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In the Championship – Promotion race hotting up
Crewe don’t do clean sheets, there’d only been two all season, and the last time they kept a clean sheet away from home was New Year’s Day 2005. Against Sheffield United’s wonderful collection of strikers they were expected to take something of a battering.
But they defended well, had some luck, and managed to go home with a point from a 0-0 draw. It could have been better too with ex-Claret Gareth Taylor missing an excellent chance for the Alex in the first half.
Another former Burnley player Tony Grant had an outstanding game in midfield for Crewe but it was another of our former strikers who was the centre of attention at the end of the game. There is no doubt whatsoever that Ade Akinbiyi was fouled in the box three minutes from time, and even a blind man galloping past Hillsborough a few miles away could see it was a penalty, but referee Wright said no.
Warnock went berserk at the end, but not at Wright, he turned his attentions to Akinbiyi in front of everyone as he had a real go on the pitch. The glare from Akinbiyi towards his new manager said everything.
That gave Leeds and Watford a chance to get closer and although they had the more difficult of the two games, it was Leeds who collected three points. They are now just six points behind the Blades with a game in hand and a trip to Bramall Lane to come.
They beat Crystal Palace 2-1 and in truth it was a more comfortable victory than the scoreline suggests. Robbie Blake got the first one on his 30th birthday and they were coasting to victory before Palace pulled one back in stoppage time.
It was a stoppage time goal, and a controversial one at that, that saved Watford from defeat at home to Derby. The visitors went in front with a goal from loan striker Kevin Lisbie, his only other goal this season was also against Watford when on loan at Norwich, but Watford drew level with a top drawer goal from Marlon King.
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Preston, the other club in the play off places, had a free weekend with the Deepdale pitch frozen and unsuitable for football and ducks. That gave Wolves the chance to go above them but they missed out when they could only manage a point at Loftus Road against QPR.
Paul Jones was the hero for QPR in goal, making a string of outstanding saves. He’s been with them for less than a month after signing from – you’ve guessed it – Wolves.
Cardiff though are now just behind North End on goal difference, although they have played three games more, and that came courtesy of another Cameron Jerome goal to win their home game against Sheffield Wednesday.
That result leaves Wednesday only two points above the bottom three after their former goalkeeper Marlon Beresford was involved in a stoppage time mix up that allowed Millwall to beat Luton.
That win took the Lions three points above Brighton who, having lost at Plymouth, are only two points ahead of Crewe. The bottom two are beginning to look very likely relegation candidates now and I suspect it could well be three out of the current bottom four to go down.
All the action at St. Mary’s came in the last ten minutes and home side Southampton can consider themselves very unfortunate not to have won. They went in front through Grzegorz Rasiak, although there is no doubt that it should have been recorded as a Dennis Wise own goal.
Rasiak then got a second but a dreadful decision by the assistant referee ruled it out for offside and inevitably Coventry went straight down and equalised with a penalty when Nathan Dyer brought down Don Hutchison with Hutchison himself taking the kick.
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Two goals early in the second half looked to have ended the scoring until Jonatan Johansson grabbed the late goal for the Canaries, and the win has taken them up to tenth in the league.
We’ve saved the best until last, not so much the game but the goal of the day from Joey Gudjonsson for Leicester. It was 1-1 when the Icelander picked up the ball around fifteen yards inside his own half in a central position. He advanced only to the half way line, looked up, saw Hull keeper Boaz Myhill off his line and placed a shot over him and into the net.
It deserved to win any game and although Hull did equalise again it was left to Gudjonsson to win it with his second goal, a shot this time from just about 25 yards that Myhill really should have saved.
There’s a couple of games tomorrow night, as clubs rearrange previously postponed fixtures, followed by a full fixture list at weekend.
