Reading edge closer as West Ham falter again

It hasn't been a brilliant week for West Ham. In midweek they dropped two home points to Watford and followed that up by doing just the same against the struggling Doncaster All Stars on Saturday.

That's enabled Southampton to move four points clear of them at the top and, in what is now becoming a three horse race for the top two positions, they've been caught up by Reading who made it eight wins out of eight with a 3-1 home win against Leicester.

Now, I know my football, so you should take note when I back teams to do well and vice versa. At the turn of the year it was Leicester who I said would make a storming run and get themselves right into the promotion race.

That belief was based on them having got rid of Sven Goran Eriksson and brought in Nigel Pearson who I just thought would get things going. It's not really happened and they are above us on goal difference with what is now surely very little hope of making the top six. Still, they'll go and spend a load more money they don't really have and give it another go.

Now, no look at the Championship can be considered complete these days without some mention of Portsmouth, so the money topic brings us nicely on to a club that are now four points adrift at the bottom of the league and a staggering eight points from safety.

Goalkeeper Stephen Henderson as well as Hayden Mullins were left out of the side on Saturday as they consider moves elsewhere, simply to reduce a wage bill that was simply obscene. I see the football authorities are now looking at improving their 'Fit and Proper Person' checks. I'd suggest it has to be have been non-existent given what's wandered through Fratton Park over the last few years.

Doncaster and Coventry City are the teams with four points more and then there is a further four point jump to Bristol City and two more to Nottingham Forest.

Forest won again and, although some would say it is hard to believe, they have scored in each of their last seven games. Points wise they are edging away from the bottom three but financially there are problems ahead at the City Ground.

Last week they issued a statement to confirm that Nigel Doughty's estate would finance them for the remainder of this season, but they would then be looking for new investment. Watch out for a real cloth cutting exercise by the banks of the River Trent.

One bit of Championship news had escaped me, that was until yesterday when the BBC coverage of the Middlesbrough v Leeds United game allowed me to spot the familiar figure of Ronnie Jepson in the Leeds technical area.

I knew he was reserve team coach at QPR but, having checked, he left by mutual consent on 22nd February and joined Leeds a day later, reuniting with Neil Warnock. I've always wondered what Stan Ternent must make of one of his right hand men in the Warnock camp.

The results are below along with the stats, the leading goalscorers, each club's disciplinary record, the highest and lowest attendances and the next fixtures.