That’s all from me ... Thanks for your time this afternoon. It’s been a strange day, what with Glenn Hoddle being taken ill in the BT Sport studios on his 61st birthday shortly after appearing on Saturday with Sav this morning. There have been no further updates, but his condition is believed to be serious and we wish the former England manager all the very best.
Leicester City are entertaining West Ham in this afternoon’s late kick-off and Claude Puel has taken the controversial decision to drop Jamie Vardy from his line-up. It’s a big gamble by the Frenchman and one that could backfire in spectacular fashion if Leicester don’t score against an injury-ravaged West Ham side. You can follow the action from the King Power Stadium with Scott Murray.
Updated
Match report: Southampton 0-0 Newcastle
Premier League: Paul MacInnes drew the short straw for a game toothless Southampton probably should have won were it not for their toothlessness in front of goal.
Match report: Brighton 1-0 Wolves
Premier League: Glenn Murray scored his 100th goal for Brighton, who consigned Wolves to their second consecutive defeat.
Match report: Fulham 0-3 Bournemouth
Premier League: Callum Wilson struck twice for Bournemouth as Fulham, who were reduced to 10 men, let in another three goals.
Match report: Watford 3-0 Huddersfield Town
Premier League: Huddersfield shipped three goals at Vicarage Road and are now rooted to the bottom of the table.
Scottish Premiership: It also finished Kilmarnock 1-1 Hamilton, rather than 10-1 to the hosts, as I may have erroneously led you to believe in a previous post. Sorry about that.
League Two: There’s been a late, late, late goal in the match between Carlisle and Yeovil, where Tom James has scored in the sixth minute of added time. Full-time: Carlisle 0-1 Yeovil.
Match report: Liverpool 4-1 Cardiff City
Premier League: Andy Hunter was our man in the Anfield press box watching Liverpool swat Cardiff City aside. Here’s how he saw it ...
Scottish Premiership results
- Kilmarnock 1-1 Hamilton
- St Johnstone 2-0 St Mirren
Updated
Championship results
- Middlesbrough 1-1 Derby County
- Birmingham City 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday
- Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Hull City
- Bristol City 0-1 Stoke City
- Norwich City 1-0 Brentford
- Sheffield United 4-2 Wigan Athletic
- Swansea City 2-0 Reading
- West Brom 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
- Millwall 3-0 Ipswich Town
- Preston 1-1 Rotherham United
- View the Championship table
League One results
- AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Luton Town
- Accrington Stanley 1-1 Portsmouth
- Barnsley 1-0 Bristol Rovers
- Burton Albion 1-2 Peterborough
- Coventry City 2-1 Doncaster Rovers
- Fleetwood Town 3-2 Blackpool
- Gillingham 4-0 Bradford City
- Oxford United 3-0 Shrewsbury Town
- Rochdale 1-0 Charlton Athletic
- Scunthorpe United 1-4 Plymouth Argyle
- Sunderland 3-0 Southend United
- Walsall 3-2 Wycombe Wanderers
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View the League One table
League Two results
- Cambridge United 1-0 Macclesfield Town
- Carlisle United 0-1 Yeovil Town
- Cheltenham Town 0-2 Stevenage
- Colchester United 1-0 Lincoln City
- Crewe 2-0 Grimsby Town
- Exeter City 1-2 Forest Green
- Mansfield Town 1-1 MK Dons
- Newport County 1-1 Morecambe
- Northampton Town 2-1 Oldham Athletic
- Notts County 1-2 Swindon Town
- Port Vale 1-0 Bury
- Tranmere Rovers 5-1 Crawley Town
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View the League Two table
Updated
Full-time: Southampton 0-0 Newcastle
Premier League: Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who spent their Saturday afternoon sitting through this dross, not least those who made the trek from Newcastle.
Full time: Brighton 1-0 Wolves
Premier League: Glenn Murray scored his 100th goal for Brighton to consign Wolves to their second consecutive defeat.
