BILLY BUNTER

Weblog: The football punter

Sun distraction out of the way for Fanta-face

COULDN'T get hold of Phil Brown. I would've understood it had the sun still been beating down in the north-west cos the orangest man in footy has a tan to top up. Reputations and all that.

But the weather looks as though it's turning at last and I was hoping Fanta-face would have happily emerged from his ultra-violet-free hell of an office and given me some autumnal insights into the upcoming JPT action.

It's a packed card you see with Brown's North End mob making the short trip to Morecambe and he's got some amends to make after his side woefully cleaned me out, er, dropped precious points in the race for promotion, on Saturday.

It's still a bit early in the competition to expect many bosses to be taking the Johnstone's Paint seriously but before I get stuck in - in the absence of anything else to bet on – I'd like to know if there's going to be a repeat of the Gary Megson shenanigans from the last round.

Remember Wednesday's trip to Bradford? Meggo has dutifully satisfied the selection criteria for a match which he clearly regards as an irrelevance by sticking in half-a-dozen of his firstteamers. Within 17 minutes, however, he's hauled three of them off and gambled on no further injuries.

They went out on pens but I doubt he gave a toss and given that the Owls have bolted up to fourth in League One after a dodgy starthe could argue it was a decision well made.

Anyway, lots of glamour ties tonight – Accrington v Tranmere stands out – and I'm on Walsall, Cheltenham and Bournemouth.