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In the Championship – Nearly over
We have to start with Reading. They clinched promotion last week at Leicester and this week, at home to Derby, they took the title with some style. It didn't look as though that would be the case during a first half that ended 0-0 but once the first goal went in just before the hour the floodgates opened and just a quarter of an hour later they were four goals up and went on to win it 5-0.
Steve Coppell described the last half hour as magical. He brought on John Oster as a substitute for Glen Little and he scored within a minute, then Shane Long came on and scored twice, the first of them within two minutes.
They have just one target left now and that is the highest number of points in a season. Sunderland currently hold the record, 105 points in 1998/99 season, and the Royals will need to win four of their last five games to overhaul it.
Sheffield United have had a decidedly difficult run but the last couple of weeks have seen them come close to guaranteeing a return to the top league after twelve years. Their draw at Stoke was enough to take them further away from their closest challenges although they were somewhat fortunate to get the point.
The home side went in front after a bad mistake from Paddy Kenny in the Blades' goal and the less than prolific Mamady Sidibe should have doubled that lead. He failed to score and Stoke paid the price when Danny Webber netted a late equaliser.
It's taken them nine points clear of third place courtesy of defeats for both Leeds and Watford at Hull and Crystal Palace respectively. Leeds looked strong candidates for third place in mid March but three points from the last five games look to have ended their hopes of automatic promotion.
Despite running Sheffield United close for the number of strikers in their squad, the goals have dried up, and they failed to score for the third successive game on Saturday. Hull beat them with a goal in the last quarter of an hour from big man Jon Parkin who got up to head home.
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It all turned round in the second half with Palace equalising from the penalty spot, and then going on to win it as both Jordan Stewart and Jay DeMerit put through their own goal. Aidy Boothroyd is still looking up but said after the game, “I've said it before and it has been proven tonight, we can beat anybody and that includes ourselves.”
With those just below them losing, Preston look certainties to contest the end of season play offs again. A solitary goal from Simon Whaley, his first since signing from Bury, was enough for them to become the first team to win at Coventry since Stoke won there at the beginning of November.
It has taken them eight points clear of both Wolves and Cardiff with a far better goal difference, there seems no way they can miss out on that top six place now – with both Wolves and Cardiff losing.
I suspect there could be a change of manager soon at Molineux. Wolves should surely have been amongst the front runners but they've only occasionally got into or close to the top six and are going to once again end the season as also rans, some achievement given their squad.
Their latest defeat was at Plymouth. They fell behind to an early goal form Hasney Aljofree and despite dominating for long spells were unable to draw level. They came close on a number of occasions from Paul Ince and it was Ince who finally did get the goal, at the wrong end to give Plymouth all three points.
Cardiff went down to the south coast as well and despite scoring twice got the same result as Wolves – a defeat at Southampton. It was goalless in the first half but Claus Lundekvam started a goal scoring spree in the second half.
Devout diver Fuller got a couple to ensure the home side's win, and surely made certain they wouldn't be suffering another relegation. As for Cardiff, there were problems when they equalised with some of their supporters getting onto the pitch.
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With the game only eleven minutes old Millwall were in serious trouble, two goals down with the goals coming from Paul Reid and Paul McShane, the first of them from Reid coming when Gifton Noel-Williams got past the full back to get a cross in from the left.
Millwall needed a good performance and a good result but they got neither and manager David Tuttle admitted his side was dire. “To be two goals down at home in a game of this importance is quite unbelievable,” he said. “I'm absolutely devastated because I believed we would win the game.”
For Brighton, it is too little too late, but manager Mark McGhee hailed what he called the Gifton factor. He said, "Had we had Gifton Noel-Williams two months ago, I don't think we would have been in this position, he has made such a difference."
They are six points behind Sheffield Wednesday now, the only other side who could realistically be relegated. Surely the relegation battle is over after this result. They are now just one point ahead of Brighton and two clear of Crewe who won again, this time at QPR.
Loftus Road is a fun place to be right now. The manager, Ian Holloway, is still on gardening leave, the caretaker, Gary Waddock, was told his role was permanent by the chairman who has now gone back on it, and the performance was so bad that Waddock as threatened wholesale changes at Burnley next week.