The Weekend Results | |
Friday 3rd March | |
Sheffield Utd 0 Crewe 0 | . |
Saturday 4th March | |
Burnley 0 Reading 3 | Plymouth 1 Brighton 0 |
Cardiff 1 Sheffield Wed 0 | Preston v Ipswich - Postponed |
Crystal Palace 1 Leeds 2 | QPR 0 Wolves 0 |
Leicester 3 Hull 2 | Southampton 1 Coventry 1 |
Millwall 2 Luton 1 | Watford 2 Derby 2 |
Norwich 2 Stoke 1 | . |
The Weekend Stats | |
Biggest win | Reading 3-0 v Burnley (away) |
Total goals scored | 25 |
Player scoring most goals | 2 - Joey Gudjonsson (Leicester) |
Highest Attendance | 24,223 - Norwich v Stoke |
Lowest Attendance | 9,871 - Millwall v Luton |
Total Yellow Cards | 19 |
Total Red Cards | 0 |
Most cards in a game | Millwall v Luton (4Y) |
The leading scorers (league only) | |
18 | Marlon King (Watford) |
16 | Cameron Jerome (Cardiff) |
15 | Ade Akinbiyi (Sheffield Utd) - 12 with Burnley Dave Kitson (Reading) |
14 | Kevin Doyle (Reading) |
12 | Ashley Young (Watford) |
11 | Robbie Blake (Leeds) Steve Howard (Luton) Andy Johnson (Crystal Palace) Jason Koumas (Cardiff) Leroy Lita (Reading) Gary McSheffrey (Coventry) |
10 | Dean Ashton (Norwich) Carl Cort (Wolves) Darius Henderson (Watford) Rob Hulse (Leeds) Clinton Morrison (Crystal Palace) |
9 | Dele Adebola (Coventry) Paul Gallagher (Stoke) David Healy (Leeds) Steven Kabba (Sheffield Utd) Neil Shipperley (Sheffield Utd) Steve Sidwell (Reading) |
8 | Sammy Bangoura (Stoke) Joey Gudjonsson (Leicester) Inigo Idiakez (Derby) Dave Nugent (Preston) Matthew Spring (Watford) Rowan Vine (Luton) Danny Webber (Sheffield Utd) Paul Wotton (Plymouth) |
7 | Chris Brunt (Sheffield Wed) Darren Huckerby (Norwich) Iain Hume (Leicester) Paul Ifill (Sheffield Utd) Phil Jagielka (Sheffield Utd) Ben May (Millwall) Kenny Miller (Wolves) Garreth O'Connor (Burnley) Michael Ricketts (Burnley) - 5 with Cardiff |
Disciplinary Record (all games) | |||||
| Club | Y | R | Club | Y | R |
| Brighton | 66 | 4 | Millwall | 81 | 13 |
| Burnley | 63 | 5 | Norwich | 61 | 2 |
| Cardiff | 58 | 2 | Plymouth | 51 | 1 |
| Coventry | 78 | 4 | Preston | 62 | 2 |
| Crewe | 31 | 2 | QPR | 71 | 6 |
| Crystal Palace | 73 | 3 | Reading | 38 | 0 |
| Derby | 59 | 5 | Sheffield Utd | 58 | 2 |
| Hull | 46 | 3 | Sheffield Wed | 46 | 1 |
| Ipswich | 49 | 4 | Southampton | 58 | 4 |
| Leeds | 61 | 2 | Stoke | 64 | 7 |
| Leicester | 69 | 5 | Watford | 54 | 5 |
| Luton | 46 | 5 | Wolves | 49 | 1 |
The Week's Fixtures | |
Tuesday 7th March | |
Plymouth v Preston | Wolves v Stoke |
Saturday 11th March | |
Brighton v Preston | Leeds v Norwich |
Coventry v Sheffield Utd | Luton v Leicester |
Crewe v Southampton | Reading v Watford |
Derby v Burnley | Sheffield Wed v QPR |
Hull v Plymouth | Wolves v Cardiff |
Ipswich v Millwall | . |
Monday 13th March | |
Stoke v Crystal Palace | . |