Full-time: Watford 3-0 Huddersfield
Premier League: Watford’s season is well and truly back on track, while Huddersfield’s has yet to get going.
Full-time: Fulham 0-3 Bournemouth
Premier League: Fulham’s defensive woes continued as Bournemouth swatted them aside at Craven Cottage.
Full-time: Liverpool 4-1 Cardiff City
Premier League: There were no surprises at Anfield as Liverpool put four past struggling Cardiff to go top of the table.
League One latest
There’s been another flurry in the third tier ... Luton, Sunderland and Walsall are among the scorers.
- AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Luton Town
- Accrington Stanley 1-1 Portsmouth
- Barnsley 1-0 Bristol Rovers
- Burton Albion 1-2 Peterborough
- Coventry City 2-1 Doncaster Rovers
- Fleetwood Town 3-2 Blackpool
- Gillingham 3-0 Bradford City
- Oxford United 3-0 Shrewsbury Town
- Rochdale 1-0 Charlton Athletic
- Scunthorpe United 1-3 Plymouth Argyle
- Sunderland 3-0 Southend United
- Walsall 3-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Championship: Che Adams helps Birmingham extend their lead over Sheffield Wednesday - it’s 3-1 at St Andrew’s.
GOAL! Fulham 0-3 Bournemouth
Premier League: Another defensive horror show for Fulham, who concede a third goal at home against Bournemouth. Callum Wilson snaffles his second of the day.
Updated
GOALS! Liverpool 4-1 Cardiff City
Premier League: Xherdan Shaqiri and Sadio Mane rattle in a quick-fire double to punish Cardiff for their impertinence.
Updated
Championship: Birmingham City go ahead against Sheffield Wednesday courtesy of Lucas Jutkiewicz’s latest strike. That’s his seventh goal in six games. At the Liberty Stadium, Oli McBurnie scores his second to put Swansea two ahead of Reading.
League Two latest
The goals have been flying in around League Two in the past 10 minutes, while my attention was higher up the league ladder. Here are your latest scores with around 10 minutes to go in most games.
- Cambridge United 0-0 Macclesfield Town
- Carlisle United 0-0 Yeovil Town
- Cheltenham Town 0-2 Stevenage
- Colchester United 1-0 Lincoln City
- Crewe 2-0 Grimsby Town
- Exeter City 0-2 Forest Green
- Mansfield Town 1-1 MK Dons
- Newport County 1-1 Morecambe
- Northampton Town 2-1 Oldham Athletic
- Notts County 1-1 Swindon Town
- Port Vale 1-0 Bury
- Tranmere Rovers 5-1 Crawley Town
GOAL! Watford 3-0 Huddersfield Town
Premier League: The sweet smell of Success wafts around Vicarage Road as Watford striker Isaac Success extends his side’s lead against hapless Huddersfield.
Updated
Championship: Millwall pile the hurt on Ipswich Town at The Den. Ryan Leonard puts them 3-0 up against the Championship’s worst side.
Goal! Liverpool 2-1 Cardiff City
Premier League: Cardiff City pull a scrappy goal back against Liverpool courtesy of Callum Paterson.
Championship: Blackburn equalise against West Brom at the Hawthorns. Harrison Reed curls a 25-yard effort into the corner to make it all square at a goal apiece.
A red card at Craven Cottage
Premier League: More bad news for Fulham as their captain Kevin McDonald is dismissed for a second bookable offence.
GOAL! Fulham 0-2 Bournemouth
Premier League: David Brooks shoots through the legs of Fulham goalkeeper Sergio Rico to double Bournemouth’s lead at Craven Cottage.
Updated
Championship: Joe Garner scores a goal for Wigan to keep them in the game against Sheffield United. It’s 4-2 to the hosts at Bramall Lane.
