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Their defeat left Portsmouth needing just one win to clinch Premiership football next season and Leicester needing two. Leicester quickly picked up the first of those two wins the following night when they saw off Forest 1-0 at the Walkers Stadium in front of the second highest crowd at the stadium.
The only goal was scored by Tommy Wright and it was the 18 year-olds second goal for the Foxes, the goal coming in his first start after eight substitute appearances.
Meanwhile Wolves consolidated their position in the top six with a 1-0 win at struggling Grimsby. An early Nathan Blake goal was enough to see Wolves climb above Reading into fifth place and leave a gap of six points between the play off teams and the closest challengers Ipswich and Norwich.
After Saturday’s Turf Moor goal glut neither the Clarets nor Watford could bring about a repeat – THANKFULLY. Both won though and neither conceded a goal. We were back to winning ways with a much deserved win over Craig Brown’s Preston and Watford, looking nothing like the side that beat us, won 1-0 at Crystal Palace.
The Watford side was hardly recognisable with only Wayne Brown, Gavin Mahon and Michael Chopra remaining from the side that had played at the Turf. Apparently boss Ray Lewington was resting them for some game this weekend.
It was all change at the bottom again on Wednesday. Only last Friday Brighton had gone three points clear of the bottom three but they are back in there now as Stoke picked up all three points in Wednesday’s only game with a 2-0 win against Rotherham.
It was a game of mixed fortunes for the former Burnley players involved in the game. Apart from his two goals on the Turf in December Alan Lee has only scored one goal, and that a penalty, in the last five and a half months. He failed again and found himself in the referee’s notebook on 23 minutes for a foul, this coming just after Stoke had taken the lead.
Stoke’s second was a 30-yard stunner from Andy Cooke, his first goal since November and just his seventh in a season where he has constantly found himself out of favour.
And that just left time for the third ex-Claret to get involved, John Mullin, and he did so in the most incredible of ways. With just over an hour gone he committed a foul that referee Cain yellow carded him for. Before he could write the name down John dramatically head butted the complaining Stoke player right in front of the referee. He appeared to show him a second yellow but it should surely have been a straight red.
Walsall haven’t picked up a point since they beat us and with Brighton’s and Stoke’s recent wins are now well and truly back under pressure. They have a game in hand but are now only two points clear of the Potters.
Stoke are unbeaten since our win at the Britannia Stadium and have conceded just one goal in six games (although they have had four 0-0 draws and three wins) and Brighton have three wins and two draws in their last six games. With form like that from these two it is making things look very difficult for Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby but Walsall and even Derby will now be looking over their shoulders.
The weekend’s fixtures are as follows with games kicking off at 3:00 p.m. unless otherwise shown.
Friday 11th April
Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers (7:45 p.m.)
Saturday 12th April
Brighton and Hove Albion v Preston North End
Coventry City v Ipswich Town
Franchise v Derby County
Gillingham v Walsall
Grimsby Town v Crystal Palace
Millwall v Stoke City
Norwich City v Burnley
Portsmouth v Sheffield Wednesday
Rotherham United v Leicester City