A worrying development has come to light following the final round of Conference fixtures last Sunday, as it appears that a large number of bets suddenly started to be placed just prior to kick-off on Forest Green to be leading Grays at half-time, but to go on to lose the match (an outcome priced at around 22/1 initially before betting was suspended). That outcome is exactly what occurred, and comes soon after a number of similar incidents including UEFA suspending FK Pobeda for match-fixing in a Champions League qualifier, and also just after the FA charged five players, four of them with Accrington Stanley at the time, for betting on their side to lose their final (and meaningless) match of last season against Bury (which of course, they did). I should point out that one of the players charged doesn't seem to have quite got the hang of the match-fixing business though, as the larger sums allegedly placed on Bury ranged from ?000 to ?000, but one big hitting bright spark was charged with backing

As we enter the final few weeks of the season, it would be nice to build up a healthy bank with which to have a crack at the vital finals and play-off matches, and last week's successful treble certainly helped in no small measure, as victories for Peterhead, Wycombe and Brentford were all achieved without a goal being conceded. Another suggestion to boost your funds will follow after we've looked at the coming weekend's Premiership fixtures (please note this column was written prior to Wednesday's fixtures)

The FA Cup semi-finals involving Man.U, Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal take place this weekend, resulting in a truncated Premiership fixture list of just seven matches, but we're still left with some intriguing matches as the increasingly desperate struggle for survival continues. It still looks most likely that West Brom will be cementing their tag as a so-called yoyo club with relegation straight back to the Championship, but for the ultimate "yoyo" club, look no further than Scottish Second Division strugglers Stranraer, whose relegation back to the Third Division was confirmed a few weeks ago. Believe it or not, this is now the seventh consecutive season in which they have either been relegated or promoted. Their admirable 274 fans certainly get a thrilling ride for their money.

So, another Messiah materialises and another defeat ensues. There are just seven matches left for Newcastle to rescue themselves, but again the clamour from the fans and the desire from the boardroom to appease them with populist measures have resulted in what appears to the outsider to be an attempt to fix a broken leg with a cream bun. Alan Shearer is the only one who cannot lose from this situation in the same way that Trevor Brooking will always remain a revered figure at West Ham despite being at the helm (even if only for 3 matches) when the club was relegated in 2003. Both men took charge at their respective clubs when the managers were taken seriously ill, but the vital difference is that West Ham had just a few days to react while Newcastle have had many weeks to replace Joe Kinnear, but appear to have delayed this decision far too long. Cynics would also indicate that the appointment of Shearer may have been a diversionary tactic to deflect criticism of the way the club has

The home straight is in sight, but we're still not much closer to finding a solution to the Premiership relegation conundrum this season. In recent weeks, only Tottenham have managed to extract themselves from the dogfight, leaving nearly half the division still in serious danger of the drop, and there are some intriguing fixtures this weekend that will probably end up muddying the waters even further.