Zemmama goal just about keeps Championship alive

Last updated : 25 April 2012 By Tony Scholes

 He scored the winning goal for Middlesbrough in their televised game against Southampton on Saturday. Had he not scored that goal, and had the game ended 1-1, there would have been nothing left to play for and both the BBC and Sky would have been scratching their heads at what to show on Saturday.

As it happens, that goal has kept things going. With a 1-1 draw the whole season would have been over with on Saturday night. Reading and Southampton would have been promoted, West Ham, Blackpool, Birmingham and Cardiff would have been in the play offs with Portsmouth and Coventry joining Doncaster through the trap door into League One.

But that goal, whilst ensuring Reading were champions, allowed West Ham the opportunity to fight Southampton for second place and left Middlesbrough still in with a chance of making the play offs.

The television companies have therefore gone for the Southampton and West Ham games, and if Southampton beat  Coventry they go up, if they draw then they will go up unless West Ham beat defensive experts Hull by four goals or more.

It's looking like Southampton with West Ham in the play offs with Blackpool and Birmingham. They will be joined by Cardiff if the Welsh club avoid defeat at Crystal Palace but should they lose and Middlesbrough win at Watford then the Teesside club will take the last play off place.

Down at the bottom it's all over. Portsmouth and Coventry knew what they had to do to avoid the drop. They needed two wins with Bristol City failing to win either of their last two games. It all went wrong.

Bristol City beat Barnsley 2-0 with the second coming from the most outrageous penalty award of the season from controversial referee Darren Deadman, but nothing mattered with both Portsmouth and Coventry losing at home.

For Portsmouth, it will be football in the third tier of English football for the first time since the 1982/83 season and for Coventry even longer, they haven't played there since winning promotion to the second division in 1964.

And so it is farewell for sure to Reading, Portsmouth, Coventry and Derby. We already knew that Charlton were joining us along with at least one of the Sheffield clubs and on Sunday a Championship place was confirmed by Wolves whose season has ended in disaster and relegation from the Premier League.

That means the three clubs promoted in 2009 - Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley - have now all suffered relegation.

Nothing much to play for now, for most of us just the last games, the parade of players around the pitch and then a longer than usual sixteen week break before the season starts again.

Below are the most recent results, the stats, the leading goalscorers, each club's red and yellow card count, the highest and lowest attendances and the final Championship fixtures of the 2011/12 season.

The Results
Saturday 21st April
Blackpool 4 Burnley 0 Ipswich Town 0 Millwall 3
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Birmingham City 1 Middlesbrough 2 Southampton 1
Bristol City 2 Barnsley 0 Peterborough United 2 Watford 2
Cardiff City 1 Leeds United 1 Portsmouth 1 Derby County 2
Coventry City 0 Doncaster Rovers 2 Reading 2 Crystal Palace 2
Hull City 2 Nottingham Forest 1  
Monday 23rd April
Leicester City 1 West Ham United 2  

 

The Stats
Biggest Win Blackpool 4-0 v Burnley (home)
Total Goals Scored 35 (18 home - 17 away)
Player Scoring Most Goals 2 - Andy Keogh (Millwall)
Highest Attendance 25,109 - Cardiff City v Leeds United
Lowest Attendance 8,725 - Peterborough United v Watford
Total Yellow Cards 29
Total Red Cards 2
Most Cards in a Game Brighton & Hove Albion v Birmingham City (5Y) Ref: Nigel Miller

 

Leading Goalscorers (League Only)
27 Rickie Lambert (Southampton) - includes 9 penalties
20 Ricardo Vaz Te (West Ham United) - includes 1 penalty - (10 with Barnsley)
18 Ross McCormack (Leeds United)
Billy Sharp (Southampton) - includes 1 penalty - (10 with Doncaster Rovers)
17 Matty Fryatt (Hull City) - includes 2 penalties
16 Charlie Austin (Burnley) - includes 1 penalty
Marlon King (Birmingham City) - includes 2 penalties
15 Darius Henderson (Millwall) - includes 2 penalties
David Nugent (Leicester City)
Kevin Phillips (Blackpool)
Jay Rodriguez (Burnley) - includes 3 penalties
14 Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town)
13 Marvin Emnes (Middlesbrough)
Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United) - includes 2 penalties
12 Chris Burke (Birmingham City)
Carlton Cole (West Ham United)
Adam Le Fondre (Reading)
Jevin Nolan (West Ham United)
Paul Taylor (Peterborough United)
Chris Wood (Bristol City) - includes 1 penalty - (9 with Birmingham City)

