Punter Nets £9,400 Acca Win Courtesy of Scott McTominay Brace

Number 13 Football Shirt

In some cultures, the number 13 is unlucky.

But in others, like Ancient Egypt and modern Sikhism, 13 is actually considered a portent of good fortune.

For one Betfair punter at the weekend, 13 was very much a lucky omen as that was the number of legs they placed in their both teams to score acca.

And, with each of them doing the business, they were able to turn a £25 stake into winnings of a cool £9,400.

There were ups and downs along the way, as there typically are with any big acca win, with Scott McTominay emerging as an unlikely hero for our plucky Betfair customer…

Magic of the Cup

The punter placed their baker’s dozen of selections across the weekend’s action, incorporating games in the FA Cup, National League, the Spanish Super Cup and domestic action from across the continent.

Amongst the picks was Aston Villa’s FA Cup trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with their BTTS selection landing early in the second half as Wilson Oderbert cancelled out Emi Buendia’s opener. The Villains went on to prevail 2-1… not that our punter cared (unless they are a Spurs fan).

The dangers of backing Both Teams to Score – but the market’s tremendous upside when a late goal is netted – was revealed on Sunday in Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with Brighton.

Although United fans will argue that they had the best of the game, it was Brighton that twice netted against the run of play – Danny Welbeck on the scoresheet against his former club.

The Red Devils, roared on by the Old Trafford faithful, continued pushing for a way back into the contest, but looked to have come up dry… until Benjamin Sesko headed home what would prove to be a late consolation.

Our punter’s magical mystery tour also took them to Aldershot Town on Saturday, who hosted Solihull Moors.

In a remarkable contest, Solihull raced into a 4-0 half-time lead, before Aldershot then had a player sent off.

Dreams of big acca success seemed to be waning then, but somehow Aldershot – despite their relegation-threatened status and numerical disadvantage – were able to find a consolation goal in the 84th minute.

There was even time to squeeze in a trip north of the border to Ayr United, who were hosting Airdrieonians. This was an easy breezy winner for the Betfair customer, with both teams notching in the first half.

McTominay Magic

With a hatful of selections in the bag on Saturday, our punter resisted the urge to cash out and instead carried their acca into Sunday’s action.

There was some big old games on the docket, including the Spanish Super Cup final between Real Madrid and Barcelona played in, of course, Saudi Arabia.

These El Clasico battles are always fun to watch; Sunday’s clash, with 30 fouls, 32 tackles, five yellow cards and a red, was the latest iteration to enjoy.

But for our punter, it was goals – rather than football violence – that were on the menu… thankfully these famous rivals obliged, with Barca landing a memorable 3-2 victory… both teams to score landing inside the first half.

Other BTTS engagements also landed, with the big clash in Italy’s Serie A between Napoli and Inter Milan still to come.

Any concerns that this would play out as a classically conservative Serie A contest were quickly kicked to the kerb. Federico DiMarco gave Inter a ninth minute lead at the San Siro, which was wiped out by that man McTominay in the 26th minute.

The Scot would later bag a second: an 81st minute equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw for Napoli.

And so that was that: a 13-fold, both teams to score acca that turned a £25 stake into a cool £9,400 payout.

Delighted Dozen

It was a weekend of remarkable betting coups.

If you can believe this, 12 customers at SkyBet alone backed Manchester City to beat Exeter City by the very specific scoreline of 10-1.

You can probably guess what happened next…

Pep Guardiola’s men routed their League One opponents, bludgeoning their way into a 9-0 lead as the clock passed the 90th minute mark.

There was still work to be done then, with Exeter’s George Birch slamming home a fantastic – if unexpected – 90th minute consolation.

Was the comeback on? Of course not, but there was still time for Rico Lewis to add Manchester City’s tenth a minute later.

The odds on that 10-1 scoreline? A rather handsome 250/1.