Championship latest
- Middlesbrough 1-1 Derby County (result)
- Birmingham City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
- Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Hull City
- Bristol City 0-1 Stoke City
- Norwich City 1-0 Brentford
- Sheffield United 4-1 Wigan Athletic
- Swansea City 1-0 Reading
- West Brom 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
- Millwall 2-0 Ipswich Town
- Preston 1-1 Rotherham United
- Leeds United v Nottingham Forest (5.30pm)
Championship: Billy Sharp wraps up his first hat-trick in a decade to make it Sheffield United 4-1 Wigan Athletic.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Cardiff City
Premier League: Sadio Mane settles Liverpool fans’ nerves with his team’s second goal against Cardiff City.
Updated
League One latest
THere’s been a flurry of goals in the past few minutes, with Fleetwood, Blackburn, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Accrington and Luton among the teams to have scored.
- AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Luton Town
- Accrington Stanley 1-1 Portsmouth
- Barnsley 1-0 Bristol Rovers
- Burton Albion 1-2 Peterborough
- Coventry City 2-0 Doncaster Rovers
- Fleetwood Town 3-2 Blackpool
- Gillingham 1-0 Bradford City
- Oxford United 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
- Rochdale 1-0 Charlton Athletic
- Scunthorpe United 1-3 Plymouth Argyle
- Sunderland 2-0 Southend United
- Walsall 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers
League Two latest
- Cambridge United 0-0 Macclesfield Town
- Carlisle United 0-0 Yeovil Town
- Cheltenham Town 0-2 Stevenage
- Colchester United 1-0 Lincoln City
- Crewe 0-0 Grimsby Town
- Exeter City 0-1 Forest Green
- Mansfield Town 1-1 MK Dons
- Newport County 1-0 Morecambe
- Northampton Town 2-0 Oldham Athletic
- Notts County 1-0 Swindon Town
- Port Vale 1-0 Bury
- Tranmere Rovers 5-0 Crawley Town
Championship: Basement side Ipswich are 2-0 down against Millwall at The Den after a Lee Gregory finish at the far post. Their new manager Paul Lambert is in the stands and won’t like what he’s seeing. Meanwhile at Deepdale, Michael Smith turns and shoots to score for Rotherham, who make it all square at 1-1 against Preston.
Championship: Billy Sharp scores his second of the afternoon to make it Sheffield United 3-1 Wigan Athletic at Bramall Lane.
League One: Scunthorpe pull a goal back against Plymouth at Glanford Park, where it’s 2-1 to the visitors.
League One: Regan Charles-Cook scores for Gillingham against bottom side Bradford, who are now on course to lose their 12th of the season and their sixth in a row.
GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Wolves
Premier League: Glenn Murray slots home at the far post to give Brighton a 1-0 lead with his 100th goal for the club. Brave play from Brighton right-back Bruno in the build-up leaves the Spaniard needing medical attention.
Updated
Sounds like a classic at Saint Mary’s ...
This is about as awful as everyone feared it would be. Both teams are *dreadful* #saintsfc #nufc
— Steve Grant (@SteveGrant1983) October 27, 2018
Meanwhile in Germany ... Borussia Dortmund lead Hertha Berlin 2-1 in the Bundesliga with 20 minutes to go. Young Englishman Jadon Sancho has scored both goals for the home side, to bring his tally to four goals in his past three games.
Updated
Scottish Premiership half-times
- Kilmarnock 1-1 Hamilton
- St Johnstone 0-0 St Mirren
Championship half-times
- Middlesbrough 1-1 Derby County (result)
- Birmingham City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
- Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Hull City
- Bristol City 0-1 Stoke City
- Millwall 1-0 Ipswich Town
- Norwich City 1-0 Brentford
- Preston 1-0 Rotherham United
- Sheffield United 2-1 Wigan Athletic
- Swansea City 1-0 Reading
- West Brom 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
- Leeds United v Nottingham Forest (5.30pm)
Championship: Jordan Rhodes squanders a chance to put Norwich 2-0 up against Brentford, missing from the penalty spot after an Ollie Watkins foul on Max Aarons.
