Here on Edge of the Area, we’re wise enough to leave the predictions to the experts. That’s why each week we throw the floor over to the top brass from the Football Writers’ Association. They’ve teamed up with The New Football Pools to form their own Mini-League comprising of eight of Britain’s top football writers. Each week, the eight journos predict the results of the games included on that weekend’s coupon for Premier 10, the official Pools game of the Premier League.
The eight writers involved are:
Patrick Barclay (The Times)
Steve Bates (The People)
Shaun Custis (The Sun)
Andy Dunn (News of the World)
Danny Fullbrook (Daily Star)
Paul Hetherington (Daily Star Sunday)
Des Kelly (Daily Mail)
Martin Lipton (Daily Mirror)
Once the round of games has been completed we check back with the writers to see how they’ve got on. At the end of every month, the writer with the highest number of correct predictions wins that month’s Mini-League and is awarded with a £1,000 cheque to donate to the charity of their choice. Previous winners have included Paul Hetherington of the Daily Star Sunday, Andy Dunn of the News of the World and Danny Fullbrook of the Daily Star. The Seashell Trust, the NSPCC and the Starlight Children’s Foundation are among the charities to have benefitted from their football knowledge.
The final round of games for January takes place in mid-week with the January 26 and January 27th games, and it’s Shaun Custis who is leading the way. He’s won 18 points from the three rounds of games so far this month, but he’s followed closely by Paul Hetherington, who has scored 17. Steve Bates is in third with 16 points, while Martin Lipton is in fourth with 15. Any one of them could win it, so all eyes will be on Tuesday and Wednesday’s Premier League action to see who does.
But this is no one-way street. We want you to get involved! Let us know what you think of the writers’ predictions and give your own. Head over to the dedicated YouTube page to see all the latest videos, or join the debate with other fans on Facebook! If you fancy using your football knowledge to win some money, why not have a go at Premier 10 yourself. There’s a £45,000 jackpot up for grabs for the midweek fixtures, so why not give it a go?!
Tags: Football Writers Association, Newspapers, Previews, Weekend Predictions