2017/18 football betting tips: Vanarama National League outright preview
Nick Hext includes an 80/1 top goalscorer selection in his preview of the new Vanarama National League season.
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The new Vanarama National League season joins the Sky Bet EFL in getting started this weekend.
Followers of these tips have enjoyed plenty of success over the years at the top table of non-league football but it was a case of so near, yet so far last term.
Barrow finished two positions off a top-five finish and there was more heartache as 7/2 promotion pick Tranmere fell at the final hurdle to Forest Green in the play-off final.
Rovers are now as short as 5/4 to return to the EFL at the end of the new campaign and 2/1 to win the title.
Dagenham are rated by the bookies as their most likely challenges at a shortest price of 9/1 and I just don't think Tranmere can be backed as such big favourites.
That's especially the case with none of the last 13 ante-post favourites finishing on top in the artist formerly known as the Conference.
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I make Rovers the most likely club to go up but my advice is to keep a watching brief on the men from Prenton Park. If the top of the table is relatively congested come the end of September (at that stage every team will have played more than a quarter of their games) then that will be the time to act at a bigger price.
Dagenham, Hartlepool and Wrexham all have merits as Tranmere's most likely rivals and I also think Leyton Orient can spring something of a surprise, although the time to back the O's has gone.
Orient have been cut from 11/1 earlier this summer to 6/1 by some firms to return to League Two at the first time of asking as new boss Steve Davis' recruitment drive has caught the eye.
I've also been impressed by the likes of Jobi McAnuff, Charlie Lee and David Mooney arriving but a completely new squad will likely need time to gel. The O's are a side to keep track of if they are on the fringes of the promotion race as the season progresses.
Ebbsfleet for a top-seven finish is the first selection that I'm making in this preview.
Fleet are returning to the National League after beating Chelmsford City 2-1 in the National League South play-off final at the end of last season. That came after finishing in second with a very healthy haul of 96 points, only two behind champions Maidenhead.
The Stonebridge Road outfit have a very healthy budget thanks to owner Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi from Kuwait.
Dr Al-Humaidi saved the club in 2013 so it's not a new development that his funds are making a competitive season in the National League a real possibility.
Ebbsfleet haven't lost a competitive match yet in 2017 so there's no need for an overhaul of the squad and boss Daryl McMahon has been sensible in adding extra quality to add to the players already assembled in his ranks.
Luke Coulson and Jack Payne are the most impressive new signings. Winger Coulson was a star for Eastleigh in the National League before a move up to League Two with Barnet didn't work out.
Payne started 32 games last season as Blackpool won promotion to League One last season so it's a real surprise to see the midfielder drop into non-league.
The swoop for Payne though is just an indication of Ebbsfleet's pulling power, while having former Premier League striker Aaron McLean and ex-Ipswich playmaker Andy Drury further enhances the claims of the newly-promoted club.
McMahon impressed last season by getting Ebbsfleet back on track after a slow start and Dr Al-Humaidi has already shown his support to the 33-year-old when the temptation must have been to go in a new direction.
Stability will greatly increase Ebbsfleet's chances over the coming months and I really like the 9/4 available for a top-seven finish.
The top-seven market is available because the National League play-offs will feature two extra teams this season.
It bares resemblance to the old set-up in rugby league's Super League. Fourth hosts seventh and fifth hosts sixth in one-off matches before the winners go on to take on the teams finishing in second and third for a place in the winner-takes-all final.
Can you think of anything as fun as a fancy at a huge price in the National League top goalscorer odds? OK, you probably can but bear with me.
The player in question is Maidstone striker Joe Pigott who has to be supported at an incredibly-inviting 80/1.
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The 23-year-old should be playing at a higher level but the former Charlton youngster's first permanent switch to Cambridge didn't work out. That move came after enjoying impressive loan spells away from The Valley with both Southend and Luton.
Pigott even managed to score at Wembley with Southend's last-gasp equaliser at the end of extra time in the League Two play-off final against Wycombe in 2015.
The Shrimpers went on to win 7-6 on penalties and Pigott's experience in the EFL continued in the following campaign with 43 appearances for both Southend and Luton.
Joining Cambridge last summer proved difficult and Pigott has now signed a permanent deal with Maidstone after impressing in a loan spell over the second half of the 2016/17 campaign.
The 23-year-old netted six goals in 16 appearances to get his career back on track last term. His pre-season form has been impressive too with six goals netted in six games, including a cracking effort against Premier League outfit Crystal Palace.
I fancy Maidstone and their 3G pitch to end up in mid-table again and Pigott is my pick to lead the way for the Stones.
Coming next: Sky Bet EFL opening weekend tips, Friday 0700 BST
Related links
Latest Vanarama National League odds
2017/18 football betting previews - what's coming when
2017/18 Vanarama National League fixtures in full