Updated
League One half-times
- AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Luton Town
- Accrington Stanley 0-0 Portsmouth
- Barnsley 1-0 Bristol Rovers
- Burton Albion 0-1 Peterborough
- Coventry City 2-0 Doncaster Rovers
- Fleetwood Town 2-1 Blackpool
- Gillingham 0-0 Bradford City
- Oxford United 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
- Rochdale 1-0 Charlton Athletic
- Scunthorpe United 0-2 Plymouth Argyle
- Sunderland 1-0 Southend United
- Walsall 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers
League Two half-times
- Cambridge United 0-0 Macclesfield Town
- Carlisle United 0-0 Yeovil Town
- Cheltenham Town 0-2 Stevenage
- Colchester United 1-0 Lincoln City
- Crewe 0-0 Grimsby Town
- Exeter City 0-0 Forest Green
- Mansfield Town 1-1 MK Dons
- Newport County 1-0 Morecambe
- Northampton Town 1-0 Oldham Athletic
- Notts County 1-0 Swindon Town
- Port Vale 0-0 Bury
- Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Crawley Town
Championship: Billy Sharp roofs it from inside the six-yard box to give Sheffield United a 2-1 lead over Wigan Athletic. At St Andrew’s, Connor Mahoney equalises for Birmingham City against Sheffield Wednesday with an unstoppable drive.
Championship: Craig Dawson heads home from a corner to put West Brom one up against Blackburn Rovers at the Hawthorns.
Championship: It’s Sheffield United 1-1 Wigan Athletic at Bramall Lane. Nathan Byrne latches on to a Nick Powell pass and crosses for Kal Naismith, who scores his first goal for the visitors.
Updated
Championship: It’s Norwich 1-0 Brentford and Bristol City 0-1 Stoke City. Emiliano Buendía fires into the bottom right-hand corner for Norwich, while Darren Fletcher scores for Stoke City. Meanwhile at the Liberty Stadium, Olie McBurnie has scored from the spot to five Swansea City a one goal lead against Reading.
League One: Looking for their fourth consecutive win in the third tier, Sunderland are on course. George Honeyman has put them one up against Southend.
League One: Joe Ward fires Peterborough ahead against Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.
Championship: Despite the appointment of Paul Lambert as their new manager, Ipswich Town’s misery continues. They’re a goal behind at Millwall, who lead courtesy of Lee Gregory’s opener on 26 minutes. Lambert is there on a watching brief this afternoon after inking a deal to manage the Tractor Boys this morning.
League Two: Having drawn their past two games, league leaders Lincoln City are behind against Colchester. Elsewhere, MK Dons have made it 1-1 against Mansfield.
Championship: Sheffield United are a goal to the good against Wigan Athletic courtesy of Chey Dunkley own goal.
Championship latest
- Middlesbrough 1-1 Derby County (result)
- Birmingham City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
- Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Hull City
- Bristol City 0-0 Stoke City
- Millwall 0-0 Ipswich Town
- Norwich City 0-0 Brentford
- Preston 0-0 Rotherham United
- Sheffield United 0-0 Wigan Athletic
- Swansea City 0-0 Reading
- West Brom 0-0 Blackburn Rovers
- Leeds United v Nottingham Forest (5.30pm)
League One latest
- AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Luton Town
- Accrington Stanley 0-0 Portsmouth
- Barnsley 1-0 Bristol Rovers
- Burton Albion 0-0 Peterborough
- Coventry City 1-0 Doncaster Rovers
- Fleetwood Town 2-0 Blackpool
- Gillingham 0-0 Bradford City
- Oxford United 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
- Rochdale 1-0 Charlton Athletic
- Scunthorpe United 0-1 Plymouth Argyle
- Sunderland 0-0 Southend United
- Walsall 0-0 Wycombe Wanderers
League Two latest
- Cambridge United 0-0 Macclesfield Town
- Carlisle United 0-0 Yeovil Town
- Cheltenham Town 0-1 Stevenage
- Colchester United 0-0 Lincoln City
- Crewe 0-0 Grimsby Town
- Exeter City 0-0 Forest Green
- Mansfield Town 1-0 MK Dons
- Newport County 1-0 Morecambe
- Northampton Town 0-0 Oldham Athletic
- Notts County 0-0 Swindon Town
- Port Vale 0-0 Bury
- Tranmere Rovers 0-0 Crawley Town
Championship: Sheffield Wednesday go ahead at Birmingham courtesy of a Steven Fletcher strike on 19 minutes.
