missed out on a third promotion in a row on penalties. 

If Stockport continue the way they ended the previous campaign and avoid any major injuries, there is no doubt in my mind that they will secure a top-3 finish which will hand them automatic promotion. At 9/4, this pick is definitely worth a 1 unit stake.

Crawley Town to get relegated @ 3/1 - 1pt (BoyleSports/Bet365) - England League Two

Since being taken over by the American Investment Group WAGMI United in April 2022, Crawley Town have been on an accelerated decline. 10 days after the takeover, manager John Yems got suspended for allegations of discrimination and has now been banned from all football-related activity till 2026. 

Four managers have walked in and out of the door since then and after finishing three points above the relegation zone last season and narrowly escaping the drop, Crawley Town are one of the prime candidates for relegation this term. 

After losing 4-0 to Crystal Palace last week, Crawley were hammered 9-1 by League One side Portsmouth during their pre-season a few days later as manager Scott Lindsey said “There were individuals in the second period who didn’t even want to be there, so unfortunately they can’t play for me”. 

• League Two Top Scorer Odds

With just a week to go till their first game against Bradford, there are no signs of optimism among their fanbase. The summer transfer window has seen 15 players leave including the likes of key men Ashley Nadesam, player of the season Jack Powell, Hessenthaler and Aramide Oteh. There have been 11 new incomings so far, out of which five have never played in the English Football League. 

The majority of the new signings are unproven players from non-league and their manager Scott Lindsey has a win percentage of 30.8% in League Two. He managed 52 games last season, winning just 16 of them and this was his first and only season in the EFL so far. 

His previous managerial experience includes Non-League Chatham Town and an assistant manager position at Swindon Town. With an underwhelming squad, unreliable ownership and an inexperienced manager, something drastic will have to change for Crawley Town to survive relegation this season. 3/1 might not be the most attractive price but still looks value for a 1pt stake considering the circumstances.