Navigating HT/FT betting in the LOI

YOU are considering a ‘half-time/full-time double result’ bet in the Airtricity League Premier Division tonight, in other words splitting the outcome of a match into two halves.

This option basically asks you to predict the result (home, draw or away) at half-time and then at full-time as a double.

Easy? Not necessarily.

Mathematically, by splitting the bet over two halves, the outcomes, of course, are increased to nine (home/home; home/draw; home/away; draw/home; draw/draw; draw/away; away/home; away/draw; away/away).  

Consider the 2013 campaign in the Airtricity League. Of 117 instances last year in which a team led at half time out of the total of 198 games played, on 91 occasions (77.8 per cent of the time), that team went on to win (ie: home/home or away/away). On only eight occasions (6.8pc of the time) did the side that had trailed at the interval go on to win.

Better still, of 74 instances in 2013 in which a top-six finishing side led at the half-time, on 64 occasions (86.5pc of the time), that team went on to win. Just one match – yes, just the one – produced a victory for the side that had trailed at the interval.

The only instance in which this occurred was the fixture between Dundalk and Limerick FC at Oriel Park on Saturday 29 June. Dundalk led 2-0 at half time, only to lose 3-2.

So it pays to select a top-six side. For what it’s worth, if it helps, my top-six finishing sides (purely in alphabetical order) are Cork City, Derry City, Dundalk, St Patrick's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers.

On that basis, Dundalk/Dundalk appeals in Drogheda tonight.

Read more from Robert at his blog irishfootieindex.ie