Championship
Substitute Britt Assombalonga’s double gave Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis a dramatic victory over former club West Brom. Boro took an early lead with a George Saville strike before Jay Rodriguez levelled matters with close-range toe poke just before half-time. The Baggies took the lead through a deflected strike from Dwight Gayle before Assombalonga’s low finish grabbed an equaliser before Chris Brunt’s mistake gifted the Congolese striker the 83rd minute winner.
Steve Bruce took charge of Sheffield Wednesday for the first time as his new team travelled to bottom club Ipswich, and they struggled to find a goal despite piling on heavy pressure. It took Lucas João, in the final minute of normal time, to find the winner.
Hull took a 44th minute lead against Stoke when Jarrod Bowen chipped in a free-kick, and that advantage was preserved when goalkeeper David Marshall saved a penalty from Sam Vokes, making his debut after his deadline day move from Burnley. Stoke have scored just two of seven penalties this season and when Kamil Grosicki scored Hull’s second, Nathan Jones’ team were condemned to defeat.
Third-placed Sheffield United kept on the tails of leaders Leeds and Norwich in the hunt for automatic promotion when taking three points off strugglers Bolton. David McGoldrick tapped in an assist from Billy Sharp, the club captain and division’s joint-top scorer then grabbed a second in the 73rd minute.
Bristol City took advantage of Derby’s Friday night draw with Preston by climbing into sixth with a 2-0 defeat of Swansea, with Andreas Weimann and Calum O’Dowda scoring the goals. Following the match it was announced that Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins had resigned after 17 years at the club.
Josh Windass opened the scoring for Wigan against QPR, before Leon Clarke, making a second debut for the Latics after this week’s loan move from Sheffield United, got a second. Bright Osayi-Samuel snatched a consolation for Rangers.
Jota’s crisp strike set Birmingham on their way to a 2-0 victory in Martin O’Neill’s third game in charge of Nottingham Forest; the former Ireland manager has lost two of three since taking the reins at the City Ground. Defeat was confirmed when Yohan Benalouan was sent off for handling on the line and Che Adams scored from the penalty spot.
Brentford ran riot in beating Blackburn 5-2, who had been leading 2-0 after Danny Graham’s seventh minute goal followed up Bradley Dack’s strike. Saïd Benrahma’s 13th minute goal pulled Brentford back but they were not level until Ollie Watkins scored in the 58th minute. Watkins’ second put the Bees in the lead before Neal Maupay and Sergi Canos completed the rout.
Both Reading v Aston Villa and Millwall v Rotherham were played out as disappointing goalless draws.
Birmingham 2-0 Nottm Forest, Brentford 5-2 Blackburn, Bristol City 2-0 Swansea, Hull 2-0 Stoke, Ipswich 0-1 Sheff Wed, Millwall 0-0 Rotherham, Reading 0-0 Aston Villa, Sheff Utd 2-0 Bolton, West Brom 2-3 Middlesbrough, Wigan 2-1 QPR, Leeds L-L Norwich
League One
James Collins continued his rich scoring form in 2019 when netting leaders Luton’s first and third goals at Shrewsbury; Matty Pearson got the second. Barnsley’s rush for automatic promotion continued with a 2-0 defeat of Scunthorpe, with Alex Mowatt getting their first goal and Cameron McGeehan the second.
Ched Evans scored the only goal of the game as Fleetwood defeated Charlton. Accrington’s Lancashire derby against Blackpool fell victim to the weather.
Accrington P-P Blackpool, Barnsley 2-0 Scunthorpe, Burton 0-0 Oxford, Coventry 1-1 Gillingham, Fleetwood 1-0 Charlton, Peterborough 0-1 Plymouth, Portsmouth 1-1 Doncaster, Shrewsbury 0-3 Luton, Southend 1-2 Bristol Rovers, Sunderland 1-0 Wimbledon, Walsall 1-2 Rochdale, Wycombe 0-0 Bradford
League Two
Bottom club Notts County got off to a great start against leaders Lincoln when veteran striker Jon Stead slotted a second-minute penalty but Bruno Andrade levelled on half-time. Lincoln might have stolen a win but striker John Akinde missed a late penalty.
Second-placed Mansfield took on second-bottom Macclesfield, and Jorge Grant, on loan from Nottingham Forest, put the Stags into an eighth-minute lead. Callum Evans equalised in first-half injury time for the Silkmen but was unfortunate enough to direct the ball into his own net for Mansfield’s second. Tyler Walker’s 89th minute goal sealed the points and to the gap on Lincoln.
Northampton’s 11-game unbeaten run came to an end with a punishing 4-0 home defeat to Colchester. Paul Tisdale returned to Exeter, the club he managed for 12 years, with MK Dons and ended up on the end of a 3-1 defeat, with Nicky Law scoring two goals.
Four matches were lost to wintry weather in the lowest tier, with each of Cheltenham v Cambridge, Oldham v Morecambe, Port Vale v Tranmere and Swindon v Forest Green postponed.
Bury 1-1 Crawley, Cheltenham P-P Cambridge, Exeter 3-1 MK Dons, Grimsby 3-0 Newport, Mansfield 3-1 Macclesfield, Northampton 0-4 Colchester, Notts County 1-1 Lincoln 1, Oldham P-P Morecambe, Port Vale P-P Tranmere, Stevenage 1-0 Yeovil, Swindon P-P Forest Green
