- Cray have won seven of their last ten, losing just once, in all competitions.
- Stockport have won six of their last ten, drawing two and losing just two, in all competitions.
Cray can make it hard for Hatters
There looks little to suggest that this first-ever meeting of Cray Wanderers and Stockport County will be anything other than a cup mismatch when it takes place at Flamingo Park on Sunday, but the visitors may not have it all their own way against a team that have won three and drawn two of their last five fixtures.
The Wands have not lost in that spell and are looking to extend their season further with a shock cup result that could also earn Tim O'Shea's side some cash for the club's coffers. O'Shea's men have won seven of their last ten in all competitions, drawing two and suffering just one defeat, so they are definitely a team in the ascendant.
And the Hatters, despite being the 11/50 favourites to beat Cray with the draw coming in at 53/10, have not exactly been in top form of late. Jim McNulty's men have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five, although that is a better return than they were getting a couple of months back.
Wands have a winning formula
The last two results certainly seem to show the two teams heading in opposite directions with Stockport coming off a 1-0 away defeat to Oxford United while Cray enjoyed a 4-1 away win over Brentwood Town. It was a tidy comeback from the Wands, who have won two and lost once at home in all competitions this season.
However, they have also conceded seven goals in their three home matches so far, which suggests they could be breached by a Stockport side that has the quality to win this game. The Hatters are a better team than their recent form suggests and their away record of two wins, two draws and one defeat from five in all competitions is boosted by the fact they have conceded just twice on the road - an average of 0.40 goals per game.
Cray can counter-attack in numbers
McNulty's side are looking more expansive these days, deploying a 3-4-3 system that keeps opponents pinned back. O'Shea's system is a 3-4-1-2 which relies on the wing-backs, compact midfield protection and quick breaks rather than nonstop pressing. Ade Yusuff is the Wands' danger man. They will need to get it right against a side with so much more quality than they have, but McNulty's team cannot rely on getting many chances and that could make a long game. Backing over 2.5 goals at 33/100 seems good enough to play in this game, which should see enough attacking intent from both sides to take the goal average above that level. Both teams to score at 4/5 is a live alternative bet, but our preferred bet is to side with Stockport to prevail at the final whistle.