GOAL! Watford 2-0 Huddersfield
Premier League: Poor goalkeeping from Jonas Lossl, who should have done better to prevent Gerard Deulofeu from doubling Watford’s lead with a sweet strike.
Updated
League One: Oxford United now lead Shrewsbury 2-0 after Gavin Whyte doubled their lead in the 14th minute. At Scunthorpe, Plymouth Argyle have gone ahead through Freddie Ladapo.
GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Bournemouth
Premier League: Callum Wilson goes down in the Fulham box under a Timothy Fosu-Mensah challenge to win a soft penalty and picks himself off the ground to score it.
Updated
League One: Ross Wallace scores his first goal for Fleetwood to double their lead against Blackpool. Meanwhile at Oakwell, Alex Mowatt scores with a 25-yard effort to give Barnsley an early lead against Bristol Rovers.
Goal! Watford 1-0 Huddersfield
Premier League: Atrocious at the back from Huddersfield as Roberto Pereyra waltzes through a procession of defenders before slotting the ball past Jonas Lossl.
Updated
Goal! Liverpool 1-0 Cardiff City
Premier League: Mo Salah is on target again for Liverpool on what could be a very long afternoon for Cardiff.
Updated
Championship: Hull City are one up against Bolton courtesy of a Fraizer Campbell strike on seven minutes,
League One: Rochdale have taken an early lead against Charlton Athletic through Ian Henderson, while Oxford are one up against Shrewsbury Town. In the division’s big derby, Fleetwood have taken an early lead against Blackpool. The two clubs are separated by just seven miles.
Danny Ings misses a sitter: The Southampton striker has squandered a glorious opportunity to put his side in front against Newcastle. With plenty of goal to aim at, he shoots tamely at Martin Dubravka.
League Two: Padraig Amond has scored the first goal of the day in our three o’clockers, putting Newport a goal up against Morecambe at Rodney Parade inside a minute.
Not long now! The teams are out on pitches the length and breadth of the UK and today’s three o’clock kick-offs are about to get under way ...
Glenn Hoddle has been taken ill
Bad news from the BT Sport studios, where Glenn Hoddle has been taken seriously ill. The former England manager was a guest this morning on Soccer With Sav and was presented with a cake to celebrate his 61st birthday. More news as we get it, but we wish him well.
Our friend & colleague Glenn Hoddle was taken seriously ill at the BT Sport studio this morning.
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) October 27, 2018
For that reason there will be no @btsportscore - but we will be live as usual for the 5.30 ko at Leicester.
Everyone of us is right with you Glenn, sending love & strength ❤️
Selections of note ...
Liverpool: Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson and Xherdan Shaqiri are on the bench, while Dejan Lovren, Alberto Moreno and Adam Lallana all start.
Cardiff City: Harry Arter is out with illness and is replaced with Junior Hoilett.
Fulham: Martin Bettinelli drops to the bench and is replaced by Sergio Rico. Tim Fosu-Mensah returns from injury.
Bournemouth: Josh King is out with an ankle injury and is replaced by Charlie Daniels.
Watford: Unchanged from the side that beat Wolves last weekend.
Huddersfield Town: Isaac Mbenza starts for Terriers.
Brighton: Glenn Murray has recovered from the head injury that left him concussed last weekend and starts in an unchanged Brighton team.
Wolves: Adama Traore starts, with Diogo Jota dropping to the substitutes’ bench.
