Championship
• The day kicked off with Middlesbrough kicking Derby off the top of the table. Patrick Bamford was the star of the show, scoring the opener six minutes into the game, a neat side-footed finish from Adam Reach’s cross, as well as being brought down in the area by Ryan Shotton for a penalty that was duly converted by Grant Leadbitter. That defeat means Derby have lost three of their past four away games and Steve McClaren was not happy. “Our performance was not the usual standard,” he said, “it was poor”. Aitor Karanka, on the other hand, was beaming from ear to ear. “I think it’s the best afternoon of my career here. We played the best team in the league and are in a very good position in the table,” he said.
• Middlesbrough’s stay on the top did not last long thanks to Bournemouth’s win at home to Cardiff City in an eight-goal thriller that ended 5-3 to the hosts. The Cherries took a 39-second lead thanks to Matt Ritchie and were 3-1 ahead when the half-time whistle blew. When Sean Morrison’s header found the back of the net just three minutes after the break, Bournemouth fans could have been forgiven for feeling a distinct sense of deja vu, for it was only last week that they saw their side let slip a two-goal lead against Millwall. However a stunning free-kick from Yann Kermorgant settled stomachs and, even though Morrison added another to his tally, Eddie Howe’s side held on for three points with Callum Wilson bagging his side’s fifth and final goal of the afternoon. Had Bournemouth lost, Howe would surely have had a lot to say about the Cardiff keeper, David Marshall, being allowed to stay on after appearing to handle the ball outside his area. Bournemouth are now unbeaten in 12 games and are the leading scorers in all four divisions with 44 goals.
• Bournemouth was not the only place to go on Saturday afternoon if goals are your thing. Birmingham versus Reading had seven, six of which were for the Blues and three of which were for 18-year-old Demarai Gray. The hat-trick came within 34 minutes and will pile the pressure on Nigel Adkins. His side are in 16th spot, having won just three and lost seven of their past 13 league games. Norwich versus Huddersfield, meanwhile, had five, all of which went to the Canaries. Neil Adams’ side were given a helping hand 16 minutes in when Murray Wallace saw red after taking down Cameron Jerome but they failed to break the deadlock until the first minute of the second half. Bradley Johnson got the first and the third and Nathan Redmond and Jerome made it four. Lewis Grabban got the last after a nice through ball from Wes Hoolahan to top off a miserable day for the Terriers.
• Down at the bottom, Blackpool have Steven Davies to thank for the precious point they picked up at Charlton. Davies rose above the rest to head Tony McMahon’s free-kick past Nick Pope with just one minute of normal time remaining. Blackpool had taken the lead but a Yoni Buyens penalty and a Jordan Cousins’ curler put Charlton in charge before Davies’ late leveller. However, it could have been a very different story had Andre Bikey found the back of the net rather than the back of the stand with his last-second chance.
• Above Blackpool lie Wigan – whose owner, Dave Whelan, has accepted an FA misconduct charge over inappropriate comments – but the gap between the two sides is now down to four points after they lost 2-1 to Watford. Troy Deeney got both goals for Watford, the second coming a minute from time, and the defeat means that Wigan have now lost three in a row.
League One
• Bristol City churned out the kind of win that sends you up the divisions, finding the wherewithal to edge out struggling Crawley in a slog of a match at Ashton Gate and, in doing so, retaining top spot. They had Luke Ayling, the former Arsenal defender, to thank after he finished with aplomb three minutes from the end to make near-constant pressure from the Robins tell at the last. Steve Cotterill was a happy man afterwards. “It was a massive effort from the lads and I’ve just thanked them – not just for what they’ve done for the football club, but for what they’ve done for me this week,” he said after the victory, which was their third in six days. “They’re a real pleasure to work with and I love them all to bits, and after this week they must think a little bit of me to give me that level of effort.”
• There was even more panache on show from second-placed Swindon, though, as they moved three points clear of MK Dons and Preston with an impressive 3-0 win at Notts County, whom had occupied a play-off place at the start of the day. Andy Williams was set up by Massimo Luongo for the first after just six minutes, and he converted a Ben Gladwin cross nine minutes after the break to make it two. The hosts’ Liam Noble was sent off for using an elbow and, if that did not confirm Swindon’s fifth win in a row, a third goal from Luongo certainly did. “Swindon are the best side I’ve seen at this level,” said the Notts County manager, Shaun Derry, afterwards.
