Championship
Manager Dougie Freedman may have left the building but Bolton’s miserable start to the season goes on. A second win of the season looked on the cards for the Trotters after Bournemouth’s Yann Kermorgant was sent off in the closing moments of the first half, but two second-half goals from Callum Wilson either side of a Jay Spearing effort saw the visitors take all three points and kept Bolton at the bottom of the table. With debts of more than £163 million and further cost cutting to come, whoever succeeds Freedman has an enormous and unenviable task ahead of them.
Performance of the day came at Griffin Park, where Reading were the latest victims of Brentford’s we’ll-score-more-than-you-(or-perhaps-you’ll-just-thrash-us) brand of open football. Spanish prospect Jota, Spurs loanee Alex Pritchard and old stager Jonathan Douglas scored the goals in a 3-1 victory. Reading have developed something of a soft underbelly under Nigel Adkins and the return of Jem Karacan and Danny Williams cannot come soon enough for the Berkshire club.
Middlesbrough’s unbeaten run stretched to six thanks to a fine 2-0 win at home against Fulham. Adam Reach and thee excellent Albert Adomah scored the goals that moved Boro up to fifth. Aitor Karanka’s team are a team to watch,even though not may people are watching them at the moment. If only they ran out to “Steel River” by Chris Rea.
Norwich drew 1-1 with Rotherham and have won just one of their last four, but the Canaries stayed top of the table after Watford failed to beat Sami Hypia’s goal shy Brighton and Derby County drew with Millwall. Nottingham Forest play Ipswich on Sunday.
In the day’s early kick off Leeds United drew 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday.
League One
Eventful match of the day No1 was at the Proact Stadium, where ten man Chesterfield beat ten man Sheffield United 3-2. Goals from Jimmy Ryan, Gary Roberts and Eoin Doyle put the home side 3-0 up with 18 minutes to go before late goals from Marc McNulty and Neill Collins provided a grandstand finish. According to the pundits, Nigel Clough’s side were going to tear up the league this year but it hasn’t happened yet.
Eventful match of the day No2 saw Preston North End defeat Colchester United 4-2. Tony Humes’ men had arrived in the north west have kept four clean sheets in the last five, but goals from Gibraltar international Scott Wiseman, Alan Browne, Paul Gallagher and Chris Humphrey gave the promotion hopefuls a valuable victory.
Only four points separate second from eight in the third tier and wins for Swindon, MK Dons, Bradford and Notts County kept them in the promotion mix. At the bottom, Scunthorpe’s painful start to the season continued as they lost 2-1 at home to Doncaster. The Iron, alongside Crewe Alexandra, already look in danger of being cut adrift in what is otherwise an extremely competitive league.
League Two
Kelvin Etuhu and the much-travelled Daniel Nardiello scored the goals as Bury went top of the table thanks to a 2-0 win over Tranmere Rovers. Inexperienced new Tranmere boss Rob Edwards – trying to rebuild the club after last season’s uber-shambles – badly needs a victory.
Luton Town always looked to have back-to-back promotions in them, and so it has proved. While Hatters won 2-1 at local rivals Stevenage to move up to sixth, one of the season’s lesser heralded success stories (along with Wycombe) also won. A fifth minute goal from Jack Redshaw gave Morecambe a super impressive 1-0 victory at Southend United.
Hartlepool and Carlisle swapped places at the bottom of the table, three second half goals from the Cumbrian side lifted them up to 23rd. The defeat prompted the resignation of Hartlepool manager Colin Cooper who are now rock bottom of League Two with just eight points from eleven matches.
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