Southampton: Pierre-Emile Hoiberg is out with illness, Oriol Romeu starts in his place.
Newcastle: Unchanged from the team that lost against Brighton last weekend.
Full time: Middlesbrough 1-1 Derby County
Championship: Middlesbrough go a point clear of Leeds at the top of the table after rescuing a point against Derby County despite not having a single shot on target. A Geroge Friend own goal gave Derby the lead in a first half they dominated, but Middlesbrough restored parity when Jayden Bogle shanked one into his own net with six minutes left on the clock.
Updated
Wolves make a change!
Having picked the same starting line-up for nine consecutive Premier League games, Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has finally made a change. Adama Traore starts against Brighton, while Diogo Jota drops to the bench having failed to find the net so far this season.
Watford v Huddersfield line-ups
Watford: Foster, Femenia, Mariappa, Cathcart, Masina, Hughes, Capoue, Doucoure, Pereyra, Success, Deulofeu.
Subs: Gomes, Sema, Gray, Wilmot, Holebas, Kabasele, Okaka.
Huddersfield: Lossl, Jorgensen, Schindler, Lowe, Mbenza, Mooy, Hogg, Billing, Durm, Pritchard, Depoitre.
Subs: Bacuna, Hamer, Sobhi, Quaner, Mounie, Stankovic, Hadergjonaj.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
GOAL! Middlesbrough 1-1 Derby County
Championship: With six minutes to go at the Riverside Stadium, Jayden Bogle has scored the second own goal of the game to cancel out the first half opener George Friend put into his own net to give Derby County the lead.
Brighton v Wolves line-ups
Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Jahanbakhsh, Stephens, Kayal, Izquierdo, March, Murray.
Subs: Bissouma, Locadia, Andone, Knockaert, Balogun, Steele, Bernardo.
Wolves: Rui Patricio, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Jonny, Helder Costa, Traore, Jimenez.
Subs: Ivan Cavaleiro, Gibbs-White, Jota, John Ruddy, Ruben Vinagre, Dendoncker, Leo Bonatini.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Updated
Fulham v Bournemouth line-ups
Fulham: Sergio Rico, Odoi, Ream, Le Marchand, Fosu-Mensah, Seri, McDonald, Ryan Sessegnon, Kamara, Mitrovic, Schurrle.
Subs: Bettinelli, Johansen, Cairney, Vietto, Christie, Mawson, Zambo.
AFC Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, Steve Cook, Ake, Smith, Lewis Cook, Lerma, Daniels, Brooks, Wilson, Fraser.
Subs: Boruc, Gosling, Surman, Ibe, Defoe, Stanislas, Rico.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Liverpool v Cardiff City line-ups
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk, Moreno, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Lallana, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Subs: Milner, Gomez, Sturridge, Mignolet, Shaqiri, Robertson, Matip.
Cardiff: Etheridge, Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett, Hoilett, Victor Camarasa, Gunnarsson, Josh Murphy, Reid, Paterson.
Subs: Zohore, Smithies, Connolly, Cunningham, Damour, Harris, Madine.
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
Southampton v Newcastle line-ups
Southampton: McCarthy, Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand, Elyounoussi, Romeu, Lemina, Redmond, Austin, Ings.
Subs: Yoshida, Vestergaard, Long, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Gabbiadini, Gunn.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie, Diame, Shelvey, Kenedy, Muto, Perez.
Subs: Ki, Schar, Rondon, Manquillo, Joselu, Darlow, Atsu.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire)
Jamie Vardy to be dropped?
Reports in the Telegraph last night suggested that Jamie Vardy is expected to be dropped by under-pressure Leicester City manager Claude Puel for this evening’s match against West Ham and is understandably displeased by this turn of events. Vardy has scored three goals in seven Premier League games for Leicester this season, but has failed to find the net in his past two matches.
