John Houston says he'd back Allansford against Woodford if he was a gambling man

The odds are stacked against Houston’s side in its semi-final showdown with the Gators on Saturday, with the match set deep in the enemy territory of Uebergang Oval.

Houston knows the solution – play positive cricket and be aggressive – but respects the size of task standing in the way of Woodford’s fourth-successive premiership.

“Allansford is the best side in (the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association), we’ve got no doubts about that,” the multiple premiership mentor said.

“If I was a gambling man, I’d put all of my money on them. They’re a good side and they’ve won something like 16 games this season.

“That's a phenomenal effort. They’ve got a lot going right for them at the moment but in semi-finals, anything can throw itself in there.

“We’ve won a lot of semi-finals and some big games. We just have to back ourselves in.”

Inconsistency with the bat looms as Woodford’s Achilles heel, with its top order struggling to fire in recent weeks.

However, Houston was buoyant about several players set to make their division one finals debut.

Teenager Liam Burgess has cemented his place at the top of the order and is proving serviceable with the ball, snaring 11 top-grade scalps in his first full season.

Isaac Fowler and Ollie King are also in with a chance of making their top-tier finals debut.

“They’ll play pivotal parts for us again on Saturday, like they have all through the year,” he said.

“The club has a history of doing that, and it’s about giving them the chance to perform. They deserve the opportunity.

“They’ve all improved this season. They’ve had their ups and downs as young players do but we’ve built a pretty supportive environment with our leaders.”