Dario G was delighted with a second win in three games and said that he thought the result would make their game against Sheffield Wednesday next week a little bit more interesting.
There was nothing to play for in the other two games, both of which ended in home wins. A Steve Howard goal was enough for Luton to take the points against Ipswich whilst a late penalty gave Norwich the points at home to Leicester, no surprise given that Leicester boss Rob Kelly had just picked up the Manager of the Month award for March.
There are no midweek fixtures this week, but a full fixture list next weekend, maybe Millwall will catch Sheffield Wednesday, maybe Sheffield United will be caught by either of Leeds or Watford. It's looking unlikely now.
The Weekend Results | |
Friday 31st March | |
Crystal Palace 3 Watford 1 | . |
Saturday 1st April | |
Coventry 0 Preston 1 | QPR 1 Crewe 2 |
Hull 1 Leeds 0 | Reading 5 Derby 0 |
Luton 1 Ipswich 0 | Sheffield Wed 0 Burnley 0 |
Millwall 0 Brighton 2 | Southampton 3 Cardiff 2 |
Norwich 2 Leicester 1 | Stoke 1 Sheffield Utd 1 |
Plymouth 2 Wolves 0 | . |
The Weekend Stats | |
Biggest win | Reading 5-0 v Derby (home) |
Total goals scored | 29 |
Player scoring most goals | Ricardo Fuller (Southampton) |
Highest Attendance | 24,718 - Norwich v Leicester |
Lowest Attendance | 9,820 - Luton v Ipswich |
Total Yellow Cards | 30 |
Total Red Cards | 0 |
Most cards in a game | Coventry v Preston (4Y) |
The leading scorers (league only) | |
19 | Marlon King (Watford) |
17 | Cameron Jerome (Cardiff) |
16 | Kevin Doyle (Reading) |
15 | Ade Akinbiyi (Sheffield Utd) - 12 with Burnley Dave Kitson (Reading) |
14 | Steve Howard (Luton) |
13 | Gary McSheffrey (Coventry) |
12 | Darius Henderson (Watford) Andy Johnson (Crystal Palace) Clinton Morrison (Crystal Palace) Ashley Young (Watford) |
11 | Robbie Blake (Leeds) Carl Cort (Wolves) Rob Hulse (Leeds) Inigo Idiakez (Derby) Jason Koumas (Cardiff) Leroy Lita (Reading) |
10 | Dele Adebola (Coventry) Dean Ashton (Norwich) Paul Gallagher (Stoke) David Healy (Leeds) Dave Nugent (Preston) Neil Shipperley (Sheffield Utd) |
9 | Steven Kabba (Sheffield Utd) Kenny Miller (Wolves) Steve Sidwell (Reading) Danny Webber (Sheffield Utd) |
Disciplinary Record (all games) | |||||
| Club | Y | R | Club | Y | R |
| Brighton | 70 | 4 | Millwall | 93 | 14 |
| Burnley | 70 | 5 | Norwich | 65 | 2 |
| Cardiff | 68 | 2 | Plymouth | 57 | 1 |
| Coventry | 86 | 4 | Preston | 78 | 2 |
| Crewe | 32 | 2 | QPR | 74 | 7 |
| Crystal Palace | 77 | 3 | Reading | 44 | 0 |
| Derby | 61 | 5 | Sheffield Utd | 59 | 2 |
| Hull | 51 | 3 | Sheffield Wed | 50 | 1 |
| Ipswich | 54 | 6 | Southampton | 60 | 4 |
| Leeds | 69 | 2 | Stoke | 72 | 7 |
| Leicester | 75 | 5 | Watford | 56 | 5 |
| Luton | 54 | 5 | Wolves | 58 | 1 |
The Week's Fixtures | |
Friday 7th April | |
Leicester v Crystal Palace | . |
Saturday 8th April | |
Brighton v Southampton | Ipswich v Stoke |
Burnley v QPR | Leeds v Plymouth |
Cardiff v Reading | Preston v Norwich |
Crewe v Sheffield Wed | Sheffield Utd v Hull |
Derby v Millwall | Wolves v Coventry |
Sunday 9th April | |
Watford v Luton | . |