Third weekend down, and four league fixtures have already been played for most of the Football League’s 72 teams.
For a lucky 36 of them there’s now the second round of the League Cup on Tuesday night (UK time) before another full round of games next weekend.
This opening burst of fixtures is certainly giving the fans plenty of games to talk about, and there’s just a few of the selected highlights below from the Football League weekend that was.
Championship
Sitting on top of the Football League tree are Ipswich Town and Brighton and Hove Albion, both with 10 points from three wins and a draw, the Tractor Boys ahead thanks to a better difference.
While Ipswich were expected to repeat their good form from last year, Brighton weren’t as favoured, and Chris Hughton continues to do his understated job. Managers of both clubs have tasted past Championship promotion success.
The rest of the top half features two sides relegated from the EPL, QPR and Hull, and two sides in Charlton and Milton Keynes who have surprised a little thus far.
Further down there are teams with plenty of draws to their names already, none more so than both Leeds United and Derby County who are still one of seven unbeaten teams so far this season, but all of their games have ended in a stalemate.
Three of the bottom four are recent EPL sides, and the manager of one – Gary Bowyer of Blackburn – is the hot tip to be the first of no doubt many, many manager casualties this season.
Championship highlights
Bolton 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Notable as it supplied Bolton’s first goal and second point of the season, and it took until the 94th minutes to do so, making it just over six hours’ wait for their first goal. Nottingham Forest meanwhile sit in the midfield after their second draw.
Middlesbrough 0-1 Bristol City
What looked the most likely home win of the round didn’t eventuate as the League One champions got their first win of the season and moved off the bottom of the ladder with the unlikely result. Certainly not the expected result for Boro, who had strengthened their squad with former EPL striker David Nugent among other summer signings.
QPR 4-2 Rotherham
Another two for Charlie Austin, who has put his name on the shopping list of several London EPL clubs. QPR nearly surrended a 1-0 half-time lead and a 3-0 lead at 63 minutes when Rotherham scored two goals.
League One
The top six is half full of some the fancied bigger clubs for promotion and the other half are some of the much less fancied teams. Two of those unfancied teams are Gillingham and Walsall who top the table after four games on 10 points.
Both of these clubs have tasted Championship football in the last 15 years, and despite it being early days they are in a great position to repeat that. The other is Burton, last year’s League Two winners who have won three of their first four and sit on nine points. The big teams Sheffield United, Coventry and Swindon Town make up the top six.
There are still five teams unbeaten in League One, and the only two not in the top six are Port Vale and Oldham who have one win to go with three draws.
At the bottom Blackpool’s misery continues as they prop up the league with just one draw as a reward for their early season efforts. They have plenty of company with eight teams of the 24 still yet to win a game.
League One highlights
Fleetwood Town 4-0 Colchester
Fleetwood Town were in the sixth tier as recently as 2010, and after a 10th place finish in their first year of League One last year, this 4-0 win moves them to seventh and shows that further improvement looks every chance this year. Colchester sit second last and after last year’s 19th finish they will be worried to the start of this year’s campaign.
Crewe Alexandra 3-3 Bury
The high scoring game of the weekend where each team had their turn in the lead. The result helped neither side as they are both yet to win this year. Bury may be the team worth following with 19 goals in their first four games.
Walsall 2-1 Coventry
The top six clash between two midland teams ended the way of the less fashionable Walsall who overtook their rival into second place, equal with first on points.
League Two
Leyton Orient are the shining light of the Football League as they hold the only 100 per cent record of the 72 teams, showing no sign of a League One relegation hangover. One team that appeared to be struggling after successive relegations – Yeovil Town – got their first win of the season and moved from last.
There are just three other unbeaten teams in League Two – Wycombe (2nd), Portsmouth (6th), and Oxford (9th). Bristol Rovers, Hartlepool and Plymouth are in the top six with one loss and three wins.
Down at the bottom, four teams are still yet to win a game, including fancied promotion candidates Luton Town.
League Two highlights
Wycombe 1-1 Dagenham and Redbridge
A game between Wycombe who were 100 per cent going into the weekend and Dagenham and Redbridge who had yet to score a point. After a seventh minute goal it looked like the weekend’s biggest upset was on the cards. A 95th winner from Wycombe kept them undefeated and the Daggers winless and last.
Newport 2-3 Leyton Orient
Another win looked a formality as the O’s put two past Newport, but the Welsh side came back to draw level before half-time. A 59th minute goal to Leyton Orient sealed their 100 per cent record, however, and sent Newport to the bottom two.
Stevenage 2-0 Hartlepool
A first win for Teddy Sherringham in charge of Stevenage who beat the previous undefeated Hartlepool.
Championship Results
Birmingham City 1-1 Derby
Leeds 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Middlesbrough 0-1 Bristol City
Preston 1-2 Ipswich
QPR 4-2 Rotherham
Reading 0-0 Milton Keynes Dons
Bolton 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Brighton 1-0 Blackburn
Burnley 1-0 Brentford
Charlton 2-1 Hull
Fulham 1-1 Huddersfield
Cardiff 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
League One results
Barnsley 0-0 Bradford
Burton 2-1 Peterborough
Chesterfield 0-0 Rochdale
Crewe 3-3 Bury
Fleetwood 4-0 Colchester
Gillingham 2-0 Wigan
Oldham 1-1 Shrewsbury
Port Vale 3-0 Doncaster
Scunthorpe 0-0 Millwall
Sheffield United 2-0 Blackpool
Southend 0-1 Swindon
Walsall 2-1 Coventry
League Two results
Bristol Rovers 3-1 Barnet
Cambridge United 0-3 Crawley
Carlisle 1-1 Wimbledon
Exeter 0-0 York
Mansfield 1-1 Oxford
Newport 2-3 Leyton Orient
Northampton 0-2 Plymouth
Notts County 1-1 Accrington
Portsmouth 3-3 Morecambe
Stevenage 2-0 Hartlepool
Wycombe 1-1 Dag and Red
Yeovil 3-2 Luton
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