Molineux looks likely to be hosting for League One football |
I was expecting Hull's promotion to be confirmed on Saturday but they surprisingly lost 2-0 at Barnsley. They'd only conceded three goals in the previous six games and a win at Oakwell would have seen a return to the Premier League after three years. They needed that win after Watford had won at Leicester on the Friday.
One of them will go up. Hull currently have a one point lead but play the champions in their last game at home. Like Hull, Watford will play at home against Leeds and, because of a better goal difference, it means a draw would be enough if Hull were to lose. It's still in Hull's own hands though.
The other will be in the play offs with Brighton and two from Crystal Palace, Bolton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester although it isn't possible for the latter two to both make it. They play each other too this Saturday.
The mist is clearing down at the bottom. It's hard to believe that we'd have been right in it, just a point clear of the bottom three, had we lost at Wolves. We relegated Dean Saunders last season when we won at Doncaster and it looks as though we've all but done it again.
They can survive but they would need to win at Brighton while Barnsley and Peterborough both lose. They would also have to turn round the goal difference with Peterborough by five goals or more.
It looks as though they are all but down with one of the other two likely to join them although it is still possible for one of Huddersfield, due to their appalling goal difference, Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday to be relegated.
Blackburn are safe. We will play them again next season in the league. I say safe because the only way they could go down is if Barnsley beat Huddersfield and then Blackburn would need to lose by at least 15 goals against Birmingham.
Not as though it is all sweetness and light down at Ewood where there has been some brilliant news today. The news actually came from the High Court in Manchester where former manager Henning Berg won compensation of £2.25 million against them.
Having stung them for such an amount, Berg said: "The club has always had, and continues to have, a special place in my heart. I was very disappointed to be dismissed after only eight weeks in charge without being able to make the changes I felt were necessary to take the club towards the Barclays Premier League.
"When the club refused to honour its obligations I had no option but to take legal action."
As for our local rivals, they've been labelled a shambles by their own lawyers and I don't think Mrs Desai will be happy with today's news. Meanwhile Shebby is understood to be considering whether to delay his return from India until a decision is made on Derek Shaw's future. The former Preston chairman should be worried.
The league is starting to take some shape for next season. We had already welcomed former manager Eddie Howe when his Bournemouth team went up a week earlier and he's been joined by former Claret Brian Flynn who took Doncaster up after that amazing finish at Brentford.
Another former manager, Steve Cotterill, has been part of the backroom team at QPR. They and Reading were both relegated yesterday. Apparently QPR are already considering Harry Redknapp's future and will make a decision in the next 48 hours.
It will all be decided this Saturday, then it's the play offs, but my overriding thought is still that we have finally got ourselves safe after a worrying last two or three weeks.
The results and stats are below along with the last league fixtures of the season.
The Results | |
Tuesday 23rd April | |
Millwall 1 Blackburn Rovers 2 | |
Friday 26th April | |
Leicester City 1 Watford 2 | |
Saturday 27th April | |
Barnsley 2 Hull City 0 | Leeds United 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2 |
Blackburn Rovers 1 Crystal Palace 1 | Middlesbrough 2 Charlton Athletic 2 |
Blackpool 2 Derby County 1 |
Millwall 0 Nottingham Forest 1 |
Bristol City 1 Huddersfield Town 3 | Peterborough United 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0 |
Cardiff City 1 Bolton Wanderers 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Burnley 2 |
Ipswich Town 3 Birmingham City 1 |
The Stats | |
Biggest Win | Barnsley 2-0 v Hull City (home) Huddersfield Town 3-1 v Bristol City (away) Ipswich Town 3-1 v Birmingham City (home) |
Total Goals Scored | 35 (17 home - 18 away) |
Player Scoring Most Goals |
3 - James Vaughan (Huddersfield Town) |
Highest Attendance | 26,418 - Cardiff City v Bolton Wanderers |
Lowest Attendance | 8,607 - Millwall v Blackburn Rovers |
Total Yellow Cards | 38 |
Total Red Cards | 4 |
Most Cards in a Game | Millwalll v Blackburn Rovers (6Y) Ref: Gavin Ward Blackpool v Derby County (6Y) Ref: Gavin Ward Leeds United v Brighton & Hove Albion (3Y 3R) Ref: Graham Scott Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley (5Y 1R) Ref: Darren Sheldrake |
Leading Goalscorers (League Only) | |
