Stevenage were the underdogs going into their play-off semi-final against Accrington Stanley, although Graham Westley’s team defended stoutly to record a 3-0 aggregate victory and the Hertfordshire side are now on the verge of a double promotion.
Borough walked the Blue Square Premier last season and recovered well from a slow start in League Two during the current campaign, landing sixth place and they can be backed at 10/11 (bet365) to seal their place in League One next term, whether that requires extra time or penalties.
If you fancy Stevenage to win in ninety minutes, Victor Chandler offer odds of 7/4 that this happens and the players will be supremely confident after shutting out Stanley for 180 minutes. Westley’s team are 7/2 (Paddy Power – £100 free betting offer) to win to nil and it could well be a tight contest at the Theatre of Dreams.
It wasn’t so long ago that Torquay United were also a non-league side, although Paul Buckle has steered them towards the top of League Two and the Gulls also came through their semi-final as underdogs, beating Shrewsbury 2-0 on aggregate.
William Hill (£25 free bet) offer 10/11 that they achieve promotion to the English third flight although it is worth noting that they have failed to score in four of their last seven matches. Stan James offer 4/6 that there are Under 2.5 Goals in this game, while further smart money could be on Stevenage to nick this by a 1-0 scoreline at odds of 7/1 (Paddy Power).
Craig Reid has managed 20 goals for Borough this season and the manager is likely to keep faith with him despite a barren spell towards the end of the season. Hills offer 13/2 that he breaks the deadlock, with Torquay’s Chris Zebroski on offer at 7/1 (Ladbrokes – £30 free bets).