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Time for a weekly catch-up around the grounds in the English Football League. All three tiers below the English Premier League are covered below.
Championship round-up
Only early days in the Championship but a pattern from previous seasons is starting to take shape – two teams getting a little break at the top and then a very tightly packed bunch of teams chasing.
Brighton, whose run of four wins came to an end with a draw on Saturday, remain unbeaten and top of the league, three points ahead of Middlesbrough who won their fourth straight game on the weekend and are in turn three points ahead of third place.
Hull City sit in third and only three points covers all the way to Nottingham Forest in 11th, and in between are most of the pre-season fancies. Out of this pack only Reading (6th) and Birmingham (7th) are the mild surprises. Worth noting is that Derby County play Burnley on Monday night (UK time) so Burnley could equal Middlesbrough’s points or Derby could join the chasing pack.
It is similarly tight at the bottom, with four points covering 13th to last. This compacting was helped with Blackburn and Rotherham taking their first wins for the season. Rotherham still occupy last place, and are joined by Bristol City and Preston North End in the bottom three. Add Milton Keynes in 20th and the three promoted teams from League One last year are in the bottom five.
Only seven to eight games in, but already there’s a fine line between the chasing pack and relegation scrap. That is unlikely to change much throughout the season.
Championship highlights
Blackburn 3-0 Charlton
Blackburn recorded their first win of the season to ease the pressure on the manager as they climb out of the bottom three. The two-goal return to form of Jordan Rhodes is a good sign for more improvement. Charlton, meanwhile, now have one point from four games after a promising start. They will look forward to a League Cup derby game against Crystal Palace in midweek to get back on track.
Rotherham 2-1 Cardiff
Rotherham also exorcised the winless demons this weekend with a win over former top six side Cardiff City who have now lost two in a row to drop out of the promotion places. It may have taken an injury-time own goal to win, but three points is all that matters when in last place.
Hull City 1-1 QPR
An early season sighter for the best of the relegated teams ended in a stalemate. Another goal for Charlie Austin keeps him at the top of the Championship scorers list with six goals, and probably the top of struggling EPL clubs come January. The £15 million price tag which seemed expensive in the summer may look great value compared with the hundreds of millions lost with relegation. A move to the north-east looks likely.
League One round-up
Burton Albion top the table with a sixth win from eight to start the season and show there’s no worries about their first season in the third tier. They continue to surprise and are flying the flag for the promoted teams, with only Bury (6th) showing similar form early. The other two teams with previous League One experience are struggling – Southend in 16th, and Shrewsbury in 19th.
The top six remains full of the less fashionable, less big name teams. Walsall and Gillingham sit just one point behind the Brewers, and Coventry, Rochdale and Bury complete the playoff places.
The midfield pack is as tight as ever with just three points covering ninth to 21st, and although it is early in the season there’s an even finer line between success and disappointment in the third tier. No wonder three managers have gone already. On that subject, Graeme Westley, who took Stevenage from non-league to League One, appears to have landed the vacant Peterborough job.
The two other teams without a permanent manager – Oldham and Doncaster – are now in the bottom four relegation zone with Crewe Alexandra and Blackpool.
The most obscure sending off for the Football League over the weekend happened to Peterborough’s Jermaine Anderson who was sent off for throwing a water bottle into the crowd.
League One highlights
Swindon Town 0-1 Burton Albion
Burton proving they are capable of competing with the best in League One this year with an away win against last year’s playoff finalists. Good enough to sit in outright first place.
Colchester 2-1 Gillingham
Previously struggling Colchester won their second consecutive game and beat the former table toppers Gillingham in the process, now leaving themselves in the relative comfort of the midfield after a stint in the bottom four. Gillingham lost their lead of the league in the process.
Bradford 2-2- Sheffield United
Bradford looked on track to claim the division’s big scalp on the premium Sunday timeslot for Football League football leading 2-0 after an hour. Sheffield United hit back with two goals in five minutes to earn a valuable away point against a side expected to fight them for promotion.
League Two round-up
Leyton Orient remain on top of League Two with a diminished lead over the chasing pack, but they could well have given up top place to their opponent from the weekend as Wycombe took the lead of the game and division, only for the O’s to equalise.
In between the two point gap of Leyton Orient and Wycombe in fourth is Portsmouth and Plymouth, both of whom drew on the weekend.
The chasing pack is the tightest of the Football League with just one point separating Oxford in fifth to AFC Wimbledon in 12th . As ever, not much covers the lower half of the league either with just a win covering 16th to second last. Newport have last place to themselves and are winless after eight games with former Sydney FC manager Terry Butcher in charge, for now.
League Two highlights
Accrington Stanley 4-2 Exeter
Just a 560-kilometre journey from Exeter to Carlisle, and that would have felt a very long way for Exeter fans on Saturday as they were beaten by Accrington courtesy of two goals to Josh Windass (son of former Hull legend Dean) and two other goals by the 63rd minute. Two goals in the 75th and 90th minute would have provided little cheer.
Leyton Orient 1-1 Wycombe
As discussed above Wycombe took the lead of the game and league for 25 minutes, only to be pegged back by Leyton Orient who took their place back on top.
AFC Wimbledon 2-1 Notts County
Really only included in the highlights due to personal favourite Adebayo Akinfenwa scoring a 90th minute winner to see off Notts County who led from the 16th minute until an 85th minute equaliser from the Dons.
Football League mini stats
Top scorers
Championship – Charlie Austin, QPR (6)
League One – Adam Armstrong, Coventry (6)
League Two – Ibehre, Carlisle, Simpson, Leyton Orient (6)
Unbeaten sides
Brighton (1st, Championship)
Portsmouth (2nd, League Two)
Best current winning streak
Burnley and Middlesbrough, Championship (4)
Winless sides
Newport (League Two)
Worst current losing streak
Milton Keynes, Championship (4)
Managerial casualties
3 – League One
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