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Sunderland looked a beaten side when they went into the fourth and last minute of stoppage time but won themselves a corner. Keeper Mart Poom came up and met Sean Thornton’s flag kick with a stunning far post header. This was no fluke but a superb header by the Estonian keeper.
Derby boss George Burley said after the game, "For me it’s the goal of the season. There is an old saying that players come back to haunt their old clubs but you don’t expect it from the goalkeeper."
Elsewhere though Wigan are enjoying life at the top of the division and moved two points clear after another 1-0 home win, this time against struggling Watford. Lee McCulloch’s 11th minute goal was enough to see the Latics record a sixth successive league win.
They went clear because West Ham were somewhat surprisingly beaten 2-0 at Gillingham with goals from Marlon King and loan player Trevor Benjamin. The two sides have never met before in league action and this game left Trevor Brooking seething with two of his players.
He had a go after the match at Tomas Repka who had given away the needless free kick from which Gillingham took the lead but left his biggest blast for Jermain Defoe who was red carded for the use of foul and abusive language towards one of the assistant referees.
West Ham’s defeat allowed Sheffield United to move into second place in a result that would have looked more at home in Burnley’s 2002/03 results. There was no sign of anything spectacular to come as they fought out a goalless first half against Cardiff at Bramall Lane but that all changed in the second half with an astonishing eight goals.
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West Brom failed to get back to winning ways against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. They thought they had though when Jason Koumas gave them a 2-1 lead in the 89th minute but Palace came storming back to equalise in stoppage time through Andy Johnson.
Palace have had their discipline problems this season but provided the worst yet when Michael Hughes clashed with referee Paul Danson in an incident that saw Danson stretchered off.
It was probably the funniest moment of the season so far and it is difficult to understand just what Danson is doing as he gets too close to the players as they are fighting for the ball. He clashed with Hughes and was concussed.
You would have put your money on Forest winning at Crewe and your chances would have been even better when Marlon Harewood gave them the lead nine minutes into the second half.
But it all changed round, Kenny Lunt scored with a free kick ten minutes later and two late goals from Dean Ashton and Steve Jones saw the home team win 3-1. In something of a rarity in today’s football there were no substitutions whatsoever.
Reading slipped out of the top six to be replaced by Millwall. It hasn’t been the best of weeks for the Berkshire club with Alan Pardew now confirmed as the next West Ham manager and Chairman John Madejski not taking it too well.
Having recovered in midweek from last Saturday’s defeat, ironically at West Ham, they went down at home 2-1 to Coventry in a surprise result. It was their first home defeat of the season and having come back from a goal down to win 2-1 in midweek this was a reversal.
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Millwall meanwhile climbed up courtesy of their own comeback. They went behind early to a Steve Corica penalty but Darren Ward and a Neil Harris penalty won it for them. Walsall have now dropped to just one place above the relegation positions and have not won since their opening day stunning victory against West Brom.
We have already reported on one of the bottom three, Watford who went down at leaders Wigan. The other two both suffered heavy 4-1 defeats away from home.
Rotherham thought they might be in with a chance when a Darren Byfield goal right on half time took them into the interval at Preston all square at 1-1 with Richard Cresswell having scored the North End goal.
It all went wrong in the second half though. Ricardo Fuller put Preston back in front before Graham Alexander made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Shaun Barker was adjudged to have brought down Cresswell, Barker was also sent off.
The decision however was wrong, Barker had played the ball and referee Graham Laws should not have awarded a penalty nor taken any action against Barker. It was all downhill for Ronnie Moore’s team after that and Brian O’Neil completed the scoring.
Bottom club Franchise went down to their seventh successive defeat when they lost 4-1 at Ipswich. It was only the second win of the season for Long Ball Joe’s outfit but the scoreline actually flattered the visitors with Ipswich much the better side from start to finish.
Elsewhere Stoke drew 1-1 with Norwich in the tea-time game and of course the biggest win of the day was ours as we beat Bradford City 4-0. For those of us inclined to be pessimistic it might be worth noting that had we beaten Forest last Tuesday we would have been in the top six.
But no matter what this had to be Mart Poom’s day – surely he will never score a goal like that again in his career. That is unless Mick McCarthy has seen the potential and decides to play him up front.
It’s Carling Cup week this week with eighteen of the First Division clubs enjoying the Second Round. The six that went out on in Round One were: Bradford, Derby, Franchise, Millwall, Norwich and Preston.
Next weekend though sees a full fixture list with matches kicking off at 3:00 p.m. unless otherwise shown.
Saturday 27th September
Bradford City v Sheffield United (12:30 p.m.)
Cardiff City v Crewe Alexandra
Coventry City v Wigan Athletic
Franchise v Burnley
Norwich City v Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest v Derby County (1:00 p.m.)
Rotherham United v Gillingham
Sunderland v Reading (5:35 p.m.)
Walsall v Preston North End
Watford v Ipswich Town
West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City
Sunday 28th September
West Ham United v Millwall (12:00 noon)
Leading Goal Scorers (League Only)
8: Robert Earnshaw (Cardiff)
7: Marlon Harewood (Nottm Forest)
7: Peter Ndlovu (Sheff Utd)
5: Dougie Freedman (Crystal Palace)
5: Ricardo Fuller (Preston)
5: Rob Hulse (West Brom)
4: Patrick Agyemang (Franchise)
4: Carl Asaba (Stoke)
4: Robbie Blake (Burnley)
4: David Connolly (West Ham)
4: Nathan Ellington (Wigan)
4: Shaun Goater (Reading)
4: Lee Hughes (West Brom)
4: Andy Reid (Nottm Forest)
4: Mark Rivers (Norwich)
4: Marcus Stewart (Sunderland)
3: Dean Ashton (Crewe)
3: Michael Branch (Bradford City)
3: Luke Chadwick (Burnley)
3: Jermain Defoe (West Ham)
3: Andy Johnson (Crystal Palace)
3: Marlon King (Gillingham)
3: Paul Merson (Walsall)
3: Andy Morrell (Coventry)
3: Scott Murray (Reading)
3: Gifton Noel-Williams (Stoke)
3: Bob Peeters (Millwall)
3: Steven Sidwell (Reading)
3: Matthias Svensson (Derby)
3: Ian Taylor (Derby)
3: Noel Whelan (Millwall)