 

Hat Tricks
 Date Player & Game
20/08/11 3: Lee Tomlin - PETERBOROUGH UNITED v Ipswich Town
10/09/11 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Nottingham Forest
11/09/11 3: Chris Wood - BIRMINGHAM CITY v Millwall
12/10/11 3: Darius Henderson - Leicester City v MILLWALL
02/11/11 3: Jonjo Shelvey - Leeds United v BLACKPOOL
19/11/11 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Brighton & Hove Albion
26/12/11 3: Matthew Phillips - Barnsley v BLACKPOOL
31/12/11 3: Ricardo Vaz Te - BARNSLEY v Leeds United
21/01/12 3: Darius Henderson - Barnsley v MILLWALL
31/01/12 4: Nikola Zigic - Leeds United v BIRMINGHAM CITY
26/02/12 3: Rickie Lambert - Watford v SOUTHAMPTON
17/03/12 3: Rickie Lambert - Millwall v SOUTHAMPTON
20/03/12 4: Garath McCleary - Leeds United v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
31/03/12 3: Radi Majewski - Crystal Palace v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
31/03/12 3: Charlie Austin - Portsmouth v BURNLEY
14/04/12 3: Ricardo Vaz Te - WEST HAM UNITED v Brighton & Hove Albion
17/04/12 3: Matty Fryatt - HULL CITY v Barnsley

 

Disciplinary Record (League and Cup)
Club Y R Y R Club Y R Y R
  League   Total   League  Total 
Barnsley 61 2 64 2 Ipswich Town 55 5 56 5
Birmingham City 63 3 68 3 Leeds United 73 9 79 9
Blackpool 53 2 56 3 Leicester City 60 9 68 9
Brighton and Hove Albion 91 8 105 8 Middlesbrough 75 7 78 7
Bristol City 80 7 82 7 Millwall 77 2 84 2
Burnley 69 2 77 2 Nottingham Forest 60 5 65 5
Cardiff City 57 0 73 0 Peterborough United 53 2 56 2
Coventry City 55 3 57 3 Portsmouth 75 4 82 4
Crystal Palace 55 2 59 3 Reading 57 1 60 1
Derby County 58 1 58 1 Southampton 52 4 55 4
Doncaster Rovers 70 3 72 3 Watford 68 3 70 3
Hull City 70 1 75 1 West Ham United 66 6 68 7

 

Highest and Lowest Attendances
Highest Lowest
Att Fixture Att Fixture
34,936 West Ham United v Coventry City (02/01) 6,351 Peterborough United v Cardiff City (18/10)
34,900 West Ham United v Crystal Palace (25/02) 6,392 Peterborough United v Millwall (06/03)
34,749 West Ham United v Barnsley (17/12) 6,717 Peterborough United v Reading (20/03)
34,650 West Ham United v Doncaster Rovers (10/03) 7,004 Peterborough United v Bristol City (18/02)
33,465 West Ham United v Portsmouth (10/09) 7,540 Peterborough United v Blackpool (10/03)
33,366 Leeds United v West Ham United (17/03) 7,555 Peterborough United v Portsmouth (28/01)
33,350 West Ham United v Reading (31/03) 7,572 Doncaster Rovers v Millwall (20/03)
33,010 Derby County v Southampton (15/10) 7,650 Doncaster Rovers v Watford (26/11)
33,010 Derby County v Leeds United (26/12) 7,778 Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City (27/08)
33,010 Derby County v Nottingham Forest (17/03) 7,901 Peterborough United v Burnley (17/09)

 

The Final Fixtures
Saturday 21st April
Barnsley v Brighton & Hove Albion Leeds United v Leicester City
Birmingham City v Reading Millwall v Blackpool
Burnley v Bristol City Nottingham Forest v Portsmouth
Crystal Palace v Cardiff City Southampton v Coventry City
Derby County v Middlesbrough Watford v Peterborough United
Doncaster Rovers v Ipswich Town West Ham United v Hull City