Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is : September

I decided at the start of the season to start betting on the opposition to see how it affected my mood. At the end of August, City were 8th in the table and I was £15 up, and I was pretty chuffed with that. Since then City have managed to reach an even loftier perch. But has this hit my wallet hard? And do I care?

Leicester City (H) – Drew 1-1

ODDS: Leicester win 2/1, Draw 23/10

MATCH RETURN: £0.75 up

CUMULATIVE RETURN: £15.86 up

MOOD: City didn’t deserve anything from the game that most fans perceive as our biggest derby of the season. But the Sky Blues scraped a draw and I made a quid, so overall quite happy despite the performance.

Swansea City (A) - Lost 2-1

ODDS: Swansea win 17/20, Draw 5/2

MATCH RETURN: £11.38 up

CUMULATIVE RETURN: £27.23 up

MOOD: Ambivalent. I was expecting City to get beaten anyway, but almost as a way of proving the adage “what goes around comes around” in contrast to the Leicester game here City deserved the draw and didn’t get one. But the tenner helped ease the pain quite a bit as there were positives to take from the performance.

Bristol City (A) – Won 2-1

ODDS: Bristol win 11/10, Draw 12/5

MATCH RETURN: £10 down

CUMULATIVE RETURN: £17.23 up

MOOD: Happy. The bookie may have taken my money, but Coventry got a deserved three points at a ground they traditionally struggle at. Bristol may be struggling, but the victory was well worth losing the money for.

Preston North End (H) – Lost 2-1

ODDS: Preston win 3/1, Draw 12/5

MATCH RETURN: £27.50 up

CUMULATIVE RETURN: £44.73 up

MOOD: Pretty disappointed. Preston haven’t been great so far this season but managed to continue their hoodoo over the Sky Blues with a really undeserved win in a game Coventry controlled. The decent return I got off the bookie meant effectively I get a game for free though, and the performance gives cause for optimism, so putting the bet on actually really helped lift the gloom, although I’d have still preferred the three points the performance merited.

Doncaster Rovers (H) – Won 2-1

ODDS: Doncaster win 11/8, Draw 9/4

MATCH RETURN: £10.00 down

CUMULATIVE RETURN: £34.73 up

MOOD: Happy. The Sky Blues probably only deserved a draw from this but showed the resilience to sneak a win, and put to bed the disappointing Preston result. I may have lost my money, but a draw wouldn’t have given me much back so the extra two points were well worth it.

So two months in, City are comfortably in mid-table and I’m £35 up. I’m quite enjoying this game now!