CHAMPIONSHIP
• There may only be two rounds completed but already there remains only one team with a 100% record – Brighton and Hove Albion, who backed up their opening night win over Nottingham Forest with a late smash and grab at Fulham. Chris Hughton’s team led through Sam Baldock on the half hour. Tom Cairney equalised for the hosts two minutes before the break but the Seagulls, more used to stealing fish and chips from tourists on the pier, robbed all three points thanks to Tomer Hemed’s 94th-minute penalty.
• Middlesbrough were very impressive when pummelling Bolton at the Riverside. Kike scored twice along with another from Diego Fabbrini, leaving the manager, Aitor Karanka, to purr: “It could be the best half we’ve played in my time in charge.” Charlton, after Tony Watt had given them the lead, were pegged back at Derby County thanks to Chris Martin’s equaliser, while Huddersfield and Blackburn also finished 1-1.
• Brentford fans could be excused for having some slight worries when travelling to Bristol City this morning after that midweek League Cup hammering at the hands of Oxford. They also got off to a poor start but – having been 1-0 and 2-1 down – ended up 4-2 victors at Ashton Gate, punishing the newly-promoted City after Luke Freeman was shown a straight red 35 minutes for a horror challenge.
• The battle of the other two newly-promoted teams went in favour of Preston, with Paul Gallagher’s goal enough to take the spoils at Milton Keynes despite the visitors ending with 10 men. Nottingham Forest came from a goal down to win at home to Rotherham, who sit bottom after back-to-back defeats.
• Match report from Burnley 2-2 Birmingham City
LEAGUE ONE
• Coventry had the most impressive result of the afternoon, smashing Millwall 4-0 at The Den. Adam Armstrong scored twice in the opening half, either side of Ruben Lameiras’ goal, while Jim O’Brien added the fourth 10 minutes from the end. The are joined on six points from six by Rochdale, 2-0 winners at poor Blackpool.
• Sheffield United overcame last weekend’s horror show at Gillingham with a 2-0 win at home to Chesterfield, both goals coming from Che Adams. Gillingham, meanwhile, drew 1-1 at Port Vale, one of only three draws in the division along with Bradford and new boys Shrewsbury sharing two goals at Valley Parade and Bury’s 2-2 at home to Swindon Town.
• Oldham and Scunthorpe picked up their first wins, at home to Fleetwood and Crewe respectively, while Walsall ended the Southend goalkeeper Daniel Bentley’s 10-month-old home clean sheet by scoring twice in Essex. Phil Brown described a recent bid from QPR for his keeper as “derisory”.
LEAGUE TWO
• Five teams have 100% records after two games, while four sides are yet to get off the mark. Wycombe ruined Barnet’s first home game back in the Football League by winning 2-0 to lead the pack on goal difference, Leyton Orient scored three on the road to defeat Dagenham & Redbridge, who cannot fall any lower, while Portsmouth won the Dockyard Derby 2-1 at Home Park. Northampton and Hartlepool are the others to have won their two games. The former won 3-0 at home to Exeter, while Ronnie Moore’s team won 2-1 at York.
• Game of the day, however, was at Brunton Park, where Carlisle and Cambridge shared eight goals but could not be separated. Barry Corr and George Taft had the visitors 2-0 ahead after 21 minutes but Jabo Ibehre put Carlisle back on level terms a minute before half-time with a quick-fire brace. Corr scored again in injury time, however, to give Cambridge a slender lead at the interval. Charlie Wyke made it 3-3 before Cambridge led against through Luke Berry. Ibehre had the final say 14 minutes from time, though, earning the most hard-fought of points.
• Luton threw a 2-0 lead away in the final seven minutes at Kenilworth Road, Patrick Hoban scoring in injury time to give Oxford an unlikely point. Newport and Stevenage also finished 2-2, while Bristol Rovers won at Yeovil and Morecambe got the better of Accrington Stanley.
• The tables – not that you should be paying any attention to them