• MK Dons and Preston, third and fourth respectively, drew 1-1 at Deepdale and neither will be too upset even if the visitors squandered the lead handed to them in the 39th minute when Carl Baker slid home a cross from the prodigy Dele Alli. Scott Wiseman volleyed home from 15 yards to equalise on 68, and both sides had chances to win without particularly meriting the three points.
• Crawley were the only away team not to score, and two in particular seemed keen to keep all the goals for themselves. Oldham had won 3-0 at fellow play-off chasers Rochdale two weeks previously but, in the day’s shock result, this time they were turned over 4-0 at home by Yeovil – who started the match second bottom. Stephen Arthurworrey, Simon Gillett and Sam Hoskins had all beaten Paddy Kenny by half-time, and a late Kieffer Moore long-ranger compounded the hosts’ woe. It also set the stage for an interesting conversation around the Johnson family’s dinner table: the two managers, Yeovil’s Gary and Oldham’s Lee, are father and son. Further evidence of the division’s topsy-turvy nature occurred simultaneously at Colchester, where Rochdale shrugged off that defeat to the Latics and won 4-1. Matthew Lund, Peter Vicenti and an Ian Henderson penalty ensured that they, too, were three up at the interval. Gavin Massey replied but Jack O’Connell made it four and Colchester now sit second from bottom – a point above Crewe, who lose 2-1 at Scunthorpe.
• Fabio Liverani’s first game in charge of Leyton Orient ended in disappointment, as Peterborough prevailed at Brisbane Road for their first league victory in seven games. Aaron McLean scored from close in after nine minutes and, although Sean Batt finished well for the hosts six minutes before the break, former Dulwich Hamlet player Erhan Oztumer won the game two minutes after it with a sumptuous free-kick.
League Two
• Wycombe are setting a fair pace at the top and continued their free-scoring form by beating Southend 4-1 at Adams Park – a feat all the more impressive given that Phil Brown’s Shrimpers had won their previous four games. Jack Payne put the visitors ahead just two minutes in after Myles Weston’s cross but Wycombe equalised with a thumping half-volley from Paris Cowan-Hall and edged ahead on the stroke of half-time when Matt McClure scored from close range. Southend’s Jerome Binnom-Williams was shown a straight red card after the break and Joe Jacobson capitalised soon afterwards with a fine 25-yard free-kick. McLure struck from range, too, in the 72nd minute and Gareth Ainsworth’s side had done its work. His opposite number had an axe to grind at the end, though. “It was definitely not a red card in my opinion,” said Brown. “Jerome’s gone in committed and there’s no way I will criticise any player for being committed for this football club. The lad [Josh Scowan] went down, but he wasn’t injured and remained on the pitch to play.”
• Burton went second, albeit having played a game more than Wycombe and third-placed Shrewsbury, after scoring four goals of their own against Hartlepool. There was little reaction from Pools to losing their FA Cup tie against Blyth Spartans last week and subsequently their manager, Paul Murray. A rudderless visiting side did hold out until right on half-time, but Alex McDonald scored from an angle at the Pirelli Stadium and then doubled the lead a minute after the teams re-emerged. Shane Cansdell-Sheriff and Stuart Beavon completed a straightforward afternoon’s work in the second half. Burton’s rise was confirmed when Shrewsbury drew 0-0 at mid-table Cambridge, although their manager, Micky Mellon, believed the home side had “got off the hook”.
• Luton dropped out of the top three after falling 3-0 at Morecambe, who took the lead through Kevin Ellison. Steve McNulty was sent off before the break and John Still’s side could not recover, Mark Hughes heading a second goal soon after and Padraig Amond making it three nine minutes from the end.
• There were fun and games at Portsmouth, where Rob Atkinson and John O’Sullivan had put Accrington Stanley two up within 15 minutes of the start. Just after the half-hour, though, it was 2-2 – Marcus Bean and a Craig Westcarr lob seemingly getting the home side out of trouble. But they kept giving Accrington encouragement and shortly afterwards had a let-off when Paul Jones palmed away a Luke Joyce penalty. Pompey dominated the second half but the decisive goal came 12 minutes from the end when Ben Chorley, the captain, lost the ball and Piero Mingoia ran on to finish well. “The defensive unit let us down,” bristled the home manager, Andy Awford. There was another 3-2 away win at York, where Wimbledon won 3-2 – and yet another at Northampton, where Plymouth were 3-0 up after 62 minutes but found themselves holding on nervously after Chris Wilder’s side scored twice towards the end. The comeback did little to impress Wilder, who promised that his players will report in for training at 8am on Sunday.