“Jamie has had a difficult start because he came back from the World Cup without a pre-season and without good work with his team-mates,” said Puel on Thursday. “After, he has had a long suspension [for a dismissal against Wolves]. It is difficult to find a good consistency and concentration and perhaps he is a little up and down but it is a normal thing. It is just about finding good confidence and a good run and stability and consistency in his play. He is a player who needs to fight in his play with good aggressiveness and good pressing and he will find good confidence again.”
Meanwhile in Scotland ...
What with the League Cup semi-finals (Hearts v Celtic and Rangers v Aberdeen) slated for tomorrow, it’s a quiet afternoon in the Scottish Premiership. Kilmarnock take on Hamilton and St Johnstone entertain St Mirren in the day’s only two fixtures.
Football Weekly
Our usual presenter Max Rushden was gadding about in Italy this week, so Melissa Rudd was in the Big Chair for this week’s episodes of Football Weekly. A Norwich City supporter who is none too pleased to see Paul Lambert taking over Ipswich Town (sample text from this morning: “He’s gone there. It really hurts, I loved that man”), Melissa took to the gig like a canary to its perch and you can hear her, John Brewin, Paolo Bandini and yours truly pick over the bones of the midweek action in the latest episode of Football Weekly ... Extra. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can sign up for free in all the usual pod places.
League Two
League leaders Lincoln City have drawn their past two games and will hope to get back to winning ways when they travel to fifth placed Colchester United. Three points behind Lincoln, MK Dons visit mid-table Mansfield, while third placed Exeter City take on Forest Green, who are in sixth. At the foot of the table, Macclesfield Town, on seven points after 15 games, visit fellow strugglers Cambridge United, who have five points more.
- Cambridge United v Macclesfield Town
- Carlisle United v Yeovil Town
- Cheltenham Town v Stevenage
- Colchester United v Lincoln City
- Crewe v Grimsby Town
- Exeter City v Forest Green
- Mansfield Town v MK Dons
- Newport County v Morecambe
- Northampton Town v Oldham Athletic
- Notts County v Swindon Town
- Port Vale v Bury
- Tranmere Rovers v Crawley Town
League One
Four points clear at the top of the table, Portsmouth make the long journey to Accrington as they try to extend their lead over Peterborough, who go to Burton. In third place, Sunderland entertain Southend, while bottom side Bradford will leapfrog Gillingham if they beat them at the Priestfield Stadium. Ahead of the Bantams, but only on goal difference, Plymouth Argyle have a long trek to Scunthorpe.
Championship
Middlesbrough are entertaining Derby County in the day’s early kick-off and it’s currently 1-0 to the visitors at at the start of the second half, courtesy of a George Friend own-goal in the 19th minute. If Derby County go on to win this game against opposition that was booed off at half-time, they’ll go top of the table, for a couple of hours at least.
As mentioned previously, QPR beat Aston Villa last night to go seventh in the table and leave Dean Smith’s side in 16th, eight points off the pace being set by current leaders Leeds United. Marcelo Bielsa’s side entertain Nottingham Forest at Elland Road in today’s teatime kick-off but before that, having taken the Ipswich Town job in the past few hours, Paul Lambert will be at the Den to see his new charges, who are bottom of the table, take on fellow strugglers Millwall.
Premier League
With their main title rivals off duty until tomorrow, Liverpool have the opportunity to pull three points clear at the top of the table when they entertain Cardiff City at Anfield. The Welsh side arrive on Merseyside buoyed with confidence after putting four past Fulham last weekend, but are rank outsiders to take another three points. Meanwhile at St Mary’s, struggling Southampton entertain basement dwellers Newcastle in an early season, late October six-pointer.
Greetings one and all ...
The weekend starts here, unless you’re a QPR or Aston Villa fan, in which case it started with last night’s win for Steve McClaren’s side. Unbeaten in five games in October, Villa consigned Villa to their second consecutive defeat under new boss Dean Smith. On to today, we’ll bring you team news and build-up from around the grounds, then keep you updated with news of all the goals and major talking points from the Premier League, Championship and beyond. Don’t touch that dial.