29 | Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace) - includes 7 penalties |
28 | Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers) - includes 4 penalties, 2 with Huddersfield Town |
25 | Charlie Austin (Burnley) - includes 4 penalties |
20 | Matej Vydra (Watford) - includes 2 penalties Chris Wood (Leicester City) - includes 1 penalty, 11 with Millwall |
19 | Troy Deeney (Watford) - includes 2 penalties |
18 | Tom Ince (Blackpool) - includes 3 penalties |
15 | Luciano Becchio (Leeds United) - includes 4 penalties |
14 | Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - includes 3 penalties David Nugent (Leicester City) - includes 1 penalty |
13 | Steven Davies (Bristol City) - includes 2 penalties Dwight Gayle (Peterborough United) Marlon King (Birmingham City) - includes 3 penalties James Vaughan (Huddersfield Town) |
12 | Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough) Jamie Ward (Derby County) - includes 4 penalties |
11 | Almen Abdi (Watford) - includes 2 penalties Craig Davies (Bolton Wanderers) - includes 2 penalties, 8 with Barnsley Chris Eagles (Bolton Wanderers) Johnnie Jackson (Charlton Athletic) Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton & Hove Albion) - includes 2 penalties |
Hat Tricks | |
Date | Player & Game |
01/09/12 | 3: Pete Whittingham - CARDIFF CITY v Wolverhampton Wanderers |
15/09/12 | 3: Charlie Austin - BURNLEY v Peterborough United |
22/09/12 | 3: Glenn Murray - CRYSTAL PALACE v Cardiff City |
22/09/12 | 4: Craig Davies - Birmingham City v BARNSLEY |
23/09/12 | 3: David Nugent - LEICESTER CITY v Hull City |
29/09/12 | 3: Emile Sinclair - Hull City v PETERBOROUGH UNITED |
02/10/12 | 3: Charlie Austin - BURNLEY v Sheffield Wednesday |
23/10/12 | 3: Marlon King - Millwall v BIRMINGHAM CITY |
06/11/12 | 3: Glenn Murray - CRYSTAL PALACE v Ipswich Town |
17/11/12 | 3: Jordan Rhodes - Peterborough United v BLACKBURN ROVERS |
12/01/13 | 3: Chris Wood - Bristol City v LEICESTER CITY |
19/02/13 | 3: Radoslaw Majewski - NOTTINGHAM FOREST v Huddersfield Town |
02/03/13 | 3: Dwight Gayle - Blackburn Rovers v PETERBOROUGH UNITED |
02/03/13 | 3: Leonardo Ulloa - BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION v Huddersfield Town |
05/03/13 | 3: Kevin Phillips - CRYSTAL PALACE v Hull City |
28/04/13 | 3: James Vaughan - Bristol City v HUDDERSFIELD TOWN |
Disciplinary Record (League and Cup) | |||||||||
Club | Y | R | Y | R | Club | Y | R | Y | R |
League | Total | League | Total | ||||||
Barnsley | 65 | 3 | 74 | 4 | Huddersfield Town | 89 | 5 | 98 | 5 |
Birmingham City | 63 | 3 | 67 | 3 | Hull City | 57 | 1 | 60 | 2 |
Blackburn Rovers | 76 | 1 | 90 | 1 | Ipswich Town | 54 | 2 | 57 | 2 |
Blackpool | 59 | 3 | 61 | 3 | Leeds United | 69 | 5 | 79 | 5 |
Bolton Wanderers | 82 | 4 | 85 | 4 | Leicester City | 50 | 2 | 54 | 2 |
Brighton & Hove Albion | 66 | 4 | 71 | 4 | Middlesbrough | 57 | 2 | 67 | 2 |
Bristol City | 50 | 0 | 53 | 0 | Millwall | 86 | 3 | 101 | 3 |
Burnley | 88 | 4 | 96 | 5 | Nottingham Forest | 80 | 5 | 80 | 6 |
Cardiff City | 73 | 2 | 76 | 2 | Peterborough United | 54 | 1 | 57 | 1 |
Charlton Athletic | 59 | 2 | 60 | 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 95 | 2 | 101 | 2 |
Crystal Palace | 61 | 2 | 72 | 2 | Watford | 74 | 5 | 77 | 5 |
Derby County | 61 | 3 | 62 | 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 63 | 3 | 67 | 3 |
Highest and Lowest Attendances | |||
Highest | Lowest | ||
Att | Fixture | Att | Fixture |
33,010 | Derby County v Nottingham Forest (19/01) | 5,435 | Peterborough United v Bristol City (18/09) |
29,697 | Sheffield Wednesday v Barnsley (30/03) | 5,633 | Peterborough United v Blackpool (01/12) |
28,707 | Nottingham Forest v Derby County (30/09) | 5,997 | Peterborough Utd v Blackburn Rovers (17/11) |
28,595 | Wolverhampton W v Ipswich Town (29/12) | 6,050 | Peterborough Utd v Charlton Athletic (05/03) |
28,582 | Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United (19/10) | 6,188 | Peterborough United v Millwall (21/08) |
28,499 | Brighton & HA v Crystal Palace (17/03) | 6,214 | Peterborough United v Hull City (19/01) |
28,499 | Brighton & HA v Blackpool (20/04) | 6,348 | Peterborough Utd v Huddersfield Town(23/10) |
28,493 | Brighton & HA v Leicester City (06/04) | 6,600 | Peterborough Utd v Bolton Wand (23/12) |
28,229 | Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday (09/11) | 6,612 | Peterborough Utd v Middlesbrough (08/12) |
28,124 | Nottingham Forest v Brighton & Hove A (30/03) | 6,648 | Peterborough Utd v Burnley (02/02) |
The Next Fixtures | |
Tuesday 30th April | |
Millwall v Crystal Palace | |
Saturday 4th May | |
Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers | Derby County v Millwall |
Bolton Wanderers v Blackpool | Huddersfield Town v Barnsley |
Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers | Hull City v Cardiff City |
Burnley v Ipswich Town | Nottingham Forest v Leicester City |
Charlton Athletic v Bristol City | Sheffield Wednesday v Middlesbrough |
Crystal Palace v Peterborough United | Watford v Leeds United |